US finances management plans for two natural parks in Angola

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) this week in Menongue submitted the management plans for two recently created natural parks in Angola, said the United Stattes embassy in Angola.
The two new natural parks – Mavinga and Luengue-Luiana – are located in Kwando Kubango province, southwest Angola, and cover an area of 6.8 million hectares or 68,000 square kilometres.
The management plans, according to the Embassy’s statement, will held to guide the development of the parks in the critical first few years, safeguarding natural resources so as to benefit around 12,000 people living in the five main villages inside the boundaries of the parks.
Without giving a figure, the document said the management plans were financed through the USAID Southern Africa Regional Environmental Development Programme.
This six-year project supports the schemes of the Southern Africa Development Community to deal with threats to biodiversity and the environment within the Okavango river basin, which includes parts of Angola, Botswana and Namibia, as well as the Okavango river delta, which is a World Heritage site.  MDT/Macauhub