Moshi District Commissioner has appealed to the public to participate in the conservation of natural resources in their respective areas to protect Mt Kilimanjaro’s buffer zone.
Dr Ibrahim Msengi said environmental
conservation particularly on the slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro is crucial and called
on everyone to join government efforts on environmental protection.
He was speaking with the Village, Ward
and Division Executive Officers here in Moshi over the weekend.
“Despite government’s efforts in collaboration
with other environmental stakeholders to provide much education to the
‘wananchi’ on the importance of environmental conservation, the problem of
destroying environment persists,” Dr Msengi explained.
According to the DC, the problem is
also fueled by bad elements in the village, ward and division executive
officers who failed in the implementation of their responsibilities.
He said some of them actually
participate fully in ruining the environment by cutting down trees.
Dr Msengi appealed to Moshi residents
who know leaders who are colluding with people ruin the environment in pursuit
of selfish interests should report them to authorities so as to take legal
action against them.
Poverty and environmental degradation
are twins and their parent is ignorance. The efforts made by the government and
non governmental organisations are meaningless if Tanzanians themselves will
not take part in the fight against environmental degradation.
Although the government through the
National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) has been advocating for
environmental preservation, most Tanzanians were doing the opposite.
Tanzanians ought to understand that
environmental degradation have negative consequences, such as food shortage.
Crops provide good yields depending on
the availability of reliable rainfall, good irrigation and use of acceptable
and quality manure, among other factors. Forests and bushes attract rainfall,
which is a key factor in supporting agricultural activities.
In Kilimanjaro region, the government and other
environmental stakeholders including NGOs, CBOs, and some companies in
collaboration with the Kilimanjaro National park (KINAPA), have made several
efforts to conserve the environment, targeting Mt Kilimanjaro ‘buffer zone’.
SOURCE:
GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY