{"id":739,"date":"2019-05-01T22:00:36","date_gmt":"2019-05-01T22:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zimwonders.co.zw\/?p=739"},"modified":"2019-06-24T12:55:48","modified_gmt":"2019-06-24T12:55:48","slug":"zimbabwe-to-attend-elephant-summit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zimwonders.co.zw\/index.php\/2019\/05\/01\/zimbabwe-to-attend-elephant-summit\/","title":{"rendered":"Zimbabwe to Attend Elephant Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
African elephants at a watering hole<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zimbabwe will attend an Elephant Summit, courtesy of the Botswana Government,  to discuss the adoption of a common position in the Southern African region, with to Botswana’s proposition to lift the ban on elephant hunting ahead of the CITES meting later this monththe The conference will run from 3 – 7 May, 2019 <\/p>\n

The  Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the global treaty that regulates wildlife trade, holds its Conference of the Parties (CoP18)  in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 23 May to 3 June 2019.<\/p>\n

Addressing Ngamiland community trusts in Mau recently Botswana Minister of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism Mr Kitso Mokaila  expressed optimism that the Elephant Summit will assist government to refine its decision on the hunting ban.<\/p>\n

 The summit, expected to be graced by six heads of state, in its culmination, whose countries are said to have high elephant populations, including Namibia and Zambia, who together with Botswana and Zimbabwe form the Kavango Zambezi <\/a>Transfrontier Conservation Area<\/a> (KAZA TCA).<\/p>\n

The 520,000 square-kilometer (200,773 square-mile) expanse includes swamp, savannah and riverine habitat in Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and Zimbabwe and is twice the size of the UK. An estimated 220,000 elephants live in the area,and the largest herd, about 130 000 are in Botswana which the government now says is now unmanageable due to the rise of human \/ wildlife conflict. <\/p>\n

The plan is to relocate some of the species to other neighbouring countries and to lift the ban on hunting.<\/p>\n

\u201cLevels of human-elephant conflict continue to escalate, especially where human and agricultural expansion moves into new areas already occupied by African elephants,\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLivestock and crop farmers and residents in wildlife areas constantly have to contend with elephants that destroy crops and threaten livelihoods and food security,\u201dsays the Botswana government in justifying the recommendation to lift the elephant hunting ban<\/p>\n

Regarding the lifting of the ban, Mokaila noted that there had been an outcry by foreign investors who used Botswana\u2019s wildlife resource to enrich themselves who labeled the recommendation a \u2018blood law\u2019 in an effort to tarnish \u201cour good name and stop tourists from appreciating our tourism.<\/p>\n

Human\/wildlife conflict, he said should not be an issue if all benefited from tourism.<\/p>\n

Botswana’s stance has however drawn a backlash from conservationists as the contry has long been praised for its wildlife-management policies, which have spawned a tourism industry that ranks as the economy\u2019s second-biggest sector after diamonds.<\/p>\n

Last year,  a committee appointed by President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi embarked on a massive consultation drive following concerns about the increasing elephant population which was impacting negatively on communities.<\/p>\n

 Mokaila said if government revoked the ban, which was introduced in 2014,  hunting would be controlled.<\/p>\n

He implored trusts to be hands on in order to generate more income and create jobs citing Lake Ngami Conservation Trust which had expanded to charcoal production.<\/p>\n

 Mokaila said communities should own lodges adding that Botswana Tourism Organisation and other departments could assist in that regard.<\/p>\n

?\u263a<\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Zimbabwe will attend an Elephant Summit, courtesy of the Botswana Government,  to discuss the adoption of a common position in the Southern African region, with to Botswana’s proposition to lift the ban on elephant hunting ahead of the CITES meting later this monththe The conference … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[81,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservation","category-wildlife"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/zimwonders.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/trophy-hunting.jpg?fit=1190%2C847&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paVs5M-bV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1179,"url":"https:\/\/zimwonders.co.zw\/index.php\/2019\/08\/03\/zimbabwe-embroiled-in-another-illegal-sale\/","url_meta":{"origin":739,"position":0},"title":"Zimbabwe Embroiled in Another 'Illegal' Sale","date":"August 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"THIRTY SEVEN wild-caught juvenile elephants are currently incarcerated near Hwange National Park pending a stalled export to zoos in China and Pakistan, according to Melissa Reitz of the South African-based Conservation Action Trust.\u00a0 This is in addition to the approximately 125 baby elephants Zimbabwe has sold to Asia since 2012,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "CONSERVATION"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/zimwonders.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/baby-elephants-1.jpg?fit=632%2C408&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1230,"url":"https:\/\/zimwonders.co.zw\/index.php\/2019\/08\/21\/to-trade-or-not-to-trade-wither-cop18\/","url_meta":{"origin":739,"position":1},"title":"To Trade or Not To Trade - Wither CoP18","date":"August 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"CONTRARY to what the governments of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe have suggested ahead of the 18th\u00a0Conference of the Parties to Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species on Wild Fauna and Flora\u00a0(CITES), poaching and ivory trafficking continue to pose a very real threat to elephant populations in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FEATURES"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/zimwonders.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/elef.jpg?fit=1200%2C490&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1035,"url":"https:\/\/zimwonders.co.zw\/index.php\/2019\/07\/08\/seven-elephants-found-dead\/","url_meta":{"origin":739,"position":2},"title":"Seven Elephants Found Dead","date":"July 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"IN a sad development, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) is investigating a suspected case of cyanide poisoning after seven elephant carcasses were reportedly found in an advanced state of decomposition in the Hwange National Park on Saturday. 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The elephant is loved, revered and respected by people and cultures around the world, yet we balance on the brink of seeing the last of this magnificent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "CONSERVATION"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/zimwonders.co.zw\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/baby-elephants.jpg?fit=634%2C421&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1009,"url":"https:\/\/zimwonders.co.zw\/index.php\/2019\/07\/04\/university-of-zimbabwe-premieres-anti-poaching-film\/","url_meta":{"origin":739,"position":4},"title":"University of Zimbabwe Premieres Anti-Poaching Film","date":"July 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) recently premi\u00e8red an African Wildlife Foundation film titled - Sides of a Horn - ,written and directed by Toby Wosskow, to raise awareness on the poaching crisis facing the African continent. The short film, released worldwide, is in Zulu language with English subtitles. 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