Maravi Express
As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has never been more important to have in place measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic to ensure that wildlife as well as its environments’ protectors are equally taken care of.
Thus in its resolution to support its staff on the frontline of its projects around the world, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) hosted a ‘Voices From The Field’ webinar with senior staff from various countries in Africa explaining how they are managing to create an enabling environment for wildlife law enforcement, among other activities during this pandemic.
Making his presentation, chief of party for the CWC Malawi-Zambia Transboundary Landscape Project, Patricio Ndadzela said IFAW — with funding from USAID — has trained and equipped extension officers to raise awareness among rangers, their families and other fellow community members on health safety during the pandemic.
Patricio Ndadzela
“Rangers and their families have received increased provisions of patrol rations and supplementary food items such as soya and groundnuts,” he said.
Phillip Kuvawoga, Zimbabwe’s IFAW Director: Landscape Conservation, said the organization is committed to support ZimParks rangers in Hwange National Park.
“We are doing this by prioritizing ranger welfare and operational support to anti-poaching teams through the provision of personal protective equipment, dry rations and enhancing their mobility by refurbishing existing fleet and procuring additional patrol vehicles.
“The vehicles will strengthen anti-poaching patrols in the park,” Kuvawoga said.
The audience also heard from Moses Olinga, program manager for Uganda and the Horn of Africa and Steve Njumbi, head of programs in East Africa and based in Kenya — who explained the achievements made in the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Olinga said in Queen Elizabeth National Park, the patrol effort was increased during the COVID 19 period, adding that much as there is increased number of patrols, the incidences of poaching have also gone up since there are no tourists visiting the park.
Intensified ranger patrols
“During this COVID-19 period, we have handed a 12-room ranger outpost to improve staff accommodation and enhance their capacity to conduct patrols in the critical areas of the park.”
In his presentation, Njumbi also told the audience that there are so many achievements registered in Kenya.
“For example in Olgulului, we are pleased to report that patrols have been maintained — the kilometers patrolled per month have increased from 2,600 in March to a peak of 4,500 by June.
“We have also increased the areas covered by the rangers to ensure that we maximize effectiveness of our patrol effort,” Njumbi said.
Women rangers in Malawi
Jimmiel Mandima, IFAW deputy vice-president for conservation facilitated the webinar and explained that IFAW is redirecting financial and human resources to law enforcement — particularly ranger operations in priority landscapes.
“I would like to thank our donors — the EU, USAID, INL and many others — because the work we do is only made possible through your support and the host governments,” he said.
The tourism sector is one of the hardest hit with the pandemic, a situation that has led to the loss of tourism income and jobs affecting communities living around protected areas.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industry in Mzuzu had an interactive meeting over the weekend as one of the activities to commemorate this year’s Tourism Month — with a call against relaxing in observing COVID-19 prevention protocols.
Speaking during the event, Regional Tourism Officer (RTO) for the North, Japhet Kuweluza said due to economic hiccups the tourism sector is undergoing, national celebrations to mark the tourism month have been down scaled, hence the meeting for stakeholders to share ideas on how to sustain the tourism and hospitality industry in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
The participants to the workshop
He advised the stakeholders, who comprised managers and proprietors of tourism and hospitality units, to ensure that they continue enforcing observation of all prevention measures regardless of its decline in the country.
Kuweluza said the department has included observation of COVID-19 prevention measures in the sector’s inspection check list, hence the need to ensure that the prevention measures are enforced at all times.
He said besides hygiene and sanitation, observance of COVID-19 prevention measures has be added on the checklist for an investor to qualify for an operation certificate.
Hospitality industry heavily affected
“The industry has already suffered a great loss but there is hope that we can re-sustain it if we do not relax in observing the prevention protocol as stipulated by the Ministry of Health and that all workers should be provided with personal protective equipment,” he said.
Kuweluza also advised stakeholders to consider diversifying their tourism entrepreneurships to attract more tourists, thereby improving their economic status.
“Most of the proprietors in the tourism industry are not trained and the department intends to train about 500 proprietors in tourism entrepreneurship, strategic planning and diversification,” he said.
The theme for this year’s Tourism Month, which is celebrated in October, is ‘Tourism and Rural Development.’—Additional reporting by George Bulombola, MANA
