Why elephants face extinction in Tanzania ….. alarming data released

Natural Resources and Tourism deputy minister Lazaro Nyalandu talks with head of delegation of the European Union Ambassador Filiberto Sebregondi (R ) and South Africa High Commissioner Thanduyise Chiliza moments after a meeting on the 2013 elephant population census in the Selous, Mikumi and Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystems.(Photo: Omar Fungo)

By Amina Yahya

11th January 2014

Na Editor

10th January 2014

The new elephant census released yesterday shows that the population of the large mammals is going down across the country, and the government is accusing unnamed international traders for abetting illegal trade in ivory.

Poaching and grazing near wildlife reserves are the major reasons behind the alarming depletion of the jumbos.
Statistics show the endangered species now face possible extinction.

The report “The Elephant populations status in Selous-Mikumi and Ruaha-Rungwa Ecosystems; Census Results of 2013’ launched in Dar es Salaam yesterday cites increased demand for ivory, particularly in the Far East, and lucrative prices as catalysts for recent incidents of widespread elephant poaching in Tanzania.

The report shows that there are only 13,084 elephants left in the Mikumi-Selous ecosystems and 29,090 in Ruaha-Rungwa in year 2013 – a 66 percent decrease from the 2009 population of 38,975 elephants.

In the meantime, the Ruaha- Rungwa ecosystem has experienced a 36.5 percent decline from 31,625 elephants recorded in 2009.

Speaking during the launch of the census, deputy minister for Natural Resources and Wildlife Lazaro Nyalandu said the decrease in elephant population was verified by the number of carcasses that were counted during the census during which some 6,516 and 3,496 carcasses were counted in the Selous-Mikumi and Ruaha- Rungwa ecosystems.

He noted that a large number of elephant deaths were non-natural, saying that only about seven to eight per cent of the animals are estimated to have died naturally, either through disease or old age.

Nyalandu said the census results were clear evidence that poaching of elephants had reached alarming proportions, and released figures showing elephant tusks weighing 32,987kg were seized within and outside the country between 2008 and September, 2013.

He also blamed increased  of livestock grazing in protected areas and wildlife corridors as one of the reasons for the decrease of elephants across the country.

He cited the Kilombero Game Controlled Area -- part of the Selous-Mikumi ecosystems – which was home to some 2,080 elephants in the 2002 census but none were recorded in the just-ended census

“In response to this … the ministry is determined to intensify the protection of wildlife in collaboration with other stakeholders including defence and security forces and regional and international conservation systems,” he said.

He called upon wildlife managers to work with integrity and stop assisting poachers, warning that the government would have ‘zero tolerance’ for those involved in poaching.
The ministry spent some $160,000 during the latest census – from government and the donor funds.

Other statistics indicate that in 1976 the Selous-Mikumi ecosystem had 109,419 elephants – which dropped to a mere 22,208 in 19991 following a wave of poaching between 1984 and 1989.

However, the population rose to an impressive 70,406 in 2006 following a countrywide Operation Uhai between 1989 and 1990 along with international conservation efforts which included termination of the ivory trade.

Last year, the government again launched a countrywide anti-poaching campaign (Operation Tokomeza), which President Jakaya Kikwete suspended after establishing that it was conducted unethically -- focusing on civilians and their property – literally setting the poachers free to further decimate the elephants.

The president subsequently sacked four ministers for failing to effectively manage the infamous Operesheni Tokomeza Ujangili - a government anti-poaching campaign which remains suspended indefinitely due to claims of abuses against civilians such as torture, extortion and murder.

Khamis Kagasheki, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism; David Mathayo, Livestock Development and Fisheries;  Emmanuel Nchimbi, Home Affairs; and and Shamsi Vuai Nahodha,  Defence and National Service were all fired following a day of contentious Bunge debates and increasing public outcry over their failure to rein-in inept, trigger-happy subordinates.

Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda admitted the way Operesheni Tokomeza Ujangili was run was appalling, and that many of the things committed by those tasked with protecting Tanzania’s dwindling wildlife were simply “unacceptable.”

“We started out with the best of intentions,” Mr Pinda told a packed House. “However, it's clear there were major problems with how the [anti-poaching] programme was managed.”

In a televised, all-day session that touched the hearts of lawmakers and observers alike, Members of Parliament shared horrid tales of how Operesheni Tokomeza was used to systematically break down, torture and murder innocent civilians.

The dismissals of the four ministers came after a parliamentary inquiry uncovered the murder of 13 civilians, arrests of over 1,000 people and other abuses by the army, policemen, game rangers and forestry officials.

