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In southwest Africa， away from other continents of the world， there is a country scarred by 27 years of war. The country， which should have be en beautiful， prosperous， and rich in natural resources， was severely damaged during the war. Even though it has gone through the most protracted civil war in Africa’s modern history and it has not been defeated. The pennilessness after the war did not discourage the country either. Now， it is running on the road to rise and moving towards one of the richest countries in Africa. To explore the recovery of the post-war ecological environment， the correspondents visited Mr. Joao Garcia Bires， the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Angola.
The Influence of the war and post-war restoration
Portugal was one of the few countries with large colonial areas among the Western colonial powers in the late 20th century. Until an outbreak of a military coup occurred within Portugal in 1974， some Portuguese colonies in Africa， such as Cape Verde， Mozambique and Angola， easily got independent. However， even before their people had time to celebrate the long-awaited independence， a civil war was ignited on the territory. So the celebration was delayed by 27 years. On April 4th， 2002， the warring sides of Angola finally agreed to sign the truce agreement， which meant that the 27-year-long civil war ended and Angola entered an era of restoration and post-war construction.
The perennial war caused enormous damages to the ecological environment in Angola. One of the priorities of the post-war Angola is to assess the impact of war on the environment. "We have developed a strategic plan of sustainable development to guide future ecological environment construction"， the ambassador said with lament. "The war made damages in our agro-forestry resources， animal resources， industrial facilities as well as all aspects of people's lives and we need to spend enormous human and financial resources to repair. If you want to get incomes， you should carry out production， but the production process might cause secondary damages to the natural environment. And this is contrary to our original intention. Such a contradictory in fact reflects the reality that many countries have faced or are facing. Simply speaking， it is how to balance the economic benefits and environmental protection. Angola is aware that the war-torn environment can no longer be affected. We should try our best to minimize the impact on the environment in the production process. If the destruction is inevitable， it should be repaired in a timely manner， rather than after the production process." According to the Ambassador， oil became a pillar of the economy of the reconstruction after the civil war in Angola. Almost 90% of state revenues come from oil. The huge oil reserves were discovered as early as in the last century by the Angolans. But because of the civil war， not until 2002 when the country realized a comprehensive peace， did Angola usher a sharp increase in oil production. Now the proven reserve is 250 billion barrels. Large-scale oil exploration has brought great challenges to the environmental protection. The Angolan Government has formulated strict legal provisions to ensure that the exploitation of oil does not affect the environment of Angola. "Angola is a waterfront country. The rich marine resources benefit the people's lives greatly and most of the foods are from the ocean. If the oil exploration impacts the surrounding marine environment of Angola， the first victims are the residents here. So the strict laws for oil exploration are also set to ensure the normal life of our people. "
Apart from oil， diamonds in Angola are also prolific. Some data show that Angola has nearly 200 million karats of diamond reserves. Therefore， diamond mining in Angola is another major source of income. It is said that South Africa has the biggest production of diamond in the world. But insiders are clear that， in fact， the main raw material supplier to South African diamond processing plant is Angola. Today， in the period of peaceful construction， Angola is no longer satisfied with simple diamond export of raw materials but also begins its diamond processing industry. Such strategic shift has brought quite a lot business profits to Angola. "We are very pleased that nature gives us such rich diamond resources， which provide a powerful financial support for us to rebuild our homes， but the impact of the diamond mining and processing on the environment is what we need to pay special attention to." The Ambassador also mentioned that the mining of diamond will cause serious impact on the land and vegetation there. If the mining points do not take proper measures， the rain can wash away the sloppy soil and the chemical composition of soil will be discharged into rivers or surrounding waters. In this regard， the Government has explicitly requested that the mining points must be refilled after diamond mining. For the large quantities of dust during diamond processing， Angolan law has specified the countermeasures. For example， the flush water used in diamond cutting process must not be discharged into the sea for it is polluted. Expecting wildlife to return to their home
It is said that various images of antelopes can be seen on souvenirs and street walls in Angola， which has been confirmed by the ambassador. The ambassador told reporters that this big black antelope is unique to Angola and it is called sable antelope. The sable antelope is Angola 's national treasure and also the country's national symbol . The nickname of Angola national football team is sable antelope （PalancasNegras in Portuguese） and the team logo is printed with the silhouette of a sable antelope to encourage themselves to be as brave and fierce as their national treasure. In addition， the logo of Angolan national airline is also a sable antelope.
