Arusha — THE United Nations Educational
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Ministry of
Natural Resources and Tourism have jointly formed special dialogue with
residents to address a number of conflicts and controversies in the
Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority.
"The project, running under the theme 'People and Wildlife: Past
Present and Future', is aimed at connecting wildlife management and
sustainable development of communities in the Ngorongoro Conservation
Area, which is one of the designated World Heritage Sites in Tanzania,"
stated UNESCO Country Representative Abdul Coulibaly.
The Minister for Livestock and fisheries, Mr Kaika Saning'o Ole
Telele, officially launched the dialogue in Arusha and used the platform
to warn against the tendency of favouring wildlife at the expense of
human residents in the NCAA.
"Ngorongoro is the only place on earth where human beings, in this
case members of the Maasai tribe, live in harmony with wild animals; but
for years international organisations have been advocates of the
wildlife in the conservation area forgetting that there are also people
with own basic needs and rights," said Mr Telele.
NCAA's Chief Conservator, Mr Freddy Manongi, expressed high hopes on
the dialogue between the main stakeholders of Ngorongoro, adding that it
was high time they all started working together to address recurring
problems in the world heritage site instead of each being left to
grumble on their own.
"I have to admit that balancing between conservation, tourism and
pastoralism as well as other human activities and survival in the
Ngorongoro area, can be a tough challenge and needs patience, dialogues
like this and mutual understanding," stated Dr Manongi.
Mr Tate Oleku, a resident of Olbalbal Ward in Ngorongoro Divion, was
of the view that ever since farming was restricted in the NCAA,
allegedly under the directives of UNESCO, the people in the conservation
area have been suffering hunger and malnutrition because droughts have
been decimating their livestock, leaving them with nothing.
A consultant with UNESCO, Ms Nicole Bolomey, said, they have been
conducting series of studies in the NCAA but most of their publications,
though readily available online, were yet to be directly conveyed to
local people and she was hoping that through the dialogues this problem
will be solved as well.
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