Last year, the president also sacked six ministers, including holders of the finance and energy portfolios, due to growing public and opposition discontent over graft allegations.

Investors have also gone on record that graft was one of the main reasons for the high cost of doing business in Tanzania, which has since struck huge reserves of natural gas off its southern coast.

The president’s latest intervention against officials seen to be abusing their positions could further strengthen his hand ahead of a parliamentary and presidential elections in 2015.

Analysts said Kikwete was expected to announce a wider cabinet reshuffle in the coming days following growing criticism of the performance of other key members of his government, with more ministers likely to lose their jobs.

A report authored by Tanzania Elephant Protection Society (TEPS) last year clearly stated that investment relations between China and Tanzania were behind the rise in elephant poaching across the country 

The report observed that though the Chinese investments were key to the country’s economy and development, they shouldn’t compromise natural wildlife conservation efforts.

The report -- which stated clearly the current rate of 30 elephants killed every day and 850 elephants shot every month -- posed unprecedented risk of the country’s elephant population perishing within the next seven years  “China is the number one investor in Tanzania … but the majority of tusks exported illegally from Tanzania end up in China due to the huge demand for Ivory in China,” the document stated in part.

It affirmed: “Tanzania’s partnership with China is of great benefit to the country’s economy and development but it must not be at the expense of Tanzania’s vital natural resources and tourist industry … this requires political will and strong leadership.”

In another development, the natural resources ministry has sacked 21 of its officials following abuses of office, with others being implicated in poaching activities in the game parks

The document cited some of the most affected areas in poaching as Moyowosi in Kigoma region, Ugalla ecosystem which had less than 500 elephants left by then; Katavi -- Ruangwa in the Ruaha; the Selous Game Reserve where elephants were reportedly almost gone, Kilombero Valley, Southern Selous and the Selous Niassa corridor which were under threat.

On April 30, last year, the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee for lands, natural resources and environment, James Lembeli, told the House that poaching activities had reached alarming proportions, and that it should be declared a national disaster.

In Kenya, similar findings were made last September after a UN report pointed an accusing finger on Chinese expatriates working in the region with regard to the rise in poaching in the EAC member states.

The document that dwelt on drugs and human trafficking made it clear that Thailand and China remained two of the most important destinations for ivory.

“Expatriate Chinese residents in Eastern Africa comprise some of the most important middlemen. Although they have taken measures to address the illicit trade, Thailand and China remain two of the most important destinations,” the document stated in part.

 The report titled Transnational Organised Crime in Eastern Africa: a Threat Assessment was launched Nairobi by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Apart from ivory, the report focused on migrant smuggling from Somalia and Ethiopia, heroin trafficking from South-West Asia to Eastern Africa and Somalia maritime piracy.

The report said demand for ivory in Asia fuelled poaching in the region, undermining sustainability of local elephant population with Kenya and Tanzania as the main transit points of the ivory and act as sources.

The document stated that between 2009 and 2011, Tanzania accounted for 37 per cent of global recovered ivory; Kenya had 27 per cent, Uganda three per cent, South Africa 10 per cent and West Africa four per cent.

The report said between 5,600 and 15,400 elephants were poached in the region annually, producing between 54 and 154 metric tonnes of the illicit ivory.  
 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN 

Government must admit it is incompetent to take care of wildlife

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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Wounded wildlife officer rues missing poachers, at MOI

By Polycarp Machira

12th January 2014

January 6th night this year will remain memorable for Richard Temu (36), a wildlife officer at Uguge Reserves as he closely failed to achieve what his heart likes most.

The youthful officer, just two weeks before that night, managed to seize a submachine gun (SMG) sixty bullets and four traditional or home-made guns from poachers.

On the fateful night, Richard, who had in the previous day been requested to lead other wildlife officers in operation to arrest poachers failed to achieve this, seeing the poachers just about 150 meters away.

The talented officer broke his left leg when he went into a deep hole while taking cover, plotting ambush on the poachers. He was airlifted to Dar es Salaam and admitted at the Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI).

“The whole exercise could not continue after I had the fracture, and the most painful part was seeing the poachers disappear slowly into thin air,” Richard told journalists who visited him Friday.

Narrating the ordeal, he said he was called to join forces with his colleagues after several gunshots were heard in the reserve area. He said they woke up at 4 am in preparation for the attack and by 5 am, they were out for serious exercise.

Richard and five other officers took four hours to trace the poachers and only managed to get close to them at around nine o’clock in the morning and a more serious search ensued.

“We followed them keenly for about 40 more minutes and came closer, at a range of about 150 meters and decided to take cover, knowing that they could be heavily armed,” he said.

