Before the Mozambican civil war, Gorongosa National Park was among the top destinations in Africa, with a higher concentration of animals than on the famed Serengeti Plain. But during the war, soldiers and other poachers killed these vast herds, planted landmines and destroyed the park's infrastructure. By the 1990s, the park was all but abandoned.
another q and a...
Published April 23, 2007
Stephanie Hanes, for the Pulitzer Center
Gorongosa, Mozambique
What is the most vital issue that needs help in restoring the park? (ie land mines, animals, plant life)
The biggest gap in the park's ecosystem is large mammals. They were all poached out during and after the war. So restoring those animals is going to be huge.
But the plant life and general ecosystem is pretty in tact – it's one of the reasons they think they can fix up this park. Land mines really aren't much of an issue (although the Carr Foundation is definitely spending a lot of money on that just to be extra sure.)
I think another big issue is deforestation around the park. You might know all about this from science classes, but trees play a huge role in ecosystems – they impact the weather, rivers, rain, soil quality, etc. And there's a lot of deforestation around the park, because villagers clear trees to plant fields. Or sometimes to make charcoal. So I'd put that up there in terms of vital issues.
The New York Times today covered East Africa's biggest new development: Plans are underway for
By Bob Shacochis, USA Today Opinion
Grantee
Stephanie Hanes is a freelance reporter whose work has appeared in more than a dozen national publications, including Smithsonian Magazine, the Christian Science Monitor, Africa...
