02 Feb 2017

The director of National Museum and Monuments, Mr Gaogakwe Phorano has called on all stakeholders with properties susceptible or threatened by bush fires in the Tsodilo enclave to develop and implement their own fire risk management strategies.

He said the department of Forestry and Range Resources (DFRS), which is the leading agency, would provide the technical assistance and overall coordination of fire management activities.

Launching the Tsodilo Enclave Bush Fire Risk Management Strategy, he said the Ngamiland District Disaster Management Committee’s Bush Fire Risk Management Plan of 2015, identified Tsodilo Hills Heritage site as highly susceptible to bush fires with catastrophic consequences to existing cultural and environmental assets.

The strategy is an action plan based on analysis of the nature of bush fires plaguing Tsodilo Hills.

Mr Phorano said bush fire risk analysis as depicted from the fire history in the area, showed that the Tsodilo enclave experiences at least three major bush fires on average every dry season, making the location one of Ngamiland’s bush fire hotspots.

However, he called on all to come together to make Tsodilo a regional economic driver, noting that the enclave is endowed with natural resources that comprises of an abundance flora and fauna.

“These natural resources are very pivotal to the mainstay of the tourism sector in the area. The local community’s livelihoods were also dependent on the natural resources found in the area,” he added. He said the natural resources were also the once at the greatest risk of destruction from bush fires.

 In addition, he said the launched strategy which was developed by UNDP through the Ngamiland Sustainable Land Management (NSML) Project in collaboration with DFRS would coordinate and integrate fire management planning and implementation in the Tsodilo core management area and neighbouring areas.

Mr Phorano revealed that the strategy would also reduce negative impact of bush fires on human economic, cultural and environmental assets.

For his part, the project coordinator of NSLM, Mr Innocent Magole said Tsodilo area had contributed meaningfully to the local economy and the tourism sector.

The area as a world heritage site needs to be looked after and the strategy will mitigate the negative impact of bush fires.BOPA