Satellite and IT technology to protect biodiversity in Africa; a new system to protect the environment, fight poverty, invest international funds better for the development of the continent. These are the declared objectives of the "Assessment of African Protected Areas" system, an online information programme "which uses the latest satellite breakthroughs" to "monitor the trend of fires, the vegetation and rainfall". The system is funded by the EU Commission and the purpose is to help "the African nations achieve the objective of reducing the loss of biodiversity by 2010". Experts of the EU Executive explain that Africa hosts some of the most valuable species and ecosystems on earth: hence the monitoring of the 741 protected areas of Africa (a surface of approximately one half the EU) to fight the increasing disappearance of wildlife species, which shows a causal relation with birth rate, poverty, economic development and the respect of ecosystems. (continued)