The single officer, who just returned from training in an environmental planning management course at the Institute of Rural Development Planning (IRDP) in Dodoma in September, is not sure whether he will get well enough to go back to his job of ten years.

As he awaits operation on his leg probably on Wednesday, he admits that his job has of late become more dangerous following rampant poaching.

He said, “I love the job, though it is very risky and challenging, making it more difficult for any officer who has had physical impairment to survive there.”

Richard admits that wildlife officers work in a difficult and challenging environment in an effort to save national wildlife which is endangered by illegal hunters and trophy seekers.

The Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu who visited the ailing officer at MOI’s private ward promised government commitment to ensure the officer gets good treatment, wishing him a quick recovery.

He said, “We really feel the pain of young Tanzanians some of whom are killed and others wounded in the hands of poachers. The government will not leave a stone unturned in endeavors to stop the vice.”

This came in just a few minutes after the deputy minister launched elephant census results for 2013 earlier in the day. More incidents have been reported since the government suspended an anti-poaching operation, ‘Tokomeza Ujangili.’

At least 60 elephants have reportedly been killed in various national parks and game reserves after the suspension of the operation to eliminate poachers and their ivory trade financiers from encroaching on the parks.

 “Tokomeza Ujangili” culminated in the sacking of four cabinet ministers after a stormy session in the National Assembly, with the operation having been suspended at the urging of MPs early November.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY

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Census: Jumbo poaching alarming

By Athuman Mtulya The Citizen Reporter

Posted  Saturday, January 11  2014 at  02:01

In Summary

• Conducted late last year, the tallying in the Selous-Mikumi and Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystems revealed a sharp decline on jumbos in the two important strongholds for elephants in the world.

Dar es Salaam. A government census of the population of elephants in two major habitats of jumbos in the country has revealed a shocking picture of the devastation poaching is inflicting on their numbers.

Conducted late last year, the tallying in the Selous-Mikumi and Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystems revealed a sharp decline on jumbos in the two important strongholds for elephants in the world.

The October – November census also confirms claims of the country, which is said to have lost half of its elephant population in the past four years, being the slaughter house of jumbos in the world. Wildlife conservationists have warned that Tanzania is losing rapidly its elephant population as poaching continues unabated.

Presenting the census results yesterday in Dar es Salaam, the deputy minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, reiterated the government’s desire and efforts to deal with the poaching menace.

“This census results are clear evidence that poaching of elephants has reached unprecedented levels. In response we are determined to intensify the protection of wildlife in collaboration with other stakeholders…my ministry is finalizing the process of establishing an autonomous body, Tanzania Wildlife Authority,” he said.

The minister also said the wildlife conservation laws are being reviewed in order to allow adoption of paramilitary system among employees of the wildlife sector.

According to him, the census that cost $160,000 (about Sh258 million) was funded by the government, the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) and UNDP. The tallying put the current number of elephants in the Selous-Mikumi ecosystem at 13,084, which is a 66 per cent drop from their 38,975 population in 2009.

In the Ruaha-Rungwa ecological region, the jumbos population dropped by 35 per cent from 31,625 to 20,090 during the period.

Statistics from previous census indicate that in 1976 the Selous-Mikumi had 109, 419 elephants. The number dropped dramatically to 22,208 in 1991 following a wave of poaching between 1984 and 1989.

Following a countrywide ‘Operation Uhai’ from 1990, the population of elephants in 2006, the highest number of elephants in the recent years was recorded as 70,406. However, with the rise of poaching, the number has dramatically dropped to the current 13,084.

The census by using carcass ratio (the portion of live elephants and carcasses) established the causes of deaths. “Under normal conditions, a ratio of seven to eight per cent indicates natural mortality such as diseases and old age. A ratio more than that indicates non-natural causes,” said the minister.

 According to a report released by UN Office on Drugs and Crime (Unodc) September last year, 37 per cent of the illicit ivory consignments seized globally between 2009 and 2011 originated from The government estimated that 32, 987 kilogrammes of elephant tusks from the country were seized inside and abroad between 2008 and September 2013. According to the Tanzania Elephant Protection Society, around 30 elephants are killed in the country every day, adding up to about 11,000 animals each year, and it is feared that elephants could be extinct in just seven years.

The ivory poached from the country is smuggled mainly to Asia which accounts for about two thirds of the global market and the port of Dar es Salaam is said to be the major transit point of the illicit trade.

In a bid to deal with the poaching menace, the government has employed various measures including the launching of ‘Operesheni Tokomeza’ last year, which was however, suspended without delivering tangible results.

This was after the parliamentary committee on Land, Natural Resources and Environment chaired by legislator James Lembeli presented a shocking report that detailed widespread abuses, including murder, torture and extortion, during the operation.