The sable antelope was first found in Angola in 1909. It is tall and strong and has well - proportioned limbs and white jaw. The most impressive part is its unique horns， which are hard and slender and can be up to 1.6 meters. Those horns are in a perfect shape of semi-circular arc and will never fall off. The big elegant horns and graceful body endow sable antelopes with the reputation of "the most beautiful antelope".
However， the beauty of sable antelope also provoked fatal disasters to themselves. The day they were found was the day they became the focused target of hunters. Greedy men not merely put their hands on the valuable antelope horns but also brutally hunted them for human consumption. It is said that during the ruling of the Portuguese， the colonial local government weekly slaughtered at least 200 sable antelopes. Data shows that by 1975， the only remaining sable antelope were less than 2500 in Angola. In 1975， the large-scale civil war broken out in Angola spread to almost the entire country. People became destitute and homeless and sable antelope also subjected to a great calamity. They were even once considered extinct. Two years after the civil war， scientists found them once more and listed them as a critically endangered species.
In Angola， the sable antelope is a noble and sacred animal. On the one hand， it is because that they are rare and beautiful. On the other hand， Africa people regard the strong viability of the sable antelope as a symbol to be vital， agile and beautiful. Consequently， the sable antelope receives reverence from Africans. In addition， the fate of sable antelope is just like the people of Angola who all suffered from the killing of the colonial period and violence of civil war. And， eventually， along with the Angolan peace and recovery， the sable antelope “reappeared” in the world. “The Angolan government attaches great importance to the living conditions of the sable antelope and invests a lot of manpower， material and financial resources to protect them. However， the existing sable antelopes are only about 400. Though it is not easy to make this species re revert to the original scale， people and the government are devoting positive efforts. Currently， Angola has a number of places designated as exclusive protection zones and the government also organizes experts to study the sable antelope and carry out breeding programs. Now hunting sable antelope is strictly prohibited in Angola. "
According to the Ambassador， besides the sable antelope， many rare animal species of the southwest of the country also experienced sharp drop in number during the civil war. The governmental forces and rebels killed many elephants for elephant meat or ivories. Many wild animals were forced to migrate to other countries such as Zambia and Namibia. Now peace has come back to Angola， and so has these wild animals. Angola’s current mission is to strive to create a good environment to retain these wild animals.
Efforts made in recovery of agriculture
Angola has fertile land and a dense network of rivers and streams. Most of Angola has savannah climate and the southern subtropical climate， so the country is abundant of rainfalls. There are about 35 million hectares of arable land， but only 10 % of it is utilized. Since more than half of the domestic foods are imported and the country is affected by the high food prices， the inflation in Angola is extremely serious. Luanda， the capital city， is therefore become the most expensive city in the world.
About 30 years ago， Angola was the world's fourth largest coffee producer and one of the largest exporters of sugar canes， bananas， sisal and cotton. The long civil war seriously affected the economic development of Angola. The agricultural production was stagnated. As a result， Huambo and Bie provinces， known as Angola’s "granaries"， are also affected.
Agricultural development in Angola is relatively slow due to the devastating civil war， lack of technology and investment. Currently， two-thirds of Angolans’ daily cost of living is less than $ 2. Unemployment rate hovers around 40%. Even in the traditional agricultural province such as Benguela ， Bié and Huambo Provinces ， local farmers still work on small pieces of land.
