According to a note from the United States of America (USA) embassy in Angola, the training will cover staff from 10 of the country's 18 provinces, and in February training actions took place in Menongue, capital of Cuando Cubango province, with others are planned in Cabinda, Luanda and other cities.
The project, to be implemented by the non-governmental organization TRAFFIC, also aims to strengthen Angola's capacity to combat illegal logging and timber trafficking, an activity that aligns with the country's ongoing efforts to prevent illegal exports of timber to bulk and other forestry products.
"The illegal export of wood harms the livelihood of the Angolan people and is one of the main threats to the country's wildlife and forests", underlines the note.
The document highlights that, in a separate US-funded project approved in 2022, the NGO Stop Illegal Fishing and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will work with Angola to strengthen the monitoring and control of foreign-flagged fishing vessels in waters Angolan authorities and improve information sharing between fisheries control and law enforcement agencies in SADC nations.
"The U.S. Embassy in Luanda will also continue to support partners such as The Nature Conservancy, African Parks, National Geographic and others to facilitate and establish scientific research to better inform wildlife protection and biodiversity conservation and promote economic prosperity, security and sustainable livelihoods for local communities", stresses the document.
The US Government also aims to encourage the support of partners who can complement current and future projects to help advance the work being done by the Angolan Government and regional organizations such as the Kavango Zambeze Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) and the Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (OKACOM).
The activities planned for this year, stresses the note, continue the partnership between the United States and Angola, "which for years has strengthened the protection of the rich diversity of wild and plant life in the country".
"This includes training and equipping rangers, surveys of wildlife populations and forest resources, and programs to reintroduce and protect populations of species that have been devastated by years of civil war," the note stresses.
