by L K. J

Created on: January 12, 2008

Having spent a large portion of my childhood and early youth in Africa, I have sadly been a witness to the debilitating effect of human conflict on the ecosystem in this beautiful continent.

Mountain gorillas in the tropical forests of Rwanda, sweeping Savannas in Mozambique and the largest set of waterfalls in the world located in Zimbabwe; this is only a minuscule snapshot of the exhilarating flora and fauna found in these exotic nations.

To answer the question why the rest of the world should be concerned with the conservation and restoration of the ecosystems in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Rwanda, I believe it's important to reflect on what these nations have to offer which, in essence, is what the world as a whole stands to lose.

According to the Carr Foundation, a U.S nonprofit organization involved in restoration projects in Mozambique, Africa is home to 70 of the world's 100 national parks and natural reserves. It also boasts one of the highest concentration of diversity in species and ecological features in the various regions of the world.

Every year, millions of adventurers, thrill-seekers and curious vacationers aiming to momentarily escape encroaching urbanization and granite living spaces, have flowed into these locales to catch a glimpse of the intoxicating scenic beauty and view exotic wild animals in their natural habitat. The tourists experience scenes that cannot be fully replicated in the zoos and animal reserves they have available back home.

Where else, aside from Animal Planet TV, can a native New Yorker see and be a part of a herd of migrating wildebeest or where can a charismatic Californian experience visiting the most highly endangered large mammal on earth, the Black Rhinoceros, in her own backyard?

Unfortunately social conflict, political unrest and extreme economic hardships are threatening to obliterate these natural treasures.

Ethnic cleansing and genocide in Rwanda in 1994 brought in its wake a severe strain on the forests and natural vegetation. A case in point is the Gishwati Forest, which once thick with African mahoganies and figs now, according to a report by Stephanie Hanes for the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, lays waste and denuded having served as a hiding place for refugees who cut down the trees and used the land to cultivate food to sustain themselves.

Mozambique too has had its share of social-political upheaval. A crippling civil war that ended in 1992 left one of the world's most diverse natural reserves barren

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