Four cabinet ministers were forced to resign after agencies under their dockets were implicated in the Operesheni Tokomeza abuses. These were Mr Shamsi Vuai Nahodha (Defence and National Service), Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi (Home Affairs), Mr Khamis Kagasheki (Natural Resources and Tourism) and Dr Mathayo David (Livestock Development and Fisheries).

The “shoot-to-kill” policy against poachers as a radical measure to curb the mass slaughter of elephants was widely criticized by activists who said that it was not only against the law but also against human rights.

Tanzania. The report also revealed that 64 per cent of the elephants that died in 2011 at Selous Game Reserve were illegally killed by poachers; the number stood at 94 per cent in Ruaha.

GOMBE: Hifadhi yenye sokwe wanaoishi kama binadamu

09/01/2014 | Posted by Editha Karlo | Makala

TANZANIA imejaliwa kuwa na hifadhi zenye vivutio mbalimbali  wakiwamo wanyama, ndege, maua, milima, vijito, fukwe nzuri na maporomoko ya maji.

Hifadhi zilizopo ni Mlima Kilimanjaro, Gombe, Rubondo, Katavi, Ruaha, Kitulo, Tarangire, Mkomazi, Saadani, Mikumi, Udzungwa, Manyara, Serengeti, Mahale, mji wa Arusha na Saanane.

Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Gombe iliyopo Kigoma ilianzishwa mwaka 1943, ikiwa kama pori la akiba, baada ya kuwaondoa wananchi waliokuwa wakiishi ndani ya eneo hilo mwaka 1942.

Lengo hasa la kutenga eneo hilo la Gombe na kuanzishwa kwa hifadhi ni kuhakikisha wanyama adimu kama sokwe mtu wanaofanana kitabia na kiumbo na binadamu wanaendelea kulindwa na kudumu kwa ajili ya vizazi vijavyo.

Gombe ina ukubwa wa kilometa za mraba 52; ni hifadhi ndogo kuliko zote nchini na ina umaarufu mkubwa kutokana kuwepo kwa wanyama aina ya sokwe.

Pia sehemu kubwa ndani ya hifadhi hii ni milima, mabonde na misitu minene ya kijani kwa mwaka mzima.

Hifadhi ya Gombe inapakana na vijiji vya Mwamgongo, Mtanga, Bubango, Chankele na Mtaraganza na haipo mbali na Burundi upande wa kaskazini, ambapo ni mwendo wa takriban saa moja na nusu kwa usafiri wa boti za injini.

Sokwe hawa kwa hapa nchini si kwamba wanapatikana katika Hifadhi ya Gombe pekee, bali wanapatikana pia katika Hifadhi ya Mahale na Kisiwa cha Rubondo katika Ziwa Victoria, Mwanza.

Ndani ya hifadhi kuna nyani wa kijivu, mbega mwekundu, kima mwenye mkia wa bluu na chotara, pia katika hifadhi hiyo kuna pongo, ndege wa aina mbalimbali na nyoka wakubwa wakiwamo chatu.

Sifa nyingine ya hifadhi hii ni kuwa kando kando mwa Ziwa Tanganyika na vyanzo vya maji vinavyotiririsha maji ndani ya Ziwa Tanganyika.

Historia inaonyesha kuwa mwaka 1960 mtafiti maarufu wa wanyama duniani, Jane Goodall, raia wa Uingereza alifika Gombe na kuvutiwa na uhifadhi wa sokwe; hivyo alianza kufanya utafiti wa wanyama hao adimu.

Utafiti wa Jane ulizaa matunda ambapo mwaka 1965 kilianzishwa kituo cha utafiti wa sokwe na mazingira yake na miaka mitatu baadaye, yaani mwaka 1968 eneo la Gombe lilipandishwa hadhi na kuwa hifadhi kamili ya taifa.

Shughuli za utalii zilianza mwaka 1978, ikiwa ni pamoja na kupata wageni mbalimbali kutoka ndani na nje ya nchi, hivyo kuliwezesha taifa kuongeza pato kwa ajili ya maendeleo.

Mhifadhi Mkuu wa Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Gombe, Noelia  Myonga, anasema huwezi kuizungumzia Hifadhi ya Gombe bila ya kulitaja Ziwa Tanganyika, kwa sababu ya ukaribu wake na hifadhi hiyo na pia sehemu ya ziwa hilo ipo ndani ya hifadhi.

Myonga anasema Ziwa Tanganyika linachangia katika utalii kwa sababu lina aina 400 za samaki, ambapo wengi wao hawapatikani kwingine.