"In recent years， relying on the oil industry and the diamond industry， Angola's economy gained rapid development. However， the government has recognized that the pure oil economy is insufficient to meet the diverse needs of national food. Self-sufficiency is one of the important strategic tasks of the diversified economic development." The ambassador told the reporter that to revitalizing Angola’s reputation of big agricultural country， the Angolan government is actively building domestic infrastructure and striving to attract foreign investments and introducing advanced agricultural production technology to the country. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Angola， the two countries’ cooperation in political affairs， economy and other fields has been continuing to develop. "Our goal is not just to return to the level of agriculture in the 1970s but to outstrip what we used to have. Angola experienced war， leaving many of its buildings with bullet holes， but what the war brought to the country is more than destruction. The war is also a nationwide alert to let us clearly realize the importance of protecting our resources and environment. "
The Influence of the war and post-war restoration
Portugal was one of the few countries with large colonial areas among the Western colonial powers in the late 20th century. Until an outbreak of a military coup occurred within Portugal in 1974， some Portuguese colonies in Africa， such as Cape Verde， Mozambique and Angola， easily got independent. However， even before their people had time to celebrate the long-awaited independence， a civil war was ignited on the territory. So the celebration was delayed by 27 years. On April 4th， 2002， the warring sides of Angola finally agreed to sign the truce agreement， which meant that the 27-year-long civil war ended and Angola entered an era of restoration and post-war construction.
The perennial war caused enormous damages to the ecological environment in Angola. One of the priorities of the post-war Angola is to assess the impact of war on the environment. "We have developed a strategic plan of sustainable development to guide future ecological environment construction"， the ambassador said with lament. "The war made damages in our agro-forestry resources， animal resources， industrial facilities as well as all aspects of people's lives and we need to spend enormous human and financial resources to repair. If you want to get incomes， you should carry out production， but the production process might cause secondary damages to the natural environment. And this is contrary to our original intention. Such a contradictory in fact reflects the reality that many countries have faced or are facing. Simply speaking， it is how to balance the economic benefits and environmental protection. Angola is aware that the war-torn environment can no longer be affected. We should try our best to minimize the impact on the environment in the production process. If the destruction is inevitable， it should be repaired in a timely manner， rather than after the production process." According to the Ambassador， oil became a pillar of the economy of the reconstruction after the civil war in Angola. Almost 90% of state revenues come from oil. The huge oil reserves were discovered as early as in the last century by the Angolans. But because of the civil war， not until 2002 when the country realized a comprehensive peace， did Angola usher a sharp increase in oil production. Now the proven reserve is 250 billion barrels. Large-scale oil exploration has brought great challenges to the environmental protection. The Angolan Government has formulated strict legal provisions to ensure that the exploitation of oil does not affect the environment of Angola. "Angola is a waterfront country. The rich marine resources benefit the people's lives greatly and most of the foods are from the ocean. If the oil exploration impacts the surrounding marine environment of Angola， the first victims are the residents here. So the strict laws for oil exploration are also set to ensure the normal life of our people. "
Apart from oil， diamonds in Angola are also prolific. Some data show that Angola has nearly 200 million karats of diamond reserves. Therefore， diamond mining in Angola is another major source of income. It is said that South Africa has the biggest production of diamond in the world. But insiders are clear that， in fact， the main raw material supplier to South African diamond processing plant is Angola. Today， in the period of peaceful construction， Angola is no longer satisfied with simple diamond export of raw materials but also begins its diamond processing industry. Such strategic shift has brought quite a lot business profits to Angola. "We are very pleased that nature gives us such rich diamond resources， which provide a powerful financial support for us to rebuild our homes， but the impact of the diamond mining and processing on the environment is what we need to pay special attention to." The Ambassador also mentioned that the mining of diamond will cause serious impact on the land and vegetation there. If the mining points do not take proper measures， the rain can wash away the sloppy soil and the chemical composition of soil will be discharged into rivers or surrounding waters. In this regard， the Government has explicitly requested that the mining points must be refilled after diamond mining. For the large quantities of dust during diamond processing， Angolan law has specified the countermeasures. For example， the flush water used in diamond cutting process must not be discharged into the sea for it is polluted. Expecting wildlife to return to their home
It is said that various images of antelopes can be seen on souvenirs and street walls in Angola， which has been confirmed by the ambassador. The ambassador told reporters that this big black antelope is unique to Angola and it is called sable antelope. The sable antelope is Angola 's national treasure and also the country's national symbol . The nickname of Angola national football team is sable antelope （PalancasNegras in Portuguese） and the team logo is printed with the silhouette of a sable antelope to encourage themselves to be as brave and fierce as their national treasure. In addition， the logo of Angolan national airline is also a sable antelope.
