JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — "The United Nations urged Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday to protect vital ape habitats on their borders after a huge swathe of forest was cut down on the Congolese side.
The U.N. was responding to reports that six square miles of mountain gorilla habitat had been cleared in the Congo part of Virunga National Park, threatening one of the planet's rarest and most magnificent wild animals.
There are only about 700 mountain gorillas left in the world. They live in the lush mountains straddling Rwanda, Uganda, and Congo, and any loss of remaining habitat could push one of humanity's closest relatives to extinction.
"Reports of extensive forest destruction and human encroachment (in Virunga) ... have profound implications for the future viability of this ecosystem," Klaus Toepfer, the U.N.'s top environment official, said in letters to the environment ministers of the three countries. "Evidence from satellite, aerial, and ground surveys indicates that habitat destruction has occurred in some areas at a rate of up to two square kilometers a day," said Toepfer, who is head of the United Nations Environment Program."
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http://www.enn.com/news/2004-07-07/s_25618.asp