20 Nov 2024

SADC member states have been implored to strengthen cooperation on environmental conservation to preserve biodiversity.

Speaking at the annual SADC Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) meeting in Kasane on Tuesday, the Director of Food Agriculture and Natural Resources at the SADC Secretariat, Mr Domingos Gove, stated that it was critical for the region to adopt sustainable practices that were environmentally friendly.

He highlighted the need for coastal states to establish TFCAs targeting marine conservation in order to give it the same attention as wildlife and river basin conservation.

Mr Gove stated that TFCAs in the region were moving at a slow pace to be certified in category one, which was guided by a legal binding instrument adding, that currently there were 13 TFCAs in the SADC region.

He said SADC TFCA was established in 2013 as a basis of every decision taken at the SADC Ministerial forums to improve information exchange, and improve collaboration and foster partnership within the region.

He stated that this year’s drought was the most severe experienced in 40 years, having affected the wildlife population and livelihoods, leaving a strain on natural resources.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism liaison officer for the Gaborone Declaration for Sustainability in Africa, Dr Cyril Taolo, stated that the meeting was an opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation in the field of conservation and other sectors.

“It is no secret that as SADC member states we have been struggling with cooperation and solidarity on the international level on issues surrounding our conservation efforts and approaches with the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) as a case point,” he said.

He said Botswana relished the opportunity to host the meeting and engage fellow member states and showcase to them the nation’s plight and the struggles faced with conserving the rich wildlife numbers harboured in Botswana.

Dr Taolo indicated that Botswana was dependent on minerals, and was looking for ways to diversify the economy with tourism as one of the key sectors identified for such.

He said the heads of states called for self-sustenance and finding sustainable economic means to conservation at the May 2024 Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) Heads of State Summit in Livingstone, Zambia.

He said Botswana and other KAZA TFCA member states recently endorsed at the minister’s committee, the livelihoods diversification strategy and the climate change livelihood focused risk assessment strategy, which they hoped would be rolled out to other member states and TFCAs in the SADC region.

Dr Taolo pointed out that the Chobe region was home to the largest elephant population, which was at par with the human population hence presenting many cases of human-wildlife conflict, which government had responded to with compensation schemes and mitigation measures. Ends