Anaitaja sifa nyingine ya ziwa hilo kuwa ni la kwanza duniani kwa ujazo wa maji baridi, lina takriban kilometa za ujazo 18,900, sawa na asilimia 17 ya maji baridi duniani.

Myonga anasema hadi sasa hifadhi ina sokwe 106, Hifadhi ya Mahale ina sokwe 700 na Hifadhi ya Rubndo ina sokwe 30, hivyo kuifanya Tanzania kuwa na sokwe 836.

“’Wakati Hhifadhi ya Gombe inaanzishwa ilikuwa na sokwe 150 lakini kutokana na haya mambo ya ujangili wa miaka ya nyuma, magonjwa na kuzeeka, kumesababisha sokwe kupungua hadi kufikia 106,” anasema.

Anazitaja shughuli zinazofanywa na watalii wanapofika  katika Hifadhi ya Gombe  kuwa ni pamoja na safari ndefu ya kutembea kwa miguu kuangalia sokwe mtu na wanyama wengine ndani ya hifadhi hiyo.

Pia kuogelea na matembezi mafupi katika fukwe safi na nzuri za Ziwa Tanganyika, kutazama maporomoko ya maji (Kakombe na Mkenke) na kupanda katika kilele cha mlima kiitwacho Janes Peak.

Shughuli nyingine ni kutembea katika msitu mnene wa asili na kingo za Bonde la Ufa la mashariki.

Myonga anataja mafanikio ambayo nchi imeyapata kutokana na hifadhi hiyo ya kuwa ni pamoja na kupokea wageni 1,707 kwa mwaka 2010/2011, ambao waliliingizia taifa sh 252,283,100 na mwaka 2011/2012 walipokea wageni 1,809 walioingiza sh 309,391,000.

Mhifadhi huyo anasema sehemu kubwa ya mapato hayo yamekuwa yakiwanufaisha wananchi hasa wanaoishi jirani na hifadhi.

“Tumekuwa tukishirikiana na vijiji vinavyozunguka hifadhi katika kutekeleza miradi mbalimbali inayoibuliwa na serikali ya vijiji, miradi hiyo ni kama kujenga madarasa, madawati, nyumba na ofisi za walimu.

“Unajua miradi kama hii inatufanya tuwe na uhusiano mzuri na wananchi wanaoishi kuzunguka maeneo ya hifadhi, sababu wanaona manufaa ya kuwa na hifadhi, hivyo hutusaidia katika kuitunza,” anasema Myonga.

Anasema wananchi wanaoishi kandokando ya hifadhi hunufaika na wageni wanaoingia katika hifadhi hiyo ambapo hucheza ngoma za asili kwa ajili ya kuwakaribisha wageni na hujipatia kipato cha moja kwa moja kutoka kwa watalii, pia wananchi hupata ajira za kazi zinapotokea hifadhini.

Pamoja na mafanikio hayo, Myonga anasema zipo changamoto ikiwemo miundombinu mibovu, hasa ya barabara katika Mkoa wa Kigoma, hali inayosababisha watalii wachache kutembelea Kigoma.

Changamoto nyingine ni ulinzi hafifu wa wanyama hao adimu na kuhakikisha wanapata mahitaji yao ya kila siku ikiwemo chakula katika mazingira wanayoishi.

Pia ongezeko la idadi ya watu, kujenga maeneo ya hifadhi, huku wakiendesha shughuli kama za kilimo pamoja na usalama wa watumishi, kwani kumekuwepo na wimbi la utekaji wa boti ndani ya Ziwa Tanganyika.

Myonga anatoa rai kwa serikali kuendelea kuhifadhi maeneo ya Ziwa Tanganyika kwa ajili ya shughuli za kiuchumi na kitalii, pia anaishukuru serikali kukubali kuongeza kilometa 21 katika mipaka ya hifadhi.

Mhifadhi huyo anawataka wakazi wa Kigoma kujenga tabia ya kutembelea hifadhi zao na kuwapeleka watoto kipindi cha likizo kutembelea hifadhi.

Anasema kwa sasa gharama za kutembelea Hifadhi ya Gombe ni sh 1,500 kama kiingilio na sh 500 kama fedha ya kutembea.

Malazi pia hupatika kwa sh 5,000 kwa siku, gharama ya chakula ni sh 5,000 kwa mlo mmoja,  soda ni sh 1,500 na  bia ni sh 2500.

“Wananchi wajitokeze kutembelea Hifadhi yao ya Gombe kwani usafiri wa kufika huku na kurudi  upo wa boti na ni wa uhakika, watoto chini ya miaka 15  hawaruhisiwi kuingia hifadhini kutalii, kwa sababu ya usalama wao, wanabaki katika nyumba zetu za kupumzikia wageni,” anasema Myonga.

