06 Mar 2022

Botswana’s conservation efforts are facing challenges that call for re-alignment of conservation approaches including law enforcement efforts, acting Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Mr Sethabelo Modukanele has said.

The challenges, as noted by Mr Modukanele during World Wildlife Day commemoration in Letlhakeng on Thursday, are but not limited to deforestation, poaching of elephants and rhinos, and increasing cases of human-wildlife conflict.

“Poaching of iconic species such as elephants and rhino is also a serious concern that calls for re-alignment of our conservation approaches including law enforcement efforts,” he said

Commemorated under the theme: Recovering Key Species for Ecosystem Restoration, the acting minister, who is also the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said the theme highlighted the importance of exploring actions that should be taken to protect the threatened and endangered key species such as rhinos, elephants and pangolin.

He said the theme also drew  attention to the critical role that keystone species of plants and animals played in ensuring ecosystem health.

Mr Modukanele noted that government remained committed to wildlife conservation as demonstrated by the prominence given to wildlife in the country’s Vision 2036 and the fact that nearly 40 per cent of the country was devoted to protected areas of wildlife management including the recently launched programme that enables Batswana to keep game in their fields.

He said sustainable use of wildlife resources by communities in Southern Africa was an issue of contention that the regional  countries including Botswana should take to the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) slated for Panama City, Panama, from November 14 to 25.

He appreciated the key role played by local communities in the conservation and protection of wildlife resources such as Motlhware Community Trust, which, with the help of the ministry and local authorities pooled resources to establish Motlhware Nature Reserve.

“The goal of this project is to develop a recreational park, which covers an area of 901 hectares south of Letlhakeng with a focus on natural resources conservation and eco-tourism,” said Mr Modukanele.

He urged all to play their part in ensuring that they helped threatened species and ecosystems to recover for the benefit of Botswana, Africa, the whole world and planet earth.

When giving welcome remarks, Kgosi Itsoseng Gaoonwe of Letlhakeng said it was important for all to take responsibility of protecting forests and wildlife.

He raised a concern about people who burnt the forest assuch led to destruction of wildlife and livelihoods.

In his vote of thanks, Member of Parliament for Takatokwane, Mr Tshoganetso Leuwe encouraged the ministry to revisit public education programmes of protecting historical monuments.

He said tourism played an integral part as an income- generating avenue, which communities could benefit from if well managed.

The United Nations World Wildlife Day is a global celebration of the beautiful and richly diverse forms of wild animals and forests on our planet.

The day raises awareness of the multitude of benefits that these resources provide to people in the form of livelihoods. ENDS