Zimbabwe reaffirms commitment to rangers’ welfare

In a statement, Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu said shortages of clinker — a key input in cement production — and scheduled maintenance by local producers were among the major contributing factors.

Ivan Zhakata Herald Correspondent

GOVERNMENT has reaffirmed its commitment to the welfare of rangers in line with several human rights conventions and through its institutions including the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), local authorities and private players in the wildlife industry.

Speaking at the World Ranger Day celebrations in Harare this week, Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Mangaliso Ndlovu said they recognised the dedication and sacrifice of rangers who tirelessly protect natural resources, particularly wildlife.

Minister Ndlovu also said that the country also honoured rangers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

“The Government of Zimbabwe reaffirms its commitment to the welfare of rangers in line with several human rights conventions and through its institutions including the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), local authorities and private players in the wildlife industry,” he said.

“Zimbabwe has about 28 percent of the country’s land area under wildlife conservation in various categories and in order to enhance our conservation effectiveness as we contribute to the global target of 30 by 30, it is essential that we increase our funding and support for conservation to allow our dedicated staff including the rangers to effectively execute their duties armed with the requisite resources.

“Accordingly, it is our wish that we unlock the potential of our trade under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to help ourselves improve working conditions and remuneration of our rangers that are safeguarding endangered species. It is unfortunate that there are more restrictions and overregulation of international trade as opposed to facilitating the same.”

Minister Ndlovu said they were trying to understand the positive role us sustainable international trade in the generation of resources for conservation and pursuing human-wildlife co-existence issues affecting local communities living with wildlife.

“We believe the real solution to the issue of what seems to be a binary approach to wildlife trade issues is to expel the divisive partisan culture at such important fora as this partisan approach is now slowly infiltrating even scientific research outcomes,” he said.

“Wildlife, as well as ranger welfare, will suffer due to decreased financial resources for conservation activities. We are therefore grateful to our partners such as the African Parks Network (APN), African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), Aware Trust, Conservation Force, Dambari Trust, Frankfurt Zoology Society (FZS), French Development Agency, Germany Development Bank, GIZ, International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Lowveld Rhino Trust, Pioneer Africa, Tikki Hywood Trust, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Zmbaezi Society, and various state security agencies including the Zimbabwe Republic Police and National Army that play a pivotal role in providing accommodation, patrol rations and equipment for our rangers.”