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Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park of the Central African Republic August 22, 2010 Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park of the Central African Republic Manovo-Gounda-St Floris National Park of the Central African Republic contains entire basins to include three rivers, grassy floodplains, savannah and woodlands, wetlands associated to the rivers and the sandstone Massif des Bongo. It is home to riverside swamps and flooded flat river valleys where trees and shrubs are detained to patches of higher ground and are flood and fire resistant to dense dry forest. The park is heavily used by wildlife, such as ungulate herds. Other wildlife includes monkeys, birds, elephants, etc. Threats to the Manovo-Gounda St floris National Park are quite devastating and needs to be given a large amount of consideration. Manovo-Gounda St floris National Park was appointed as a World Heritage Park due to its exceptional natural structures and endangered species. Although the Manovo-Gounda-St Floris National Park is lavish in its wild life and various habitats, it is, to state, suffering great threats. I agree that something must be done to protect the beauty, history and wildlife from professional poaching of large animals, fires and disease, and mining. According to the Encyclopedia of Earth, Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park covers the majority of the eastern side of Bamingui-Bangoran province in the north of the country (Clough, L.D.,2008). The park is surrounded by three rivers; R. Vakaga to the east, R. Manovo to the west and Bahr Aouk and Bahr Kameur to the north. The park contains three key zones: grassy floodplains from the northern rivers, gentle rolling changeable plains of bushy or wooded savannas with sporadic small granite inselbergs, and the Chaine des Bongo plateau in the south (Clough, L.D., 2008). The massif is primarily highly divided sandstone, expanding above the plains in 100 to 200 meter ridge. Furthermore, the seasonally flooded lowlands have delicate subterranean alluvial soils, which, in turn makes for poor drainage. The three central rivers basins lie within Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park. The park is home to the largest savanna in Central and West Africa. Approximately 70% of the area is covered by wooded savannas (“United nations”, 2008). However, the park covers a broad range of various habitats. These habitats range from grassy, wooded and treed savannas to gallery forests. All of these different physical characteristics have lead to a vast amount of a variety of vegetation within the park. The riverside swamps contain sandy grasslands of continuing grass communities, sedges and yearly forbs heavily cover the flood lands. Covering the seasonal flooded flat river valleys are trees and shrubs which are bound in patches of higher ground and are both flood and fire resistant. All of the grassy savannas are widely used by the wildlife of the park, particularly the hoofed herds (Tye, T., 2010). The importance of the park comes from its wealth of flora and fauna. In particular, the fauna of Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park mirror the change between west and east Africa, the Sahel and forested tropics (Tye, T., 2010). The park has the most exquisite fauna in the country all of which have been very well shielded in the past. The vast savannahs are home to a large variety of species; such as, black rhinoceros, small forest elephant, leopards, cheetahs, and wild dogs. Other larger mammals consist of: hartebeest, waterbucks, oribis, topis, reedbuck, roan antelope, buffalos, warthogs and hippopotamus. To include land animals there are also a large variety of birds in the park, to include: the African fish eagle, marabou stork (a seasonal bird), and shoebills to name a few. With so much life and beauty, who could imagine wanting to destroy such nature' Unfortunately, Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park is faced with many threats to its site, which is the main reason why it is designated a World Heritage Park. The main threat for the park is professional poaching. Manovo-Gouda-St Floris National Park is home to 57 known mammal species and 320 species of birds that are all threatened by the use of professional poaching (Clough, L.D., 2008). Professional poaching of large mammals, generally elephants and rhinoceros, is facilitated by a main national route that crosses the park. However, professional poaching also comes from within the country but the majority comes from Chad and Sudan, which were greatly supplied with automatic weapons from the civil wars within the country (Tye, T., 2010). In 1997 uncontrollable poaching reached emergency levels with extremely armed groups coming into the park and setting up camps, transporting bushmeat by camel trains (Clough, L.D., 2008). As a result, four park employees were killed and there were no anti-poaching regulations. By 1998, 80% of the park’s wildlife has been harvested by poachers. This resulted in tremendous decline in the animal life of the park. Poaching decreased the elephant population 95% by 2006 and 10 or so rhinoceros remain (“United nations”, 2008). Furthermore, staff