07 Mar 2016

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Mmadinare, Mr Kefentse Mzwinila has called for the conservation of all species of wildlife for the benefit of future generations.

He said this during the commemoration of World Wildlife Day which was held under the theme: The future of wildlife is in our hands.  

The World Wildlife Day was proclaimed in 2013 by the United Nations General Assembly and the Convention on International  Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)  to observe the day and raise awareness about wild fauna and flora in its many forms

Mr Mzwinila said wildlife was a sustainable, natural and national resource that needs to be taken care off, adding that the theme for this year serves as a reminder of the intersection between sustainable development, people and wildlife and how they coexist and benefit each other.

He said every species has its place in the ecosystems in which they occur.

“While the future of wildlife is in our hands, we do not have any divine right to determine which animal or plant species must survive. We must avoid looking at our biodiversity purely in monetary terms,” he said.

He said poaching and the illicit trafficking of wildlife continue to pose a major challenge to the survival of wildlife, adding that herds of elephants, rhinos and pangolins continue to be slaughtered on the continent for ivory, rhino horn and pangolin meat and sold in Far East Asia.

He said cheetah cubs were being smuggled from Africa to the Middle East where they were kept as pets.

Furthermore, MP Mzwinila said while considerable resources were being devoted to fighting wildlife crime, it was clear that the war against poaching and trafficking could not be effectively fought without reducing the demand for illegal products in the destination countries.

To this end, he said the government was working closely with Vietnam through the implementation of the Kasane Statement to assist in developing effective demand reduction strategies which emphasise the impact that illegal trade in wildlife has on the livelihoods of the citizens of wildlife range states such as Botswana.

“Apart from reflecting on the wildlife conservation and management success and challenges that confront us as a country, World Wildlife Day also provides an opportunity to reflect on our international commitments to conserving wildlife,” he said.

He said this year the international community would gather in South Africa for the first time since the 1990’s for the 17th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

He said it was expected that much deliberations would focus on the detrimental impact of illegal trade on the economies of countries and livelihoods of many around the globe.

He said Botswana would continue to urge parties to CITES to adopt zero tolerance on poaching and illicit trafficking of wildlife.   

Regarding his constituency, MP Mzwinila said Mmadinare and its environs has been blessed with natural resources in the form of wildlife and fish. He said each represent an opportunity for the communities to benefit from sustainable tourism and aquaculture.

He said considerable efforts have been made by the government to involve communities in Community Based Natural Resource Management as evidenced by several community based organisations that have been registered to benefit from natural resources including wildlife.

He said with the opportunities presented by natural resources and wildlife, there were challenges in the form of human-wildlife conflict.

He explained that the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism was working on a strategy to foster co-existence with wildlife where feasible. ENDS