Tanzania: Summit On Jumbos Scheduled for Dar

TANZANIA will host a special Elephant Conference scheduled to be held in Dar es Salaam from May 9 to 10, as part of effort to check the current wave of poaching in the country.

The summit will be attended by key stakeholders in wildlife conservation who will share expertise, create consensus and make recommendations for an immediate, continuing and sustainable plan of action for Tanzania.

The Minister for Tourism and Natural Resources, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, told reporters in Dar es Salaam that Tanzania, the US-based International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have organised the summit.

"The summit will be attended by national and international stakeholders in the field of wildlife conservation and will focus on synthesizing a set of recommendations and an actions plan," noted Mr Nyalandu, adding the conference will showcase to the international community the commitment of Tanzania to thwart poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking.

He said poaching of wildlife resource particularly of elephants, has recently increased tremendously hence posing a threat to their survival and insisted that the government has taken various measures including increasing routine patrols and special anti-poaching such as 'Operation Tokomeza' to curb the trend.

Mr Nyalandu insisted that the wildlife resources in the country belong and is a pride to Tanzanians and the entire humankind, therefore it is an obligation to every individual to value, protect and manage the resource for the benefit of present and future generations.

On his part, ICCF vice-chairman and a member of board of directors, Dr Kaush Arha assured Mr Nyalandu that his organisation recognises the government's deliberate efforts which has been taken to curb the current wave of poaching and stressed that his organisation will work closely with the government to stop wildlife crimes.

"Tanzania is proud of its economy, having huge natural resources which are not found in any other country in the world, said Dr Arha noting that these are global treasures in which the community should engage themselves to stop this crime.

President Jakaya Kikwete has been in the forefront of fighting poaching and has presided over various international conferences aimed at controlling poaching in the country. Consequently, various international communities have been inspired and motivated to support Tanzania in this endeavour.

Poaching of wildlife resources, particularly of elephants, has recently increased tremendously, thus posing a threat to their survival.

Tanzania is globally renowned for its abundance and diversity of wildlife resources, mainly concentrated in 16 National Parks, 28 Game Reserves, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, 44 Game Controlled Areas, 38 Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and several Forest Reserves.

According to the 2011 Travel and Tourism Competitive Report, Tanzania ranks second to Brazil in terms of natural resources competitiveness. Tanzania accounts for 17 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country and employs more than 300,000 people.