Harare, (New Ziana)- Rural communities living near or adjacent to wildlife areas should be allowed to sustainably use available natural resources for economic development and conservation, First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa has said.
Addressing participants at the World Wildlife Day in Harare on Monday, Mnangagwa said current trade bans on the sustainable utilisation of wildlife negatively affect the livelihoods of millions of people living in wildlife areas as wildlife products such as ivory, had been banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES).
“As Zimbabwe, we abide by international trade and other environmental treaties as part of our Constitution. We fully support the practice of international control of trade in species for the benefit of conservation and human development, but key stakeholders must come together to relax some of these bans and allow sustainable use of natural resources,’’ she said.
Established in 1973, CITES works by regulating or even banning trade in species which the convention places on lists knownn as Appendices with Appendix 1 containing all those animals and plants said to be ‘’endangered’’, and it is virtually impossible to trade these species commercially.
The African elephant was put on Appendix1 in 1989, and this effectively banned exports of iviory and hide. Appendix 11 contains all the species which might become endangered if trade is not strictly controlled and monitored.
World Wildlife Day is celebrated annually on March 3 and this year the theme was “Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet.”
The national event brought together a diverse group of experts, environmental conservation groups, the private sector, including financial institutions, as well as schools and universities, to facilitate conversations about creating stronger links between conservation action and the financial world.
The First Lady highlighted the critical role wildlife plays in the biodiversity economy and in recognizing the key role of nature in harnessing opportunities and the long-term growth of the economy for Zimbabwe to realise its vision of becoming an upper middle-income economy by 2030 and the National Development Strategy 1(NDS1).
“The main objective of sustainable use of natural resources, including wildlife, is to ensure that the value of biodiversity is recognised and mainstreamed in development planning and national accounts for sustainable social and economic development,” she said.
She also pinpointed the need for a good legislative and policy framework to anchor a successful biodiversity economy and commended efforts the government is making in reviewing various environment-related Acts and policies such as the Wildlife Policy, National Environmental Policy, Environmental Management Act, and Parks and Wildlife Act.
The wildlife sector contributes significantly to the Zimbabwean economy through nature–based tourism, sport hunting, and agriculture.
Sport hunting generates significant revenue, with an average of US$28 859 per hunter and US$ 33 million in Gross Domestic Product, according to the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife.
In 2019, more than 33 percent of all foreign tourists visited state protected areas, generating 4.1 percent of GDP and 5.6 percent of employment through nature-based tourism.
As part of supporting the country’s biodiversity economy, the government says the wildlife sector must deploy strategies and approaches to address the threats to the resources base at the site, national, and transboundary levels.
Speaking at the same event, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority director general, Professor Edson Gandiwa said; ‘’Such interventions should focus on securing the wildlife resource base, financing wildlife protection and management, enhancing incomes and livelihoods from wildlife-based value chains, and creating an enabling policy environment.’’
New Ziana
