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By Anthony Mayunga
The Political Platform Reporter
Serengeti.A parks authority resolved over three decades ago to closely work with communities surrounding the natural resources in its endeavour to protect the tourist attractions.The participatory approach saw literacy level picking to over 90 per cent in the country in 1970s as a result of the first phase government embracing it.But ever since Tanzania National Parks Authority (Tanapa) first put the approach into practice in 1988; wildlife animals have become more vulnerable to poachers than ever before, officials of the authority observe.
A lucrative illegal market for trophies in Asian countries has led poaching to bounce back with a renewed force, as perpetrators are now armed with sophisticated military weapons, Tanapa officials observe.
The Tanapa director general, Mr Alan Kijazi, calls on the government to consider intervening in the usage of military weaponry in poaching activities to save both natural resources and the tourism sector. “Politicians are in a better position to curb the problem because they live with the poachers whose networks in and outside the country keeps on expanding,” he says. Mr Kijazi cautions politicians over the danger of their jurisdiction areas missing Tanapa’s contributions to their development projects in the near future.
Tanapa first embarked on the participatory approach on a pilot basis at Serengeti National Park where three villages of Ololosokwan,Soitsambu and Olopiri were involved in thwarting poaching in the park, among others. The approach was in 1994/95 rolled out to all 12 national parks before the number of the parks jumped to 15 at the moment. Plans are in progress to upgrade Saanane Island in Lake Victoria to a 16th national park.
Unlike in the education sector, the participatory approach engages members of the community surrounding parks with guarding the wildlife animals in exchange with various development projects financed by receipts accrued from the natural resources.
Tanapa contributes 70 per cent of development projects identified by communities surrounding the parks while their district councils give the remainder. The authority contributed over Sh10 billion in the implementation of 447 projects between 2006 and this year, including construction of teachers and health workers’ houses, teachers’ offices, roads and water infrastructure, the Tanapa Support for Community Initiated Projects manager, Mr Ahmed Mbugi, recalls.
The goal of implementing the projects mainly is to improve social service provision in the communities by sharing profits accrued from the parks in belief that members of the communities would, in return, own and guard the parks.
Tarangire National Park alone spent over Sh424 million between 2004 and 2009 on the implementation of community development projects in Babati, Monduli, Simanjiro and Kondoa districts, the park warden, Mr Erasto Lufungulo, says.
However, MPs and councillors keep pestering Tanapa for pumping in more contributions into community development projects in their jurisdiction areas, claiming that the authority was earning colossal amount of money.
Tourism is the second sector after mining in the country for fetching foreign currency though security of the visitors preferring day and night game viewing, canoeing, bush lunch or dinner and long and short distance walking safaris leaves a lot to be desired.
The politicians though have all along been good at demanding the benefits that come with the approach, but they hardly bother to contain poachers they live within their jurisdiction areas. Tanapa officials point an accusing finger at the politicians for giving the approach a lip service apparently for fear of losing votes from communities surrounding the parks.One of the councillors admitted on condition of anonymity that political ambitions compelled them to strike a balance between votes and conservation of the natural resources.
“We are in a catch-22 situation because if I entirely stand for the conservation of the natural resources, I risk to lose voters and my post altogether,” he says.He, nonetheless, thought it was time to break the silence on the politicians’ dilemma, lest communities miss even the 70 per cent in case the wildlife animals are depleted. Apart from demanding an additional cake from the parks, district councils hardly devise strategies of combating poaching during their meetings, he reveals.
The Lake Manyara National Park warden, Ms Betty Loibooki, reported the poaching menace to the Public Operation Accounts Committee (POAC) in 2009, but neither Parliament nor the executive has so far taken any measure to curb the vice. According to the Serengeti National Park warden, Mr Mtango Mhita, poaching is significantly increasing, as the park successfully nabbed 959 poachers in 2002/03 and 1,028 in 2008/09, recording about a seven per cent increase.
Mr Mhita says 35 military weapons were impounded from the poachers during the period in review, let alone five locally made guns popularly known as gobore, 920 rounds of ammunition and 497,571 traps.
This year the park managed to impound 25 military weapons and 900 rounds of ammunitions, yet the whistle blowers and the park warders’ efforts were being stifled by snail-pace of cases, he laments.
Mr Lufungulo says poachers employ various techniques to kill wildlife animals; including feeding them poisoned water melons.
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