Conservation trust decries hunting ban
Oarabile Mosikare | Friday March 7, 2014 17:13
The CECT manager Frank Limbo said as a stakeholder, the government did not consult them when it decided to ban hunting in Botswana. “There was no consultation. May be others were consulted but not us,” said Limbo.
He explained that CECT was generating between P4 million and P4.5 million per annum out of hunting proceeds. Although the trust has other businesses, owning two lodges in Ngoma and Linyanti, hunting is what brings more proceeds. Limbo said they would have to engage the government about this ban. If the engagement does not bear fruit, Limbo said they would have to come up with a second option.
“Issues surrounding the hunting ban are not only our feelings. It is the feeling of the community. The community is going to suffer.”
The CECT board deputy chairperson Robertson Mabutha reiterated Limbo’s concerns about the hunting ban noting that they were not prepared for the prohibition. “Ninety percent of our funds came from hunting,” said Mabutha. Mabutha said they are in talks with the government to cushion the trust, which employs 31 workers, adding that if the ban persists they would be forced to retrench staff. “We understand our region is a poaching infested area but our people have accepted ownership of the wild animals,” said Mabutha. He insisted that some of the retrenched workers could easily be lured into poaching. “Something has to be done as soon as possible. It is not only CECT that is affected but other trusts.”
In October 2012 President Ian Khama told Sankoyo and Mababe residents that no one will be allowed to hunt wildlife in Botswana, come January 2014.
Khama took the decision after realising that the wildlife numbers were decreasing at an alarming rate. He said if the country did not take care of its animals, there would have a huge problem in terms of tourism. He decried to the meeting about the rate at which poachers were killing elephants.
CECT has being hailed as one of the best run trusts in the country. The CECT is made up of 10 board members from five villages of Mabele, Satau, Parakarungu, Kachikau and Kavimba. Each village contributes two people to the board. A chairperson and a deputy to head the board.
During a study tour organised by Kalahari Conservation Society (KCS) early this week, it was revealed that management and administration issues are problematic within the Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM). KCS officer Onkemetse Joseph said they decided to visit CECT after realising that the trust had good governance and administrative system in place.
Briefing the visitors, Mabutha stated that CECT started as a pilot project in 1993, when it was realised that Chobe region is the hotspot of conflict between wildlife and humans. He said wild animals are persistently troubling the community, with elephants being the greatest source of concern, destroying crop fields.
The trust also has some running projects, in an attempt to help in the government poverty alleviation process. Among other projects, the trust runs electricity vendor machines in each village, not only to make money but also help reduce travelling for community members to source electricity.
In Mabele, they own a shop and a brick moulding machinery. The big projects are the Linyanti Bush Camp and a five star Ngoma Safari Lodge. Khama officially opened Ngoma Safari Lodge on July 21, 2011. These accommodation operations were built to support community based projects and conservation of wildlife in this area.
Speaking of the lodge, an excited Limbo noted that, “It is the first of its kind in this area. The land and property belong to the community. The management of the lodge are only involved in operational structures.”
He said they have agreed with the management of the lodge to hire more locals and out of 22 employees, 18 are from the villages. “We have signed a 20 year lease with our partners. There is an option to renew the lease after expiry.”