After having witnessed the destruction of impounded ivory government stocks in Libreville I have decided to travel to the national reserve of Lope to see forest elephants in their natural environment.
Lope is in-fact a patch-work of rain-forests and equatorial savannas but unlike the great plains of E.Africa the savannas of this central African region are not teaming with great herds of forest elephants.
After a number of days of viewing elephants from a distance I finally got the chance to encounter a large forest bull up close a situation that created justified fear from my Eco guide.
Forest elephants are notoriously unpredictable especially female elephants with infants and the thought of being charged by an enraged bull kept both my Eco guide and myself on guard just in case.
Forest elephants are notoriously unpredictable especially female elephants with infants and the thought of being charged by an enraged bull kept both my Eco guide and myself on guard just in case.
Lope is reported to have a population of over 5000 forest elephants a fact that has become increasingly unique as the forests of the Congo basin are rapidly losing it’s once vast herds of forest elephants who’s ivory tusks are in great demand by an increasingly affluent population in what is the planets fastest growing global economy, China.
With a greater level of demand for timber – ivory- minerals and resources such as Soya – cattle and palm oil our planets last remaining vast tracks of rainforest are in greater peril than at an other stage in the ongoing non-sustainable demands that we as a species have made upon our planets fragile and limited resources.
With a greater level of demand for timber – ivory- minerals and resources such as Soya – cattle and palm oil our planets last remaining vast tracks of rainforest are in greater peril than at an other stage in the ongoing non-sustainable demands that we as a species have made upon our planets fragile and limited resources.
In an interdependent bio-diverse world we are rapidly moving into uncharted territory of declining levels of bio-diversity for short termand immediate gains without caring about where we as a species are traveling too.
If we wish to have a sustainable future we urgently need to begin to question our non-sustainable and reckless demands as we are presently rapaciously devouring our fragile and limited planets natural resources for short term and immediate financial gains !!!
If we wish to have a sustainable future we urgently need to begin to question our non-sustainable and reckless demands as we are presently rapaciously devouring our fragile and limited planets natural resources for short term and immediate financial gains !!!
