"The Assessment of African Protected Areas", an online information system based on the latest advances in satellite technology, monitors trends in fire, vegetation, and rainfall. It allows park managers to compare current fire activity, vegetation growth or rainfall against seasonal norms. This information will help African nations to achieve the goal of halting biodiversity loss by 2010. The assessment system is developed and managed by the JRC Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES), and measures the pressure, as well as the value of a park in terms of habitat and species.

Africa is home to some of the most valuable natural ecosystems and species on the planet. Worldwide, more than 16 000 plant and animal species are threatened with extinction. The monitoring of Africa's 741 protected areas plays a vital role in biodiversity protection, conservation and the sustainable management of natural resources. The information system helps policy and decision makers in the allocation of funds for the sustainable management of the natural resources.

This activity is a part of the IES action "Monitoring Natural Resources for Development" (MONDE). The main target of MONDE is to provide tools for the monitoring of ecosystems and agrosystems and contribute to the understanding of the interactions between development, environment, and security issues.

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm?id=1410&obj_id=4210&dt_code=NWS&lang=en