Project

Mozambique: Paradise Lost, and Found?

Before the Mozambican civil war, Gorongosa National Park was among the top destinations in Africa, with a higher concentration of animals than on the famed Serengeti Plain. But during the war, soldiers and other poachers killed these vast herds, planted landmines and destroyed the park's infrastructure. By the 1990s, the park was all but abandoned. During their reporting of a multi-country series about environment and conflict, reporter Stephanie Hanes and photographer Jeff Barbee heard about an American philanthropist, Greg Carr, who was trying to revitalize Gorongosa.

The park, Carr believed, was the key to lifting this beleaguered region out of poverty. For months, Hanes and Barbee reported on Carr and Gorongosa, looking at the intersection of human rights, environmental preservation and economic development

Crocodiles

I had been in the Gorongosa National Park for about a week when Carlos Lopes Pereira, director of conservation, told me that his rangers had found the crocodile.

"We are going to shoot it," he said. "It's near Vinho."

Go Gorongosa

Gorongosa National Park was once the crown jewel of Mozambique's national parks and one of the most fabled in Africa. But after 28 years of war, the park is now almost empty.

Greg Carr interviewed on PRI's The World

What can you do with 40 million dollars? Greg Carr believes he can rescue a corner of southern Africa. Carr is investing his own money in a project to restore a national park in Mozambique. The project is also meant to create an eco-tourism system to help sustain the park in the future. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks to Carr about his plan.

Greg Carr — Gorongosa National Park (8:00)

Click here to listen to the interview.

In Focus: Foreign assistance in East Africa

The New York Times today covered East Africa's biggest new development: Plans are underway for construction of what will become the region's largest port in Lamu, Kenya. Promising swift growth for Lamu, a U.N. World Heritage site possessing rare traditional Swahili charm, the port will likely jump-start lagging regional economic development. But the boost may come at steep costs to environmental and cultural preservation.

Round One: Winning Essays

In March 2008, The Pulitzer Center partnered with Helium to launch its first round of the Global Issues/Citizen Voices Contest. Find the winning essays here.