NEWS - NAMIBIA
| 2013-08-05War against poaching proves effective
Theresia Tjihenuna
ENDANGERED ... A herd of elephants in the Bwabwata National Park in the north-eastern part of Namibia. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism says poaching for ivory is on the increase globally but they are winning it.
Photograph by Theresia Tjihenuna
THE Ministry of Environment and Tourism director of regional services and parks management, Colgar Sikopo, last week declared that the war against poaching has been won.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Susuwe Park Station infrastructure and the launch of the Integrated Development Plan Component of the Kavango-Zambezi (Kaza) Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (TFCA), Sikopo said last year alone, more than 78 elephants fell victim to poaching and 23 poaching suspects were arrested while more than 106 elephant tusks were confiscated by the ministry.
“So far this year, we only have a total of six elephants that were poached. We have improved on poaching control and we want to send out a strong message to poachers and would-be poachers that those who indulge themselves in such activities will be brought to book and will face the full wrath of the law. We will work hard to make sure these illegal activities are stopped,” Sikopo warned.
He also revealed that apart from other vulnerable animals like antelopes and kudus targeted for their meat, elephants were the main target for poachers. He said part of the ministry’s anti-poaching plan is to increase the presence of the ministry’s staff on the ground through the integrated development plan in order to eradicate poaching.
The ministry says it is currently working on a range of projects including joint patrols and sharing of information with other staff from conservation authorities in countries like Botswana, Zambia and Angola to combat increased elephant poaching in the region.
“Globally, poaching for ivory is on the increase. We are well aware of this along with recent poaching in our North East Parks,” he said.
The head ranger for Bwabwata East National Park, one of the parks that form part of the NamParks programme in the north east of Namibia, Bollen Zingolo, said that apart from poaching, the park has also experienced its own share of illegal fishing.
“Last month two suspects were fined N$150 for illegal fishing,” he revealed.
Sikopo said since the establishment of the NamParks programme in 2006 by the Namibian and German governments, which includes the establishment of National Parks such as the Bwabwata, Mudumu, Mamili Parks Project, there has been greater control of poaching activities in the areas.
As part of the larger financial agreement between the two countries, the German development bank, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), provided N$60 million to improve the management and infrastructure of the Bwabwata, Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara (BMN) National Parks.
Phase one and two of the project are now complete and a third phase, which will improve planning and infrastructure in Khaudum National Park, will start later this year.
According to the ministry, the size of Kaza TFCA, a mega trans-boundary park to which Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana are signatories to the current Kaza treaty, is 440 000 square kilometres.
The five countries have a combined 36 national parks, game reserves, community forests, conservancies and game management areas.
The ministry says there are over 250 000 elephants within the Kaza TFCA.
“So far this year, we only have a total of six elephants that were poached. We have improved on poaching control and we want to send out a strong message to poachers and would-be poachers that those who indulge themselves in such activities will be brought to book and will face the full wrath of the law. We will work hard to make sure these illegal activities are stopped,” Sikopo warned.
He also revealed that apart from other vulnerable animals like antelopes and kudus targeted for their meat, elephants were the main target for poachers. He said part of the ministry’s anti-poaching plan is to increase the presence of the ministry’s staff on the ground through the integrated development plan in order to eradicate poaching.
The ministry says it is currently working on a range of projects including joint patrols and sharing of information with other staff from conservation authorities in countries like Botswana, Zambia and Angola to combat increased elephant poaching in the region.
“Globally, poaching for ivory is on the increase. We are well aware of this along with recent poaching in our North East Parks,” he said.
The head ranger for Bwabwata East National Park, one of the parks that form part of the NamParks programme in the north east of Namibia, Bollen Zingolo, said that apart from poaching, the park has also experienced its own share of illegal fishing.
“Last month two suspects were fined N$150 for illegal fishing,” he revealed.
Sikopo said since the establishment of the NamParks programme in 2006 by the Namibian and German governments, which includes the establishment of National Parks such as the Bwabwata, Mudumu, Mamili Parks Project, there has been greater control of poaching activities in the areas.
As part of the larger financial agreement between the two countries, the German development bank, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), provided N$60 million to improve the management and infrastructure of the Bwabwata, Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara (BMN) National Parks.
Phase one and two of the project are now complete and a third phase, which will improve planning and infrastructure in Khaudum National Park, will start later this year.
According to the ministry, the size of Kaza TFCA, a mega trans-boundary park to which Namibia, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana are signatories to the current Kaza treaty, is 440 000 square kilometres.
The five countries have a combined 36 national parks, game reserves, community forests, conservancies and game management areas.
The ministry says there are over 250 000 elephants within the Kaza TFCA.
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