Africa-Press – Botswana. Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has roped in the police in efforts to address environmental issues.
Speaking during a one-day workshop in Mahalapye recently, district environment coordinator, Ms Tuelo Nkwane said the aim was to sensitise and equip police with knowledge on various environmental statutes so that they could perform enforcement duties with confidence.
Ms Nkwane added that they wanted to identify areas of partnership with police, to help them mainstream identified areas in their duties.
She said that their mandate was to coordinate and facilitate conservation and protection of natural resources by collaborating with different departments to ensure harmony.
Ms Nkwane said effective enforcement of environmental laws was vital to any protection regimes designed to protect the environment, hence the need to partner with police.
Principal environmental health officer, Mr Gaokgakala Maikano explained that the Waste Management Act aimed to minimise pollution of the environment and conserve natural resources.
He said the sections to consider in the act were section 34, Prohibition of Litter, which stated that a person shall not deposit in any place anything which might contribute to the defacement of any place by litter, except as authorised by law and anyone contravening the act would be fined P300.
Other sections include notices for depositing litter, right of entry, interference with waste and duty of care in respect of waste, said Mr Maikano.
He encouraged the public to take their litter to dumping sites as there was controlled burning and further explained that burning litter at home was not allowed and was a health hazard.
Mahalapye forestry office, acting chief technical officer, Mr Itumeleng Motswedinyane said they had a statutory responsibility to administer acts to ensure conservation and sustainable utilisation of forest and range resources and used the Agricultural Resource Conservation Act 1974 and Herbage Preservation Act 1978 to prevent and control bush and other fires.
He said harvesting and exporting veld products without a permit was a crime and any person who acted against these regulations or made false statements in order to obtain harvesting permits was liable to a fine not exceeding P1 000.
Mr Motswedinyane also said that over exploitation of forest and range resources and illegal cross border trafficking of veld products was a challenge.
He recommended engagement of all stakeholders in monitoring of veld products and formation of conservation management teams.
Serowe wildlife office, senior wildlife biologist, Mr Mmolotsi Jimmy on the other hand, talked about the Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act of 1992 which he said enabled them to protect wild animals.
He said they provided hunting licences and permits.
There is the bird licence at P50, single game licence obtained through quota and raffle, small game for trophy dealers and special game licence for unprivileged members of society, Mr Jimmy explained.
“Hunting and capturing of animals without permit is an offence liable to a fine of P1 000 or one year imprisonment,” said My Jimmy, adding that conveyance of loaded weapon shall be charged P1 000, hunting at night and during closed season shall be liable to a fine of P5 000 and to imprisonment of five years.
Mr Jimmy highlighted that interpretation of the act was still a challenge, hence the need to facilitate the police on Conservation and National Parks Act. He said they also appealed to stakeholders to help them protect animals so that they did not become extinct.
The department is trying to ensure continued collaboration with BPS and create awareness through community outreach programmes, Mr Jimmy said.
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