By
Apolinari Tairo, eTN Tanzania
TANZANIA (eTN) - After meeting Tanzania’s Minister for Natural
Resources and Tourism, Mr. Khamis Kagasheki, in Washington this week,
Deputy Secretary of the US Department of the Interior, David Hayes, said
American government will be helping Tanzania in fighting poaching
incidences through logistical and technical support.
Hayes told the Tanzanian delegation led by Mr. Kagasheki at the
Department’s Headquarters that his government is ready to work closely
with Tanzania, because issues of natural resources are now facing global
challenges, which need to be addressed immediately with various
stakeholders.
“[The] US has a responsibility of fostering [a] cordial relationship
with Tanzania so as to ensure sustainability of natural resources in the
country,” said Secretary Hayes.
Minister Kagasheki had earlier said Tanzania has taken deliberate
efforts to fight poaching in the country but still US support is highly
needed in the war, because it is very challenging involving some stable
financial muscles network globally.
He had requested support from the US in the form of technical
assistance by providing some expertise on the suppliers of best
intelligence surveillance devices and skills as well as coming up with
new approaches and strategies to tackle the existing organized poaching
crimes.
In a more positive and promising move, a decision was reached between
the visiting Tanzanian delegation and the United States to prepare a
memorandum of understanding between the two countries, which will be
signed in December this year in Tanzania.
The memorandum of understanding will basically act as a baseline of
cooperation between the two countries and will focus on how best the two
countries can work together in ensuring the existence of sustainability
of the conservation sector for the betterment of the current and future
generations.
“I appeal to [the] United States that we have to conserve, we need to
preserve, so as to protect our wildlife from extinction and that
conservation should be the number one priority to Tanzania and the
world,” said Kagasheki.
Tanzania is currently facing serious poaching problems as the demand
for elephant tusks increase in Far East trophy markets. The growing
demand for ivory in China and other Far Eastern countries has been
identified to decimate African jumbos with negative impacts on tourism
development on this continent counted to be the number one tourist
destination in this century.
The First Pan-African Conference on "Sustainable Tourism Management
in African National Parks and Protected Areas” organized by the UN World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO) that will be held in Tanzania’s northern
city of Arusha early next week is to address various challenges facing
wildlife protection in Africa.
According to UNWTO, wildlife parks and protected areas in Africa
constitute one of the elements of the continent's natural heritage.
Sustainable use of these parks and protected areas has made it possible
for the beneficiary countries to increase their economic revenue and has
positioned Africa on the world tourism map as a choice destination to
engage in nature-based tourism.
Tanzanian Deputy Minister for Tourism, Mr. Lazaro Nyalandu, said the
Pan African Conference on Tourism will be officiated by Tanzanian Vice
President Dr. Gharib Billal, while 412 delegates from 40 African nations
are expected to participate, including 12 cabinet ministers.
UNWTO Secretary General Dr. Taleb Rifai will lead a delegation of 6
senior officials from Madrid to participate in the conference.
During discussions, Tanzania will present 3 cases on wildlife
conservation, to be tabled by senior experts from Tanzania national
parks, the Ngorongoro conservation area, and all custodians of wildlife
protection in Tanzania’s key tourist parks.