Government urged to boost budget for wildlife management

 Tanzania Natural Resources Forum (TNRF) has challenged the government to increase the budget for Wildlife Management Areas (WMA)   to enable it fight poaching and destruction of natural resources.  

 

TNRF executive director, Joseph Olila told The Guardian exclusively in Arusha that the communities in the wildlife areas were so important that the government should recognise their contribution.  

 

“If the government wants to end poaching in wildlife reserves, there is a need for it to decentralise power to communities over the available resources because they are in good position to identify the poachers,” the director emphasised.  

 

The WMAs which were established under the Wildlife Policy in 1998 had not been empowered to yield good results as expected due to several challenges including shortage of funds, facilitation and conflicting laws,” Olila elaborated.  

 

 Olila added that: “We arge the government to review the new Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority Act (TAWA) of 2013 to empower the authority to have full mandate over the WMAs contrary to wildlife policy and regulations that establishes the WMAs. 

He said that, TAWA Act poses controversies as it focuses on the control of incomes generated from the WMA that could be used to strengthening security in the wildlife corridors.    

 

The Wildlife Policy of 1998 urges the government to help the rural communities to have secure ownership/long term use rights of the land and enabling them to use the wildlife and natural resources on the land.

 

He advised the government to learn from Kenya where the WMAs operate as business with government under specified share of income to both the government and the community.

 

For his part, the Africa Wildlife Foundation (AWF) Director, John Salehe said that the wildlife resources were currently under risk due to rapid population increase. 

 

The present wildlife corridors are also facing the loss of biodiversity, hence they need urgent restoration collective and coordinated efforts  to be in place.  

 

He called upon non-state actors, private sectors, individuals and religious leaders to collaborate together in combating poaching.

     

Commenting, the Chief Executive Officer Community Wildlife Management Areas Consortium (CWMAC), George Wambura said the government should not only establish the WMAs but to develop them financially effectively. 

 

The responsibility of conserving the wildlife resources needs to be taken seriously and the government itself cannot control on its own, hence need to involve rural communities in the conservation process. 

 

The TNRF is a non-governmental organisation bringing together members to change policy and practice in the natural resources sector for the betterment of the country by improving natural resources governance.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN