Own Correspondent
By Evans Dakwa
Zimbabwean News You Can Trust
Government through the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry (MECTHI) has expressed delight at the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme being implemented in Binga District for not only transforming the wildlife management spectrum in Zimbabwe but adopting a holistic approach to wildlife conservation.
Delivering his key note address to participants at the SWM Programme’s workshop to present it’s legal analysis results,the Permanent Secretary in the MECTHI Ambassador Raphael Tayerera Faranisi expressed his Ministry’s satisfaction with the results they have seen on the ground in Binga produced by the SWM programme.
“I had the priviledge to visit the SWM project site in Mucheni Community Conservancy in Binga and l was happy to see tangible results that the project has delivered in targeted wards. The goat breeding intervention where Boer and Kalahari breeds are being cross bred with local breeds to increase the carcass size is notable and highly commendable. The continuation of this intervention will certainly contribute to the reduction of reliance on game meat by locals while also boosting income and protein needs at household level in a more sustainable manner,” said Ambassador Faranisi.
” I also witnessed wildlife management interventions which has seen the training of 18 local resource monitors who are now carrying anti poaching activities from base camps that have been established in the conservancy. The monitoring activities by the resource monitors will go a long way in curbing poaching and will definitely assist in the collection of essential data to inform resource management in the conservancy and the wider Binga landscape,” he added .
The Permanent Secretary also indicated that his Ministry was well aware of the need to have an enabling legal framework and laws that will support all the activities being done by the SWM Programme and other would be wildlife conservation efforts.
“It is imperative we understand that all these activities (happening in Binga) l have mentioned require a sustainable enabling legal framework and this is why we are gathered here to witness the presentation of the legal hub developed jointly by the SWM project and my Ministry with technical support of FAO legal office and validated by stakeholders in agriculture, environment, health and various others.”
“The SWM legal.hub represents an unprecedented point of access to legal information as it incorporates a comprehensive set of statutory legal instruments and analysis across sectors relevant to wildlife wanagement including land tenure and planning, hunting and fishing , livestock production, animal health and food safety,” added Ambassador Faranisi.
He also applauded the legal hub as a valuable tool not only for Zimbabwe but beyond.
” The SWM Programme has developed a valuable tool( the legal hub) not only for the country but also for people in other countries. It is my hope that the legal hub will be updated regularly as laws are amended and new ones are introduced. Let us not shy away from reviewing as l will not be happy with a situation where we lag behind when circumstances change,” he said.
Also gracing the occasion was the Chaiperson of the parliamentary committee on Environment Honourable Yvonne Musarurwa who expressed her committee’s readiness to expedite any legislation that support community based wildlife conservation with a view to reduce cases of Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC).
” As parliament we are waiting for the Ministry to bring the bill before us and as already said by the Permanent Secretary, there is (the issue of) HWC , we have been to various provinces and in Mashonaland Central we saw a number of people ( who were) attacked by wild animals. So we are waiting for the bill so that it can help us in that regard, once it comes to us we will take it to the people and hold public hearings , after that l think it will be passed expeditiously by parliament,” said Honourable Musarurwa.
The workshop was centered on one of the six SWM Programme’s key result areas, that is the institutional and legal framework for the sustainable use of meat from wild species resilient to hunting or fishing is improved. It culminated on the launching of the Legal Hub available on the SWM programme portal and the MECTHI website.
The reconciling of wildlife management challenges with those of food security as championed by the five year SWM programme implemented by a consortia of organisations led by technical partner in form of the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) , Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) , the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the World Conservation Society (WCS) has managed to implement a people centred approach to wildlife conservation with measured success as seen by the establishment of the Mucheni Community Conservancy and various developments being witnessed in the implementing wards 3 ,4 and 5 of Binga Rural District Council.
