Poaching forces Unesco to flag Selous as endangered

Park wardens on patrol along the Mikumi-Selous border in Tanzania on October 13, 2013. PHOTO | AFP 

By Katare Mbashiru, The Citizen

• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has put the Selous Game Reserve on the list of endangered World Heritage sites because of widespread poaching.

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Dar es Salaam. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) has put the Selous Game Reserve on the list of endangered World Heritage sites because of widespread poaching.

The animal population at the 50,000 square kilometres (19,000 square miles) park has dwindled significantly since it was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1982, according to Unesco.

The UN cultural body called on the world community, including ivory transit and destination countries, to support Tanzania in the fight against poaching.

The country has been accused of doing little to check poaching gangs and their financiers. At one time, a British newspaper claimed powerful people in government and close to the presidency were behind the massive poaching in Tanzania. State House denied the claims.

Putting the game reserve on the list of endangered world heritage sites aims at creating awareness to the local and international community on the problems facing the area in order to win support from stakeholders to enable Selous to regain its lost glory.

Selous Game Reserve is renowned for its populations of elephant, black rhinoceros, cheetahs, giraffes, hippopotamus and crocodile, amongst many other species.

The game reserve was branded one of the world’s endangered heritage sites at the ongoing 38th session of the Unesco Annual World Heritage Committee (AHC) gathering in Doha, Qatar. The session, scheduled to reach its climax on June 25, kicked off on Sunday.

AHC is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and it defines the use of the World Heritage Fund as well as allocating financial assistance upon requests from States Parties. It has the final say on whether a property is inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Poaching continues to pose a serious challenge to the wildlife in Tanzania even as the government continues employing measures to ensure that there is zero tolerance of perpetrators of the vice.

The new measures to rescue Tanzania’s wildlife have seen the international community intervening to help the country tame the vice by donating funds and equipment like helicopters and vehicles.

In April, Tanzania’s efforts to fight poaching received a boost of Sh8.6 billion worth of equipment from Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF) to be used in conserving the country’s national parks. The foundation was started by one of the world’s richest businessmen Warren Buffet.

The minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, said that the assistance marked an important milestone in the nation’s efforts to eliminate poaching.