Conservation and the Development of National Parks in the Humid Tropics of Africa

Abstract

The diverse humid forests of tropical Africa are on the verge of destruction and the few protected areas are also under threat from illegal land and resource use. The conservation history of these forests dates from about 85 years ago but game and forest reserves have not protected the ecosystems. The humid lowland forests have always been perceived as lacking any potential for tourism and are known to have valuable resources. Thus, few of the humid lowland forests were protected after the major conservation initiatives of 1933 and 1961. Increasing con- cern for the protection of lowland humid forests led to several large national parks being created in the years 1966-74 but few were established in the most threatened forests of West Africa and none in East Africa. The high cost of national park development and the unlikely possibility of tourism has led to biosphere reserves being favoured and it is suggested that these are likely to be more successful than national parks. Specialized forms of tourism are successful in the montane forests however, and the future of national parks in these areas would seem to be assured. The high cost of protecting and managing national parks suggests that unless inter- national financial aid is available, those that have already been established may have an uncertain future. It is proposed that only one large national park is required in each country within the lowland humid forests and that biosphere reserves are more appropriate for other conserved areas in these