Located in northeastern Central African Republic (CAR) close to the Chad and Sudan borders, Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park is the largest park in the Central African savannas, covering 17,400 square kilometers. The park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988 due to its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and financially supported by the European Union for a decade. Its diverse ecosystem hosts rich fauna and flora including many endangered species such as elephants, lions, hippos, and some of the last remaining giraffes in Central Africa. However, even at the time of UNESCO recognition, Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park was threatened by poaching of these charismatic species and by illegal transhumance (the practice of moving livestock from one grazing ground to another in a seasonal cycle). As these threats grew over time, affecting its OUV, the park was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1997 due to combined effects of poaching, livestock intrusions, artisanal mining, security issues, and other threats. Sites are included on this list when they face serious threats to their OUV and serves as a call to action for the international community to take measures to protect and preserve these important natural landmarks. In 2009, a Joint Reactive Monitoring Mission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) requested by the World Heritage Committee concluded that Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park’s OUV had significantly degraded and suggested recommendations and corrective measures,…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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