The sable antelope was first found in Angola in 1909. It is tall and strong and has well - proportioned limbs and white jaw. The most impressive part is its unique horns， which are hard and slender and can be up to 1.6 meters. Those horns are in a perfect shape of semi-circular arc and will never fall off. The big elegant horns and graceful body endow sable antelopes with the reputation of "the most beautiful antelope".
However， the beauty of sable antelope also provoked fatal disasters to themselves. The day they were found was the day they became the focused target of hunters. Greedy men not merely put their hands on the valuable antelope horns but also brutally hunted them for human consumption. It is said that during the ruling of the Portuguese， the colonial local government weekly slaughtered at least 200 sable antelopes. Data shows that by 1975， the only remaining sable antelope were less than 2500 in Angola. In 1975， the large-scale civil war broken out in Angola spread to almost the entire country. People became destitute and homeless and sable antelope also subjected to a great calamity. They were even once considered extinct. Two years after the civil war， scientists found them once more and listed them as a critically endangered species.
In Angola， the sable antelope is a noble and sacred animal. On the one hand， it is because that they are rare and beautiful. On the other hand， Africa people regard the strong viability of the sable antelope as a symbol to be vital， agile and beautiful. Consequently， the sable antelope receives reverence from Africans. In addition， the fate of sable antelope is just like the people of Angola who all suffered from the killing of the colonial period and violence of civil war. And， eventually， along with the Angolan peace and recovery， the sable antelope “reappeared” in the world. “The Angolan government attaches great importance to the living conditions of the sable antelope and invests a lot of manpower， material and financial resources to protect them. However， the existing sable antelopes are only about 400. Though it is not easy to make this species re revert to the original scale， people and the government are devoting positive efforts. Currently， Angola has a number of places designated as exclusive protection zones and the government also organizes experts to study the sable antelope and carry out breeding programs. Now hunting sable antelope is strictly prohibited in Angola. "
According to the Ambassador， besides the sable antelope， many rare animal species of the southwest of the country also experienced sharp drop in number during the civil war. The governmental forces and rebels killed many elephants for elephant meat or ivories. Many wild animals were forced to migrate to other countries such as Zambia and Namibia. Now peace has come back to Angola， and so has these wild animals. Angola’s current mission is to strive to create a good environment to retain these wild animals.
Efforts made in recovery of agriculture
Angola has fertile land and a dense network of rivers and streams. Most of Angola has savannah climate and the southern subtropical climate， so the country is abundant of rainfalls. There are about 35 million hectares of arable land， but only 10 % of it is utilized. Since more than half of the domestic foods are imported and the country is affected by the high food prices， the inflation in Angola is extremely serious. Luanda， the capital city， is therefore become the most expensive city in the world.
About 30 years ago， Angola was the world's fourth largest coffee producer and one of the largest exporters of sugar canes， bananas， sisal and cotton. The long civil war seriously affected the economic development of Angola. The agricultural production was stagnated. As a result， Huambo and Bie provinces， known as Angola’s "granaries"， are also affected.
Agricultural development in Angola is relatively slow due to the devastating civil war， lack of technology and investment. Currently， two-thirds of Angolans’ daily cost of living is less than $ 2. Unemployment rate hovers around 40%. Even in the traditional agricultural province such as Benguela ， Bié and Huambo Provinces ， local farmers still work on small pieces of land.
"In recent years， relying on the oil industry and the diamond industry， Angola's economy gained rapid development. However， the government has recognized that the pure oil economy is insufficient to meet the diverse needs of national food. Self-sufficiency is one of the important strategic tasks of the diversified economic development." The ambassador told the reporter that to revitalizing Angola’s reputation of big agricultural country， the Angolan government is actively building domestic infrastructure and striving to attract foreign investments and introducing advanced agricultural production technology to the country. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Angola， the two countries’ cooperation in political affairs， economy and other fields has been continuing to develop. "Our goal is not just to return to the level of agriculture in the 1970s but to outstrip what we used to have. Angola experienced war， leaving many of its buildings with bullet holes， but what the war brought to the country is more than destruction. The war is also a nationwide alert to let us clearly realize the importance of protecting our resources and environment. "