Morogoro communities to benefit from new wetland ecosystem project

By Guardian on sunday correspondent

29th June 2014

Ulanga District Council is looking for wetland friendly investments in support for communities in their area to make less dependent on natural resources from the wetlands.

Ulanga District Commissioner Francis Miti said it was high time the communities in his district started income generating activities through natural resources by using customary land certificates issued to them.

He was briefing the Belgian Ambassador in Tanzania, Koenraad Adam on the Kilmer and Lower Rufiji Wetlands Ecosystem Management Project (KILORWEMP).

The project, implemented in three districts of Ulanga, Kilombero and Rufiji, is being funded by the government of the Kingdom of Belgium through the Belgian Technical Cooperation Tanzania (BTC), a Belgian Development Agency.

He said majority of people in  the project area are poor with high level dependency on natural resource base as a source of income for their day-to-day livelihood.

“Encroachment on good agriculture land and pastures for livestock in the protected areas are becoming predominant. That is why we support them in efforts to get legal customary land certificate they can use to boost their economic prospects, he noted.

To date the DC office has issued a warning to people who have invaded the wetlands to leave the area by tomorrow or face legal action.

“We are highly concerned with environmental degradation in catchment area for proposed Igota Ketaketa , Kilosa, Mpempo Wildlife Management Areas (WMA) where some members of the communities have encroached.” he noted.

“All invaders were directed to report and register to their villages of origin or apply to register to any village within the district,” said Miti.

Supporting the DC, the Chairperson of ILUMA, a community based natural resources management association in  wildlife, Shaban Meza said they would support the community to develop joint land use plan for the management of wildlife resources.

“Community members from 14 villages in Ulanga and Kilombero districts agreed to set aside for the establishment of wildlife management areas.

“In collaboration with KILORWEMP project, ILUMA will implement various developmental activities including supervising of hunting licenses and routine patrol of the WMA,” said Meza.

On his part, the Belgian Ambassador said: “I came here to observe the management of natural resources as well as people’s intentions of the people that use and manage these beautiful lands.”

The envoy said Belgium has been supporting the management of natural resources in the district and in neighbouring  Kilombero and Rufiji for a number of years.

“We funded two earlier projects and now the KILORWEMP project, which is under implementation. One may ask: what does Belgium have to do with the Kilombero Valley?

“We agreed to support these activities as part of our overall support to the government and Tanzania people via our bilateral aid,” said the ambassador.

“Kilombero Valley, its land, its water its people play an exceptionally important role for this region and for the country as a whole.”

SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY

World beekeeping symposium set for November

By Aisia Rweyemamu

29th June 2014

Lazaro Nyalandu

Tanzania is expected to host the 1st Apimondia Symposium on African Bees and Beekeeping 2014 to be held from 11- 16 November in Arusha.

The main objective of Symposium 2014 is to improve the beekeeping industry in Africa and wider zones for the welfare of rural people. The theme is “African Bees for a Green and Golden Economy.”

Speaking in Dar es Salaam yesterday during the launching of the bees symposium website, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyarandu said the ministry organized the forum purposely for comprehensive disclosure of information and widening participation.

The range of participants in the symposium shall be indigenous people, rural beekeepers, decision makers, traders, researchers, students and representatives from NGOs and the private sector, briought under one roof, he said.

The symposium will provide a forum to small scale beekeepers to air their views in various ways in the context of scientific presentations, a commercial exhibition and excursions to view how to integrate beekeeping in support of rural livelihoods.

Nyalandu urged interested stakeholders get prepared to participate in this important event on beekeeping.

He explained that the first three days will be for symposium conferences (paper presentations and discussions), beekeeping seminars and specific topics discussed at round tables concurrently with a commercial exhibition.

It will be followed by technical excursions for participants to choose the route for one day, two or three days.

In her welcoming remarks, Permanent Secretary Maimuna Tarishi said more than 550 participants (beekeepers, professionals and other stakeholders) from inside and outside Tanzania are expected to attend the symposium.

The symposium will seek to present fresh and evidence-based research findings, collect and document hard stories from beekeeper-based beekeeping practices, conservation and livelihoods.

It will also seek to create networks among beekeepers, buyers and service providers through trade exhibition, and incorporate issues aired by beekeepers into discussions and identify workable solutions and implementation.

Prospective participants are invited to register online and pay the required registration fees, ministerial officials noted.

Wildlife patrols boost jumbo`s population in northern Tanzania

By Guardian on sunday correspondent

29th June 2014

 

Elephants

The number of elephants has been increasing in the vast wilderness stretching over 500-km borderline, separating Tanzania and Kenya, according to wildlife officials.

Head of Enduimet Wildlife Management Area, in Longido District, Komolo Simeli said on Friday that elephants and other wild animals have started replenishing in the wilderness where Wildlife Management Areas in Longido, West-Kilimanjaro and Engaresero (Lake Natron) operate.

He said that the success story is a result of the initiatives made by African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), to join wildlife patrol efforts in the area for the last five years ago.
The official said that the initiative has been very successful in eliminating poaching along the multinational corridor.

“In the last four years there hasn't been a single case of jumbos poaching in the area…joint community patrol missions, has been behind this success story,” Simeli said, noting that the patrol missions are being coordinated by the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) which operates both in Kenya and Tanzania.

The patrol missions are results of training for local communities on the need for them to take part in the anti-poaching fight.

Simeli further revealed that WMAs in Tanzania and Kenya are also involving villagers, cattle herders and women who gather firewood to look-out for any poaching suspects and report them promptly.

 “Since all residents living along both sides of the Kenya-Tanzania border speak almost same language, communication or alarms are usually conveyed using traditional signals that are very effective on that poachers do not understand what is taking place,” said Simeli.

Deputy Director of Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) in-charge of the Southern Zone, Julius Cheptei, revealed: “We conducted wildlife survey in 2010 when a total of 1200 elephants were counted and when another census was repeated late last year, the results have just revealed an increase of 700 jumbos and now the Longido-Oloitokitok-West-Kilimanjaro eco-system has over 1900 elephants.”

Cheptei pointed out that the scouting patrols recently discovered four dead elephant carcasses in West-Kilimanjaro but these had their tusks intact indicating that the Jumbos either succumbed to natural deaths or were killed amid human versus wildlife confrontations, also common in the precinct where elephants are believed to destroy farm crops.

AWF director, John Saleh, said while the joint anti-poaching drive between Kenya and Tanzania officials is bearing fruits, the latter must address penalties issued to culprits as they happen to be a bit lenient compared to Kenya.

“Kenya spells a sentence of up to 40 years for offenders and imposes a fine of 20 million Kenyan shillings from poachers all dealers of government trophies and that is equivalent to 35m/- here, but Tanzania normally charge 20 m/- local currency and even that is subject to the magistrates’ jurisdictions,” he said.

 The joint patrol missions conducted along the territorial boundary were hatched four years ago, being meant to curb poaching and illegal harvesting of forests in the area, which is very rich in wildlife.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY