26 Jun 2019

 Botswana has already adopted a model similar to the AU/UN wildlife economy summit new deal for rural communities, wildlife and natural resources.

Speaking in interview after the two-day summit, Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Mr Kitso Mokaila said Botswana was a step ahead as cabinet had approved shareholding for community based organisations (CBOs.

He explained that the shareholding did not come free and used land as collateral rather than communities leasing it out to investors and depending on rentals.

Minister Mokaila further revealed that cabinet had approved the drafting of a bill  for proper capacitation of communities to ensure they understood business risks and that benefits accruing from concessions trickled down to the grassroots level.

On the summit, Mr Mokaila said he was impressed by the solidarity of the Kavango Zambezi Trans frontier (KAZA) heads of state who attended all sessions to listen to the youth, investors and other stakeholders.

He said the solidarity indicated the leadership’s commitment in ensuring that their communities leveraged on wildlife economy and to seeing their people prosper.

About trading on stock piled ivory, Mr Mokaila explained that Southern African range countries agreed at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Conference of the Parties (CoP) 10 years ago not to sell for a nine-year period.

They also agreed on a moratorium on selling stock piles in order to monitor the impact of illicit ivory trading, he said.

He said the ivory was  stock piled according to different categories of natural mortality, problem animal control and poacheBotswana, he said, currently had ivory stock of 135 000 kg worth US$100 million.

Mr Mokaila said should the upcoming CITES CoP allow ivory sales, the country planned to re-invest the proceeds in strengthening conservation efforts and capacitating communities.

Meanwhile, communities that attended the summit made a declaration that they were not helpless but had the capacity to take new deal forward if their ownership rights, governance and their use of natural resources were recognised and respected as shareholders and not as mere stakeholders.

They implored African heads of state together with the private sector and international organisations to recognize their role in ownership, management and conservation of natural resources that drove the wildlife economy across the continent.

The leaders were also asked to address community concerns in the spirit of environment and economic justice.The summit was held under the theme, “Communities for Conservation, Harnessing Conservation Tourism and Supporting Governments”. ENDS