Environment sub-committees urged to safeguard wildlife resources

By Own Correspondent

Environmental sub-committees from Bulilima District have been encouraged to safeguard wildlife resources in their locality.

Speaking at a capacity-building workshop organized by Habakkuk Trust in collaboration with the Bulilima Rural District Council, the ZIMPARKS official Mr. Bekimpilo Mbewe urged environmental sub-committee members to be ardent stewards of wildlife living in proximity to their locality.

Mbewe further emphasized the pillars of wildlife management which are conservation, protection, and sustainable utilisation.

“As environmental sub-committees, you have a huge responsibility in wildlife management especially in the face of human-wildlife conflict, hence the need to always observe these pillars,” stated Mr. Mbewe.

Bulilima District is prone to human-wildlife conflict due to an overlap between settlements and wildlife habitats. Human settlements in wildlife corridors coupled with illegal hunting have disrupted ecosystems thus affecting food reserves in animal habitats. Diminishing food reserves in wildlife habitats owed to climate change have also contributed significantly to the rise in the incidence of human-wildlife conflict in Bulilima District.

Participants at the workshop raised concerns over wildlife invasions that have since become a threat to livelihoods and food production. Problem animals such as hyenas, jackals, and monkeys are decimating crops and small overstock rendering communities’ food insufficient. Dangerous animals such as elephants are roaming villages, decimating crops and posing a serious threat to humans and livestock.

Mbewe urged the environmental sub-committees to work closely with the ZIMPARKS rangers in handling wildlife invasions. He further encouraged participants to cascade information on the protection and conservation of wildlife resources to their communities.