28 Jun 2013

 Plans are underway to improve the welfare of Department of Wildlife and National Parks' employees, Ntlo Ya Dikgosi has been informed.

Answering a question on behalf of the Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (MEWT), local government minister, Mr Peter Siele said the ministry was finalising the implementation modalities of the new structure and revisiting the department’s conditions of service with a view to boosting the morale of staff in the organisation.

The minister was responding to a question from Kgosi Maruje III of North East District region who had asked if there were any plans to improve the welfare of wildlife officers in Botswana. Kgosi Maruje had also wanted the minister to state when he intended to increase staff at the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in Masunga.

Minister Siele said the ministry was equally concerned with shortage of staff in the department adding that in 2010, three offices were established at Nata, Tutume and Masunga. He said there were seven officers stationed in Masunga and were expected to cover North East District.

Mr Siele said there was no manpower growth in the public service and the department had engaged special scouts and deployed wildlife volunteers from Ipelegeng programme this financial year. He explained that additional manpower would assist in law enforcement, mitigating human-wildlife and infrastructure maintenance.

The ministry, he said, had started developing an integrated mesquite (prosopis species) management strategy for Botswana.  He explained that the communities of BORAVAST villages, Bokspits, Rappelspan Valhoek and Struizedam in collaboration with his ministry had gone a step ahead and adopted the strategy for their area. 

Mr Siele said the strategy recognised the fact that the community realised benefits from the prosopis as livestock feed and for stabilising sand. A workshop, he said, was conducted in Bokspits for the BORAVAST community on June 3-7, to develop concrete actions for managing prosopis.

He observed that it became clear that an environment impact assessment would be needed prior to any rigorous intervention that may negatively affect the environment.

MEWT was working with BORAVAST community and the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) on the logistics of continuing the use of chemicals in managing the species on a larger scale in selected and defined areas.

The minister said it should be noted that dealing with invasive species was a sensitive exercise that required community commitment and scientific know-how, adding that a lasting solution to the problem would be found.

Kgosi David Toto II of Kgalagadi South region had asked the minister to explain how government intends to assist in eradicating the prosopis sexanana plant that continues to spread in the Kgalagadi area. ENDS