is highly short of the manpower and equipment that is needed to maintain such a large area and as even fewer firearms and only one vehicle. Poaching as also led to the decline a many other animals in the park such as the topi, kob and waterbuck to near extinction. Similarly, there are other threats to the Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park. These threats include fires and disease and mining. Fires have become a cause for concern for the park, whether initiated by grazers, poachers, hunters or guards (Fay, J.M., 2008). The majority of illegal grazing happens during the dry season with large numbers of transhumant cattle moving from the Nyala region of Sudan and from Chad which compete with the park’s wildlife and thus introduces diseases (Fay, J.M., 2008). Recent mining along the Manovo river has become a cause for concern in the park. All of these threats are tremendously affecting the structure of grasslands making species give way under the pressures of grazing. Fortunately, Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park has been on high alert in regards to the safety and security of the lands and wildlife. The park is currently under administration of one manager and one assistant to also include five guards. They are helped occasionally by army personnel for anti-poaching patrols (“Clough, L.D., 2008). The concessionaire staffs ten individuals for management detailed tasks. Furthermore, other efforts in securing the safety of the land and wildlife, the park was added to the World Heritage in Danger list in 1997 because of to severe levels of poaching by heavily armed groups within the national park (Tye, T., 2010). The Government of the Central African Republic is assigning the management of Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park to a private foundation, which is welcomed by the World Heritage Committee. The Committee wanted the World Heritage Centre and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to work with the government of the Central African Republic and the assigned foundation to prepare a state of conservation report and a rehabilitation plan (“United nations”, 2008). Similarly, all has gone as planned with reviving Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park. Although access to the southern region of the park is particularly easy to enter, there are very few facilities for tourists and visitors. However, the poor level of security in the area has stopped the flow of tourists in the park. In addition, the 10-year conservation project, which was financed by the European Union, at a cost of $27 million, is not showing any substantial results (Clough, L.D., 2008). As of 2009, Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park still remains on the World Heritage in Danger list because the Government of the Central African Republic has failed to submit a report on the state of conservation of the park as requested by the World Heritage Committee in 2008 (Clough, L.D., 2008). Further efforts to keep the land and wildlife safe included the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) visit to the site to prepare fund-raising efforts and produce realistic work plans for two years for rehabilitating the park, and the assimilation of local communities to participate in management (Tye, T., 2010). Also, the government was expected to seek assistance from neighboring states to help limit poaching. All in all, Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park of the Central African Republic is one of the largest biogeographic crossroads of central Africa. The parks exquisite range of north-central savannas ecosystem is home to the country’s astounding variety of animals. Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park is in grave danger of losing its vast diverse wildlife and beautiful habitats. Furthermore, deep concerns have been expressed that the national park is in danger of losing its Outstanding Universal Value if no urgent corrective are taken. References Clough, L.D. (2008). Manovo-gounda-st floris national park, central african republic. Ecology, Retrieved from http://www.eoearth.org/article/Manovo-Gounda- St_Floris_National_Park,_Central_African_Republic United nations environmental programme. (2007, October). Retrieved from http://docs.google.com/viewer'a=v&q=cache:djV8TOAn2_UJ:www.unep-wcmc.org/sites/wh/pdf/Manovo-Gounda-St.F.pdf+manovo-gounda-st+floris+national+park+threats&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShFqmbPAtcu4nYBvAhqCFXikEihOgahMop-X10qKB8nNu6XRwYnxlnwxAibl_qaGdkfMI4uvkOWXjv1Kv4WI1ctwitJb8Xi 5-OqmNfy5s7gwzfRbUkdqAdeWlt2LzoXDkedAGcD&sig=AHIEtbSeHW9QeWx156AmvUUUlhcaIKDb_A Fay, J.M. (2008, June). A Witness to violence. Conservation Magazine, 09(02), Retrieved from http://www.conservationmagazine.org/2008/07/a-witness-to- violence/killing game; They shoot poachers, don't they' John Davison travels to the Central African Republic, where people are dying in the name of conservation :[1 Edition]. (1999, June 5). The Herald,p. 8.  Retrieved July 10, 2010, from ProQuest Newsstand. Tye, T. (2010). Manovo-gounda st floris national park, central african republic. Retrieved from http://www.worldgreatestsites.com/manovo-gounda-st-floris-national-park_central-african-republic.htm