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Conservation before the crisis – an opportunity in Gabon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2009

Thomas O. McShane
Affiliation:
World Wildlife Fund, 1250–24th Street, NW Washington, DC 20037, USA.
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Abstract

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Much of the news we hear regarding the conservation situation in Africa portrays a continent in crisis. Increasing human population, decreasing agricultural production, loss of forest cover and mounting debt all point to a bleak future. Even in countries where conservationists have been most active the black rhino is near extinction and the elephant population is crashing. The conservation community has responded with last-ditch conservation efforts, commonly known as ‘firefighting’ or ‘band-aid conservation’. This paper examines an opportunity to practice ‘conservation before the crisis’ in Gabon, a country with time on its side to address its long-term conservation and development needs.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Fauna and Flora International 1990

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