admin
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the rhino horn cannot be sold.
While the horn has zero value on the legal market because of the Cites ban, the same horn, which weighs on average 10kg, fetches up to US$60 000 per kg on the illegal market in Asia and beyond. Continued poaching of rhino for the illegal market has hit all countries that still have the animal that is now facing extinction, Zimbabwe included. With Sadc remaining with less than 4 000 there is need for new strategies and thinking. Our Features Editor Isdore Guvamombe (IG) talks to Environment and Natural Resources Management Minister Francis Nhema (FN) about this and other issues.
IG: In brief what is the natural resources management situation in the country?
FN: Well, we are among the few countries in the world with a credible and sustainable natural resource conservation strategy.
I am glad that there has been a serious uptake on tree planting, ranging from schools to individuals and traditional leaders.
Take Chief Makoni for instance, he came personally from Rusape to collect trees for planting. That shows the level of uptake at grassroots level.
IG: We have been under siege from rhino poachers, especially this January.
FN: Yes, that was very shocking and very sad. We lost seven rhinos in Matopos and another two in Chiredzi. It made us rethink. We are very worried.
IG: What have you thought about?
FN: The issue of rhino poaching has to be looked at from a regional co-operation point.
I mean from a Sadc point of view.
South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique and Namibia must all be involved. The nature of poaching has changed.
Poachers have moved from unsophisticated weapons to sophisticated weaponry. They are well-provided for by international syndicates. Poachers have become sophisticated. We now encounter experts in poaching.
IG: So what is the solution?
FN: With our colleagues in Sadc, we are calling for two proposals. The first one is asking Cite to allow us to trade in rhino horn, the stakes we have. Maybe that will help demystify the horn.
This mean Botswana and South Africa will also be selling their stockpiles. That way we might be able to curb poaching.
IG: What is the second option?
FN: The second option is to pool our resources as two, three or four affected countries and go measure-for- measure with the poachers.
That is in terms of weaponry and training.
We will be meting the same against the poachers. But I prefer the first option. The second will take long because the poachers will fight back and change tactics. It might prove too costly for us.
The poachers also have ex-military personnel, like the Circuit in South Africa.
IG: When was the ban imposed?
FN: It was in the 1980s but so far, the result has not been good.
We are approaching Cites to allow us to sell the rhino horn and diminish the value and purpose of poaching because everyone could just come and buy.
People might be surprised of the low value. We must demystify the horn by making it accessible on the market.
IG: How about growing the rhino in captivity?
FN: That is too expensive. The rhino is a territorial animal. It needs its space.
At some point we thought we could domesticate the rhino in terms of reproduction, but the animal is very sensitive.
They do not mate in public, they are not like lions. They are very shy to mate in public. We have not given up but the results are not good.
IG: Poaching in Zimbabwe has mainly been centred on ex-service men, police, army and national parks, how do you deal with that?
FN: Yes, that is the unfortunate truth. We have had one or two service persons from police and army. We are working on that.
We are going to have some strategic planning soon. We will not surrender.
IG: let us go to the green and brown issues, so to say.
FN: I am actually very much interested in the debate of the ban of plastic papers as career bags. It is healthy debate.
What I have read in the newspapers is quite interesting. To me that is very important because I am looking for solutions in waste management and we call in e-west management of both the brown and green issues.
Where do you dispose of your cellphone after use, like you do with your undergarment? Our computer hardware, where do we dispose of it?
IG: Minister year-in-year out, this time of the year, your ministry makes a lot of noise about wetlands. World Wetlands Day and so on. What are wetlands and what is their significance to the ordinary Zimbabwean’s life?
FN: World Wetlands Day to us means recognition of the importance of preserving world’s wet places.
It means to us, the natural habitat that drains the water and keeps it. It is the natural drainage as exemplified by the living organism, the plant and the ecosystem, sustained year in and year out.
Wetlands assist in purification of water and as you know water is life to the people, wildlife and plants. Wet lands act as sponges for floods.
This is where the water gathers. They absorb most of the water that would otherwise cause flooding. They assist in absorbing access water and consequently, flooding.
Wetlands keep human and wildlife cycles alive. Let us not destroy wetlands because they are useful. Wetlands will assist in absorbing that water, like this year when we have more rains than expected. This is why we make noise about it.
IG: You have been championing re-greening throughout the country including farming areas, how successful is that project?
FN: We are fortunate that the issue of re-greening has been taken seriously on the farms by tobacco farmers and livestock producers.
They now know the economic value of re-greening. We are re-afforesting together with new farmers, beef producers included.
IG: How as been the participation of other communities?
FN: We have seen increasing demand from communities. They have been rehabilitating nurseries in 60 districts spearheaded by the Forestry Company. We have decentralised to chiefs, villages and kraal heads, through rural district councils.
We have seen traditional leaders punish offenders, those who cut down trees and that is not new because the Traditional Leaders Act, provides for that. All there has been in the past is laxity to implement. We are happy with the response.
IG: What about youths?
FN: Youths are the future leaders of this country and will be central to the green economy. We see the green economy taking over Zimbabwe. We have engaged schools.
There are school debates and tree planting projects. We have even gone further to the corporate world and the industrialists in hard and soft products.
I am happy about how we are dealing with both green and brown issues. We now have youth organisations on environmental issues. That is good and the future looks too good.
[email protected]
Bongani Moyo
Online Reporter