Daktari wa wanyama wa Shirika la Hifadhi za Taifa (TANAPA), Jane Raphael, anasema kwa kawaida sokwe huishi miaka 50.

Anasema majike huishi miaka mingi kuliko madume ambao huishi takriban miaka 35.

Daktari huyo anazitaja baadhi ya tabia ambazo sokwe hufanana na binadamu ni kuwa wakifiwa hukusanyika pamoja na kulia kwa huzuni, ambapo huomboleza hadi mwili wa mwenzao uoze.

“Wakiona mwili wa mwenzao aliyekufa umeshaoza, hasa wanapoona inzi wengi, ndipo hujua kwamba mwenzao amekufa, wanaondoka na kwenda eneo jingine, lakini huwa na huzuni sana,” anasema Dk. Raphael.

Anasema sokwe nao hupangilia uzazi kama binadamu, kwani huzaa kila baada ya miaka mitano au minne; pia wanaheshimiana sana, huwezi kukuta anaoa kaka au dada.

“Wanaheshimiana sana, huwezi kukuta kampanda mama yake, na mama huwa anatembea na mtoto wake hadi anapokua na kwenda kuanza kutembea na kundi lake,” anasema.

Dk. Raphael anasema wanyama hao wana tabia ya kujenga nyumba kama za binadamu, ingawa zao ni sawa na viota juu ya miti, nyumba zao huziezeka kwa nyasi au majani, ila panapopambazuka huamia eneo jingine, hivyo hujenga kila siku nyumba zao.

Ofisa Utalii wa Hifadhi ya Gombe aliyejitambulisha kwa jina moja la Anifa, anasema wananchi hawana uelewa wa kutosha juu ya utalii na uhifadhi.

“Wananchi wengine wanadhani mtalii ni Mzungu pekee, hapana, mtalii ni mtu yeyote anayetembelea mahali fulani tofauti na anapoishi kwa muda usiopungua saa 24 na usiozidi mwaka mmoja kwa lengo la kupumzika, kustarehe na mafunzo,” anasema Anifa.

Anifa anasema vitu vinavyosababisha utalii wa Kigoma kutokukua ni tatizo la mawasiliano ya uhakika kati ya mgeni na wenyeji, usafiri usio na uhakika na huchukua muda mwingi kufika Kigoma kutokea maeneo mbalimbali.

Ofisa huyo anasema Kigoma ni mkoa muhimu katika utalii wa nchi, kwani kuna vivutio muhimu vya kihistoria, kiasili na kitamaduni.

Anavitaja baadhi ya vivutio hivyo kuwa ni Pori la Akiba la Moyowosi, makumbusho ya Dk. Livingstone Ujiji na mji wa Ujiji.

Wananchi wanaoishi Kigoma huu ndio wakati wa kuchangamkia fursa ya kufaidika na Hifadhi ya Gombe, kwani hivi sasa idadi ya watalii wanaokwenda Gombe na kulala imeongezeka, hivyo zinahitajika hoteli nzuri na nyumba za kulala wageni.

MATOKEO YA SENSA YA IDADI YA TEMBO KATIKA MFUMO WA IKOLOJIA WA SELOUS-MIKUMI NA RUAHA-RUNGWA

Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism - Tanzania ·

 ·Wizara ya Maliasili na Utalii inapenda kuujulisha umma matokeo ya sensa ya tembo iliyofanyika mwezi Oktoba na Novemba mwaka huu ili kuiwezesha Serikali kutambua hali ya rasilimali ya wanyamapori ndani na nje ya maeneo yaliyohifadhiwa.

 Wizara kwa kushirikiana na wataalamu wa ndani na nje ya nchi imefanya sensa katika Maeneo ya Mfumo ikolojia wa Selous – Mikumi na Ruaha – Rungwa pekee kwa kuwa ni maeneo yenye tembo wengi nchini. 

• 
  Matokeo ya sensa hii yanaonyesha kwamba Mfumo wa ikolojia wa Selous-Mikumi kwa sasa una tembo wapatao 13,084 na Ruaha–Rungwa una tembo wapatao 20,090. Takwimu hizi zinaonesha kupungua kwa idadi ya tembo na hasa katika mfumo ikolojia wa Selous-Mikumi ikilinganishwa na Sensa za awali.
  
