 |
Home | Contact us | Links | Archives | Search | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Status Quo of Bushbush Game Reserve After the Islamic Courts Refuge there, and American Aerial Bombardment? |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Issue 368
|
TO: THE AMERICAN CONGRESS
From: Somaliland Ecological Society (SES) LNGO, Hargeysa, Somaliland Contact: Mohamed Egeh Killeh Mail mekilleh2@yahoo.com Mob: 00252-2-4459235 Tel: 00252-2-517826 Date: February 12, 2009
Subject: The Status Quo of Bushbush Game Reserve After the Islamic Courts Refuge there, and American Aerial Bombardment?
Bushbush game reserve is located in the lower Juba Region of Kismayo, Somalia (See Map):
Before the collapse of the Military Regime of Siyad Bare in 1991, it was the government’s intention to establish a national park within Bushbush Game Reserve, 1975 -1976. The writer was counterpart to the UNDP/FAO funded development project: FO/DP, SOM/72/012 of “strengthening of forestry and wildlife management project”. The project manager was Mr. G.A. Booth. The Wildlife Ecologist was Mr. N.O.J. Abel (Ph.D), now Group Leader Ecological & Economic System –CISRO Canberra Australia. During the project activities, a survey was made of the Proposal National Park area, and the surrounding country. The distribution of soils vegetation and water was discussed, and occurrence of wildlife, livestock and tsetse fly was described. Land use practices in the area was outlined, proposed development plans for the area were reviewed, and the boundary proposals were presented for the establishment of the national park. The following listed documents, defined the project activities for the establishment of the national park- a) FO: DP/SOM/12/012, field document NO. 1. “Strengthening of forestry and wildlife management project, Somalia 1975. Establishment of national parks. Badade district. United Nations Development Programme Mogadishu 1975. Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations. b) Field document No.3 Management plan for proposed national park. Badade district United Nations Development Programme. Food and agriculture organization of the United Nations Mogadishu 1976. c) Field Document No. 4 “Seasonal distribution of wildlife and livestock in relation to development and Human Resettlement in the southern Trans-Jubba area of Somalia 1976”. d) Field document No. 5 “Conservation and exploitation of the wildlife of south-eastern Somalia, 1976” It is worth mentioning here as soon as the survey phase of Bushbush Game Reserve was completed in 1976. The implementation phase was hampered by the incidence of the Somalia/Ethiopia war of 1977. Its status remained therefore “Bushbush Game Reserve” as before. e) Biodiversity “Somalis possesses important and unusual biological resources within its varied biogeography zones. Apart from the 150 wild mammal and 645 bird species recorded, 3000 species of plants are found, 518 of them believed endemic. Along the coastline there are important coral reefs, seabird colonies, turtle nesting beaches, large dugong populations and extensive sea grass beds (IUCN, 1993)”. Many of these species and their habitats in Bushbush Game Reserve and its surroundings have been environmentally affected by American Aerial bombardment during January 2006.
During January 2006, the Islamic courts militants took refuge in Bushbush Game Reserve. Sophisticated American bombers started to bomb targets in the thick forests of Bushbush. Hundreds of game animals were killed, many others of them died of stress, and many others scared out to neighboring countries while forest fires followed.
Bushbush Game Reserve had become a battle field among nations with different political interests in Somalia, which posed immediate environmental impact by destroying the marine and terrestrial biodiversity of the area because of those aerial bombardments.
During President Bush’s Administration, the American aerial bombardment Bushbush game reserve’s intention was (according to them) to hunt 3 wanted Islamic Courts Militants who took refugee there. That action was illegal and unjustifiable. It was against the African Contention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Recourses, Algiers –Algeria 1968. What would President G. Bush have done if 3 armed poachers entered and took refugee in “Yellow Stone National Park? Would he resort to sophisticated aerial bombers to hunt them down? I am sure naturally, that he would resort to a more saver alternative approach instead of bombing and wiping out his natural nonrenewable resources like what happened in Bushbush Game Reserve!!
