30 Nov 2016

Former North West District Council chairperson and conservationist, Mr John Benn has underscored the importance of correlation between the indigenous people around wetlands for positive outcome and stakeholders.
Speaking at a two-day multi-stakeholders workshop on Okavango Wetlands Management Committee (OWMC) on Sustainable Land Management Ngamiland in Maun, Mr Benn said the indigenous people should be assisted to benefit better from the wetlands.
The workshop which was held in Maun was organised by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA).
Mr Benn said isolating the indigenous people from projects and developments in their locality called for disaster whereas cooperation with them led to positive results.
He cautioned against some locals in charge of such projects who discriminated against their community members.
In her remarks, DEA, deputy director Ms Dolina Malepa noted that partnerships with stakeholders that attained improvement of environment and sustainable development were crucial.
Such partnerships, Ms Malepa said helped DEA achieve its mandate. She noted that OWMC supported the UNDP- funded Ngamiland Sustainable Land Management (SLM) project which promotes collaborations among the key livelihoods and economic drivers  being pastoral agriculture and wildlife based tourism.
Such partnerships, she said promoted awareness, facilitated improved livelihoods for the Ngamiland people, conservation of natural resources and improved land management.
Furthermore, Ms Malepa pointed out that DEA was faced with lack of resources especially human resources which hindered its mandate on services sought after such as Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Ms Malepa said DEA had a total of 84 staff countrywide whereas Maun office had four officers only who manned Maun and Kasane.
However, she said the department was recently given 11 vacancies which would result with two offices in Kasane and Selebi Phikwe.  ENDS