  Takwimu za muda mrefu zinaonesha kwamba mwaka 1976 katika mfumo ikolojia wa Selous–Mikumi kulikuwa na tembo 109,419. Idadi hii ilipungua kufikia 22,208 mwaka 1991 kutokana na wimbi la ujangili uliokuwepo katika kipindi cha mwaka 1984 -1989. Hata hivyo, idadi hiyo iliongezeka na kufikia 70,406 mwaka 2006 baada ya Operesheni Uhai iliyofanyika mwaka 1989 na 1990 na juhudi za kimataifa za uhifadhi ikiwemo kusitisha biashara ya meno ya tembo.
  
  Aidha, idadi ya tembo nchini ilipungua hadi kufikia jumla ya tembo 38,975 mwaka 2009 na kuendelea kupungua hadi kufikia tembo 13,084 hivi sasa.
  
  Hali kama hiyo inaonekana pia katika mfumo wa ikolojia wa Ruaha-Rungwa ambapo sensa ya mwaka 1990 ilionesha kuwa na tembo 11,712 kutokana na wimbi la ujangili. Idadi hii iliongezeka na kufikia 35,461 mwaka 2006. Hata hivyo, idadi hiyo imepungua na kubakia tembo 20,090 hivi sasa.
  
  Kwa matokeo haya inaonesha kuwa katika mfumo ikolojia wa Selous-Mikumi idadi ya tembo imepungua kwa asilimia 66 ikilinganishwa na idadi ya mwaka 2009 ambapo kulikuwa na jumla ya tembo 38,975. na katika Mfumo ikolojia wa Ruaha–Rungwa Tembo wamepungua kwa asilimia 36.5 ikilinganishwa na idadi ya mwaka 2009 ambapo kulikuwa na jumla ya tembo wapatao 31,625.
  
  Kupungua huku kunathibitishwa na idadi ya mizoga ya tembo iliyohesabiwa wakati wa zoezi la sensa. Jumla ya mizoga 6,516 na 3,496 ilihesabiwa katika mifumo ikolojia ya Selous-Mikumi na Ruaha–Rungwa. Katika zoezi hili Wizara ilitumia vigezo vya uwiano wa mizoga na tembo hai waliohesabiwa (carcass ratio) kubaini vyanzo vya vifo hivyo. Katika hali ya kawaida, uwiano wa asilimia 7 – 8 unaashiria vifo vya asili kama vile ugonjwa na uzee. Zaidi ya asilimia hiyo inaashiria vifo visivyo vya asili.
  
  Sensa iliyofanyika mwaka huu imeonesha uwiano wa asilimia 30 kwa mfumo ikolojia wa Selous-Mikumi na asilimia 14.6 kwa Ruaha–Rungwa. Kwa mujibu wa matokeo hayo, idadi kubwa ya vifo vya tembo vimetokana na vifo visivyo vya asili.
  
  Uchambuzi wa kina umebainisha kuwa asilimia 95 na 85 ya mizoga iliyoonekana katika mifumo ikolojia ya Selous-Mikumi na Ruaha–Rungwa ni ya zaidi ya miezi 18 iliyopita.
  
  Hii inaonesha kuwa juhudi za makusudi zilizofanywa na serikali ikiwa ni pamoja na kuimarisha doria na operesheni maalum mbalimbali za hivi karibuni zimesaidia kupunguza wimbi la ujangili kwa kiasi kikubwa.
  
  Aidha, kukamatwa kwa meno ya tembo yenye uzito wa kilogramu 32,987 ndani na nje ya nchi katika kipindi cha 2008 hadi Septemba 2013 ni ishara tosha kuwa ujangili ni mojawapo ya sababu kubwa za kupungua kwa idadi ya tembo nchini.
  
  Sababu nyingine ni kuongezeka kwa mifugo katika maeneo yaliyohifadhiwa na shoroba za wanyamapori. Mathalan, katika Pori Tengefu la Kilombero ambalo ni sehemu ya ikolojia ya Selous – Mikumi, mwaka 2002 lilikuwa na tembo 2,080, katika sensa ya mwaka huu, hukukuwa na tembo hata mmoja.
  
  Ongezeko la bei katika masoko ya biashara haramu ya meno ya tembo hususan katika nchi za Mashariki ya mbali ni kichocheo na kisababishi kikubwa.
  
  Kufuatia hali hii, Wizara inaimarisha ulinzi wa wanyamapori kwa kushirikiana na vyombo vya ulinzi na usalama na taasisi nyingine za kanda na kimataifa pamoja na kuelimisha na kushirikisha wananchi katika masuala mbalimbali ya uhifadhi.
  
  Ili kuimarisha na kuboresha shughuli za uhifadhi, Wizara iko katika hatua za mwisho za kuanzisha mamlaka mpya ya wanyamapori. Vilevile sheria za uhifadhi zinapitiwa ili kuruhusu kuanzishwa kwa mfumo wa kijeshi kwa watumishi wa sekta ya wanyamapori.
  
