Amidst a heavy backlash from the West, who for some time in Africa have had the loudest voice in environmental policies, the countries with the world’s largest elephant populations are joining forces and speaking with one unequivocally clear and booming voice.This week, officials, ministers and Heads of State representing Botswana met in Kasane to plot elephant aoverpopulation strategies. Kasane is a town in the centre of the elephant heartland, where the pachyderms roam freely and where injuries and deaths are regularly recorded.
Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism minister, Kitso Mokaila told the ministers’ meeting that the biggest threat to successful wildlife conservation and Africa’s economic wellbeing in Africa is outsiders continuing to dictate to Africa how it should manage and use its wildlife. “As sovereign African states we have now decided that we are no longer going to be dictated to by Western countries and animal rights groups on how to manage and use our wildlife,” said Mokaila. “We have abundant natural resources in Africa, including wildlife and it is us sovereign African states who should decide how to manage and use them.”