Environmental management has no borders and that is why I must let the world know what has happened to Bushbush game reserve. As a naturalist and environmental activist, I have with me here all documents of Bushbush game reserve some of which I was a co-author in their compilation. It is an obligation to advocate Bushbush Game Reserve and seek to perpetuate its natural/national heritage for future generations and for posterity. Here therefore, I call upon the American Congress, WWF, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, UNDP, SOS, FAO, WFP, IUCN, UNEP, GREEN PEACE, PERSGA, BIRDLIFE INTERNATINAL, CISRO, THE GREEN MOVEMENT, MWEKA, CANDLELIGHT, SES (UK), SWALIM and all environmental friendly organization world wide to witness, document and carryout environmental impact assessment of the American Bombardment of Bushbush Game Reserve of southern Somalia during January 2006. After the environmental impact assessment, Somali naturalists will be in a position to claim internationally on the culprits to redress the damage done to the national phenomena of the area: such as: “Geology, Geomorphology, land use, meteorology, Climate, Hydrology, Wildlife, Vegetation, Land Tenure, Transportation, History, Circulation, Archaeology, Human Population, Visual and Aesthetic, Property Values, Tax base, Income, Business and Industry, and Environmental Quality”. The redressing could be in the form of rehabilitation and establishment funding OF THE Bushbush National Park. As Bushbush Game Reserve shares name with G.W. Bush there is room for him to support the redressing of Bushbush Game Reserve. “At present, a range of biologically important coral reefs, seabird colonies and turtle nesting grounds are unprotected, and surveys of the marine and littoral resources along the coast are needed. It has been suggested that priority be given to surveying the coral reef-island-mangrove systems from Mogadishu south to the Kenyan border, with the possibility of establishing marine parks at the Bajuni Archipelago and along the coast adjacent to the proposed Lag-Badana-Bushbush National Park.” (IUCN 1993) Fauna of Bushbush Latin Name Common Name Struthio camelus Ostrich Phalacrocorax africanus Long-tailed cormorant Pelecanus onocrotalus White Pelican Ardea cinerea Grey heron Ardea goliath Goliath heron Ardea purpurea Purple heron Casmerodius albus Great white egret Mesophoyx intermedius Yellow-billed egret Bubulcus ibis Cattle egret Scopus umbretta Hammer kop Dissoura episcopus Woolly-necked stork Sphenorynchus abdimii Abdim’s stork Anastomus lamelligerus Open-billed stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis Saddle-billed stork Leptoptilos crumeniferus Maribou stork Tbis ibis Yellow-billed stork Threskiornis aethiopicus Sacred ibis Hagdashia hagedash Hadada ibis Plegadis falcinellus Glossy ibis Platalea alba African spoonbill Phoenicopterus rubber Greater flamingo Dendrocygna viduata White-faced tree duck Sarkidiornis melanotos Knob-billed duck Alopochen nogyptiacus Egyptian goose Sagittarius serpentarius Secretary bird Necrosyites monachus Hooded vulture Milvus migrans Black kite Polemnestus Bellicosus Martial eagle Terathopius ecaudatus Bateleur eagle Cuncuma vocifor African fish eagle Melierax poliopterus Pale chanting goshawk Pandion haliaetus Osprey Falco paregrinus Peregrine Francolinus sephaena Crested Francolin Pternistis leucoscepus Yellow-necked spur fowl Guttera pucherani Crested guinea-fowl Acryllium vulturinum Vulturine guinea-fowl Eupodotis senegalensis White-bellied bustard Lissotis melanogaster Black-crested bustard Lophotis ruficrista Buff-crested bustard Burhinus sp. Stone curlew Actophilornis africanus African jacana Charadrius hiaticula Ringed plover Charadrius pecuarius Kittlitz’s sand plover Sarciophorus tectus Blackhead plover Dromas ardeola Crab plover Himantopus himantos Black-winged stilt Xenus cinereus Terek sandpiper Tringa hypoleucos Common Sandpiper Tringa glareola Wood sandpiper Tringa glagnatilis Maran----- Numentua phaeopus Whimbrel Cursodius cursor Cream-coloured courser Lamas herpriohii Sooty gull Gelocheladon nilotica Gull-billed tern Hydroprogte caspia Caspian torn Eremialoctor decoratus Black-faced sandgrouse Steptopelia capicola Ring-neckod dove Steptopelia senegalensis Laughing dove Quena capensis Namaqua dove Turtur chalcospilos Emerald-spotted wood dove Croythaizoides leucogaster White-bellied go-away bird Piocephalus rufiventris Orange-bellied parrot Goracias caudata Lilac-breasted roller Ceryle rudis Pied kingfisher---- Halcyon leucocephala Grey-hended kingfisher Merops apiaster European bee-eater Merops numbicus Carmine bee-eater Melittophagus pusillus Little bee-eater Melittophagus bullockoides White-fronted bee-eater Tockus nasutus Grey hornbill Tockus flavirostris Yellow-billed hornbill Tockus deckeni Von der decken’s hornbill Colius macrourus Blue-naped moosebird Apus affinis Little swift Pycnonotus xanthopygos Yellow-vented bulbul Dicrurus adsimilis Drongo Eurocephalus anguitimens White-crowned shrike Lanius collaris Fiscal shrike Corvus albus Pied Craw Lamprotornis purpuropterus Ruppell’s long-tailed starling Spreo superbus Superb starling Buphagus erythorhynchus Red-billed oxpocker Chalcomitra snegalensis Scarlet-chested sunbird Bulbalornis albirostris Buffalo weaver Dinemellia dinemelli White-handed buffalo weaver Passer griseus Grey-headed sparrow 2. Mammals
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Home | Contact us | Links | Archives | Search |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
