08 Oct 2020

Residents of Shorobe and surrounding areas have been urged to form groups and venture into sustainable tourism activities to improve their livelihoods.

The director of Okavango Research Institute, Prof. Joseph Mbaiwa urged residents during an elephant campaign activity aimed to sensitise the communities about ways to live harmoniously with wildlife, especially elephants.

The campaign themed; Safe Livelihoods and Protect Elephants, also aimed to drill residents in different ways to address the issue of human/wildlife conflict.

He said residents should take advantage of the abundant wildlife and explore ways to start income generating projects to better their lives at the same time promoting conservation.

Prof. Mbaiwa said they should not view wildlife, especially elephants, as enemies, but rather value them as they attracted tourists who eventually contributed to the country’s economy.

He stated that one elephant could generate P800 000 and encouraged residents to protect them as they were a source of income, adding that they could also create employment opportunities if well managed.

Prof. Mbaiwa also appreciated that residents were living in fear as elephants terrorised them at their ploughing fields as well as invading their homes, but stated that they should also view them as an opportunity to earn income.

Residents were also encouraged to take the campaign seriously as at the end they would be knowledgeable and understand the importance of elephants.

Prof. Mbaiwa thanked the organiser of the campaign for educating the community about the immense value of elephants.

The campaign was an initiative of Mr Oaitse Nawa, who is the founder of Elephants Protection Society. 

Mr Nawa urged residents to share ideas and experiences on how they could benefit from elephants.

Shorobe, he said, had a large population of elephants as compared to other areas in the district and urged residents to think outside the box and explore available opportunities to generate income. 

Maun West MP, Mr Dumelang Saleshando hailed Elephants Protection Society for taking the lead in educating the communities about the value of elephants. 

He encouraged young people to form social clubs to promote wildlife conservation.

He concurred that elephants were tourism magnets, which could attract more funding that would help protect the wilderness. 

In addition, Mr Saleshando said they were keystone species, playing an important role in maintaining the biodiversity of the ecosystems in which they live. Ends