Author: ALEXANDER SANGA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: PERMANENT Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Aloyce Nzuki, has expressed the government commitment to eradicating poaching, illegal logging and forest fires by 2022.
Dr Nzuki expressed this during the closing of a training course for wildlife conservation officers held at Fort Ikoma grounds in Serengeti District. He said so far the government had reduced poaching by 90 per cent.
Dr Nzuki said there were prospects of ending poaching by 2020 it would have been eradicated.
He further said despite the government’s efforts to eradicate poaching, human activities, including agriculture and mining had been depleting national resources.
Dr Nzuki said the wildlife conservation paramilitary force had a key role to play in ensuring it continues protecting national resources.
Tanzania Forest Service (TFS) Managing Director, Prof Dos Santos Silayo, said they had successfully trained 1,264 members of staff on forest conservation and their target was to ensure by June next year the remaining 600 officers were also trained.
He said training was related to the control of forests, bees and wildlife management. He noted they had decided to change tactics because poachers used different methods.
He said their organisation had set up various camps in reserve forests to fight against poaching.
For his part, Pasiansi Wildlife Training Institute (PWTI) Managing Director Faustine Masalu said 302 wildlife officers had finished their seven-week training.
He said he asked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to assist them in the construction of wells in Fort Ikoma to end water problems.
