By Editor
12th January 2014
Editorial Cartoon
A measure of hope was being
raised by the Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro
Nyalandu, in relation to what the government can do to tackle the danger of
total extinction of elephants, on the basis of news summaries of the press
conference the deputy minister gave on Friday.
He appeared to suggest that there is
a specific or elaborate ministerial plan to tackle the problem, and also
intimated the start of a new authority for wildlife protection.
Without a survey of opinion one can’t
say how many people reacted with a minimum of relief or hope for change in that
area, but chances are that skepticism must have greeted that announcement,
evidently.
There was in the first place a
measure of deception when a daily newspaper talked about the deputy minister
revealing the ‘secret’ behind wanton elephant carnage, and reading the
details it seemed that it is a sharp price rise in the Far East for
trophies.
That observation did not qualify to
be called a ‘secret,’ and in like manner there was little of a ministerial plan
worth the name that was visible from the deputy minister’s remarks, not even
the formation of new authority on wildlife.
It was easy to see that this sort of
organizational caveat, to create hopes that a new constitutive body would work
differently, is merely a time buying tactic, also carrying political bearings.
One datum that the deputy minister
unearthed in his remarks that should have underlined the need for massive
organizational change in the entire natural resources sector is an observation
on the elephant population in the Selous-Mikumi ecological zone, a vast
national park or rather two national parks.
The deputy minister noted that the
population of jumbos in the area had, since 2009 where nearly 39,000 jumbos
were to be found, had now declined to around 20,000- which represents a loss
close to 50 per cent of total wildlife in the area.
If half of the jumbo population is
cut down in four years, how does the government reverse the trend, with the
same people?
That is what deputy minister Nyalandu
can’t get away from, that any new administrative authority to be formed by the
government will carry most people in the current Tanzania National Parks
Authority set up, and that means it is ‘old wine in new bottles.’
There are even a few who a bit
cynically take it that the deputy minister is seeking to underline a minimum of
vision and zeal in tackling existing problems as part of the guesswork as to
filling the vacant post as the minister had to quit or was sacked
recently.
That could be excessive but it is
unlikely that a sort of revolution has occurred in terms of how the government
looks at the wildlife issue, only due to the sackings.
There is an aspect of things that no
ministerial review at the technical level can sort out, namely how one finds
agents to take care of wildlife, whose hearts are with the wildlife, and not in
the cash that can be obtained by trading the wildlife, as is now the
case.
Things reached a point where
ex-minister Ambassador Khamis Kagasheki was pointing a finger, publicly at the
Arusha Regional Crimes Officer, and no one heard that ex-IGP Saidi Mwema came
to any conclusions about those accusations.
Not even the media saw much in the
issue, and when he was sacked they were quick to point out that he had
differences with the Bukoba mayor. It could be for similar reasons.
Experts point out that one major reason
for the higher level of stability of the Serengeti National Park is the role of
the Frankfurt Zoological Society, whose vocation is the preservation of nature
and protection of wildlife.
That oversight lacks in other
reserves; so if the government really wants to preserve wildlife it must hand
over different national parks and game reserves to agencies having a passion
for animals, intention to protect them.
They can be qualified as agents of
the Tanzania Revenue Authority for all consequent revenue issues. Isn’t that
more workable?
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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