  Wizara inapenda kuwatambua na kuwashukuru wafadhili wote waliofanikisha sensa hii iliyogharimu kiasi cha dola za kimarekani 160,000 ikiwa ni fedha za serikali na wafadhili. Wafadhili hao ni Shirika la Misaada ya Kiufundi la Ujerumani (GIZ) kupitia Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) na Shirika la Umoja wa Mataifa la Maendeleo (UNDP) kupitia Mradi wa TANAPA wa SPANEST.
  
  Imetolewa na
  Naibu Waziri wa Maliasili na Utalii
  Mhe. Lazaro Nyalandu (MB)
  10/01/2014 — with Pascal Shelutete and Asha Bani.

Top of Form

We’re now going after the big fish, says govt

By Frank Kimboy The Citizen Reporter

Posted  Friday, January 10  2014 

In Summary

Contacted a day after presenting the report in Dodoma, the outspoken Kahama MP declined to name the legislators accused of either being directly involved in poaching or being beneficiaries of the illegal activity.

Dar es Salaam. The government is now going after the “big fish” in its crackdown on elephant poaching, Natural Resources and Tourism deputy minister Lazaro Nyalandu said yesterday.

Speaking exclusively to The Citizen, Mr Nyalandu refuted claims that the government was targeting insignificant individuals, leaving the masterminds untouched.

He said there were senior officials among the 21 government employees suspended to pave the way for investigations into their alleged roles in the slaughter of elephants in national parks, game reserves and other protected areas.

Mr Nyalandu announced the suspensions on Wednesday, but he neither named those who had been sent home nor said what their positions were, prompting speculation they were all junior employees, most likely game wardens. But he said yesterday that some of those suspended were senior officials heading key sections in the Wildlife Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.

“Some senior government officials and other influential individuals are being investigated as part of wider efforts to stamp out poaching. We cannot name them because investigations are still going on,” Mr Nyalandu said. He added that the public had volunteered information which would help to uncover the masterminds of local poaching networks and their foreign collaborators.

“We want to establish who is behind poaching syndicates. We are sure the suspension of the 21 officials and information volunteered by the public will lead us to the bigwigs.”

Mr Nyalandu said the government had been taking a number of measures to keep poaching in check.

“We frequently transfer security personnel, including police officers and wardens, so that they are not tempted to work in cahoots with poachers if they stay at the same station for a long time,” he said.

The deputy minister urged people with information about poaching or atrocities committed during Operesheni Tokomeza to appear before the commission of inquiry to be appointed soon.

The chairman of the parliamentary Land, Natural Resources and Environment Committee, Mr James Lembeli, said when tabling the report of a select committee in the House last month that some people who spoke to the team claimed that a number of MPs were involved in poaching.

However, Mr Lembeli did not name the lawmakers.

Contacted a day after presenting the report in Dodoma, the outspoken Kahama MP declined to name the legislators accused of either being directly involved in poaching or being beneficiaries of the illegal activity.

What I read was just a summary of our 400-plus-page report and other accompanying documents. The names of the MPs and other details are in the documents. Since the report is now in the hands of the Speaker, I cannot divulge anything more... it’s up to the Speaker to release more information or not,” Mr Lembeli said.
Efforts to contact the Clerk of the National Assembly failed yesterday as calls to his mobile phone went unanswered. The government’s decision to suspend and investigate 21 officials came two days before today’s release of a new elephant census report.
Numbers of the pachyderms have fallen sharply in Tanzania in recent years due to poaching.
Elephants are still being slaughtered in national parks and game reserves for their tusks despite a worldwide ban on the ivory trade.
Tanzania’s elephant population has dropped from an estimated 109,000 in 2009 to around 70,000 in 2012, and today’s report is likely to paint an even bleaker picture. According to the Tanzania Elephant Protection Society, around 30 elephants are killed in the country every day, adding up to about 11,000 animals each year.
It is estimated that the country has lost half its elephant population since 2007, and it is feared that elephants could be extinct in just seven years.
The government last year launched Operesheni Tokomeza to curb poaching, but it was suspended after the Lembeli team’s report detailed widespread abuses, including murder, torture and extortion, during the operation. Four cabinet ministers were forced out after agencies under their watch were implicated in the Operesheni Tokomeza abuses.
They are Mr Shamsi Vuai Nahodha (Defence and National Service), Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi (Home Affairs), Mr Khamis Kagasheki (Natural Resources and Tourism) and Dr Mathayo David (Livestock Decelopment and Fisheries).
Additional reporting by Peter Nyanje