Author: MEDDY MULISA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA’S efforts towards nature conservation needs international support due to her big sacrifice in saving humankind from looming threats posed by global warning and climate change, Kagera Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS), Professor Faustin Kamuzora, has said.
He explained that upgrading of Burigi-Chato, Ibanda Kyerwa and Rumanyika Karagwe national parks was in line with government efforts to expand tourism sachets to ten in north-western zone.
Three other national reserves will be launched soon, including Nyerere, Kigosi and Mtongala.
This will increase the number of national reserves from 19 to 22 by 2021.
“President John Magufuli’s efforts in nature conservation must be supported. Many nations faced a big threat after destroying the environment. Some 65 per cent of all the uncultivated arable land left in the world lies in Africa while Tanzania takes a lion’s share in nature conservation. Tanzania has set aside almost 33 per cent of its land for nature conservation while almost 50 per cent of the land is forests. This is a big sacrifice,” he pointed out.
Expounding, Prof Kamuzora said the increasing populations also exert pressure on the environment, leading to a critical shortage of water, clean air and food production.
“The population has increased rapidly from eight million in 1961 to almost 60 million while the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) projections indicate that by 2030, the population will have increased to 120 million and again to 240 million by 2050. This needs serious steps and preserving the environment is an obligation we must all shoulder,” he remarked.
Tourism is among key sectors which have made Tanzania a shining example.
In 2011, tourism foreign exchange earnings recorded 6tril/-, making Tanzania the fourth nation in Africa after Egypt (29tril/-), South Africa (20tril/-) and Morocco (15tril/-).
Tanzania earned 2.43 billion US dollars from tourism in 2018, up from 2.19 billion US dollars in 2017.
Tourism arrivals totalled 1.49 million last year, compared with 1.33 million a year before.
Tourism in the country grew 48.6 percent last year and is worth 7.4 billion US dollars.
Tourism is the main source of hard currency in Tanzania, best known for its beaches, wildlife safaris and Mount Kilimanjaro.
