http://allafrica.com/stories/201501290412.html



Tanzania: Hunting Blocks Ownership to End in 2018

By Christopher Majaliwa


Dodoma — PRIVATE ownership of hunting blocks ends in 2018 after which the government will conduct an extensive assessment on the future use of all the blocks in the country.

Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Mahmoud Mgimwa, told the National Assembly that the assessment will help in deciding which blocks should continue to be used for hunting and which should be used for other tourist purposes.

He was responding to a question by Mbogwe Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Manyanda Maselle (CCM), who wanted the government to transform Kigosi Mnyovosi Game Reserve in Shinyanga Region into one of the country's tourist attractions.

The MP also wanted to know when the Mbogwe District Council would start getting 25 per cent of revenues generated from hunting activities in the game reserve.

Responding to the question, Mr Mgimwa said that the game reserve is for tourism hunting activities and there are about eight blocks, but ownership of hunting blocks ends in 2018 and the government will reassess all blocks.

"After this period, we are going to carry out very extensive assessment on all hunting blocks at the end of the day, this assessment will help us allocate some blocks for hunting and others for tourism," he noted.

He said the government and other stakeholders will continue with efforts of improving tourism infrastructure, including accommodation for tourists, water and roads getting into the game reserves; including the Moyowosi-Kigosi Game Reserve.

Mgimwa said for the 2014/2015 fiscal year, the ministry has rehabilitated excavator and improved the 50-kilometre road to the game reserve.

"In the next fiscal year, we are planning to rehabilitate 100-kilometre road so that to make all roads getting into the reserve passable throughout the year," the minister said.

For his part, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, revealed that the Tanzania Wildlife Authority (Tawa) is to start its full operation next month.

Tawa will be tasked with a number of obligations, including reshaping wildlife management and conservation.

"The task of changing ownership of tourism hunting blocks is to be carried-out by Tawa, which has been given a mandate to change policy and the use of the country's game reserves," the minister said.

Mr Nyalandu was responding to a supplementary question by Mr Maselle (CCM), who wanted to know the government's plan to change all game reserves into other uses.

He told the house that the authority is also set to change all protected areas as it is for the 4,000-square kilometre Selous Game Reserve, which will be reserved for photographic tourism.

Lovely........ :roll eyes:

Brett

quote:

He told the house that the authority is also set to change all protected areas as it is for the 4,000-square kilometre Selous Game Reserve, which will be reserved for photographic tourism.

WOW ....lots of space to set up Photo Camps ! Millions of Tourists are on the way.

quote:

Originally posted by mboga biga bwana:
WOW ....lots of space to set up Photo Camps ! Millions of Tourists are on the way.

The world seems to be studiously ignoring the (re)proposed Steigler's Dam Project but if it happens (and I reckon there's a good chance it will), a large part of the SGR will be completely rubber ducked anyway.

Is the plan to make the entire Selous a photo area? The problem with photo safaris is that tourists want to "shoot" the big five as quickly as possible. Best place to do that is in existing parks.

http://www.theeastafrican.co.k...2wdb8bz/-/index.html



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$9.41m grant to aid study on Selous park


By HELLEN NACHILONGO

Posted Saturday, January 17 2015 at 15:09





Tanzania is to receive an €8 million ($9.41 million) grant from Germany to carry out a strategic environmental impact assessment in the Selous Game Reserve. This follows a declaration from the World Heritage Committee that the park is in danger of widespread poaching that is decimating wildlife populations.

“The process of signing the grant has started; probably before the end of January or February, the funds will be in,” said Benson Kibonde, the chief warden at Selous Game Reserve.

The impact assessment project is expected to take off immediately after the money is received. It aims at ensuring that the environment and other sustainable aspects of the reserve are considered in policy, planning and programme-making.

“The assessment study will among other things determine the impact of human activities on the reserve and whether it houses other minerals apart from uranium, oil and gases,” said Mr Kibonde.



Mr Kibonde said it was important for the country to carry out the strategic environmental impact assessment before it entered into any mining development agreements with investors because “they might discover other minerals in the process of exploring, and it would not be good to be taken by surprise.”

The Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in the world, covering a total area of 55,000 square kilometres. It was listed as being in danger from poaching at a meeting of the Unesco World Heritage Committee in Doha in June last year.

Until recently, the reserve was relatively undisturbed by humans. Now a plan is in the works to build a hydroelectric dam on the Rufiji River. Elephant poaching has also become so rampant in recent years that the Environmental Investigation Agency has referred to the reserve as one of the worst elephant “killing fields” in Africa.

The reserve hosts one of the most significant concentrations of elephant, black rhinoceros, cheetah, giraffe, hippopotamus and crocodiles. It also has a high variety of habitats including Miombo woodlands, open grasslands, riverine forests and swamps.

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
http://www.theeastafrican.co.k...2wdb8bz/-/index.html



HomeNews
NEWS

$9.41m grant to aid study on Selous park


By HELLEN NACHILONGO

Posted Saturday, January 17 2015 at 15:09





Tanzania is to receive an €8 million ($9.41 million) grant from Germany to carry out a strategic environmental impact assessment in the Selous Game Reserve. This follows a declaration from the World Heritage Committee that the park is in danger of widespread poaching that is decimating wildlife populations.

“The process of signing the grant has started; probably before the end of January or February, the funds will be in,” said Benson Kibonde, the chief warden at Selous Game Reserve.

The impact assessment project is expected to take off immediately after the money is received. It aims at ensuring that the environment and other sustainable aspects of the reserve are considered in policy, planning and programme-making.

“The assessment study will among other things determine the impact of human activities on the reserve and whether it houses other minerals apart from uranium, oil and gases,” said Mr Kibonde.



Mr Kibonde said it was important for the country to carry out the strategic environmental impact assessment before it entered into any mining development agreements with investors because “they might discover other minerals in the process of exploring, and it would not be good to be taken by surprise.”

The Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in the world, covering a total area of 55,000 square kilometres. It was listed as being in danger from poaching at a meeting of the Unesco World Heritage Committee in Doha in June last year.

Until recently, the reserve was relatively undisturbed by humans. Now a plan is in the works to build a hydroelectric dam on the Rufiji River. Elephant poaching has also become so rampant in recent years that the Environmental Investigation Agency has referred to the reserve as one of the worst elephant “killing fields” in Africa.

The reserve hosts one of the most significant concentrations of elephant, black rhinoceros, cheetah, giraffe, hippopotamus and crocodiles. It also has a high variety of habitats including Miombo woodlands, open grasslands, riverine forests and swamps.

Anyone else suspects all this to do with future mining in the Selous??

Why does anyone need spend any money to see the impact of poaching in the Selous??

It has been well know for bloody donkey's years, and the government did absolutely nothing to stop it.

Yep, money talks, bullshit walks
I shake my head and wonder what's wrong with people

[quote
]Anyone else suspects all this to do with future mining in the Selous??Why does anyone need spend any money to see the impact of poaching in the Selous??It has been well know for bloody donkey's years, and the government did absolutely nothing to stop it.
[/quote]

Its certainly not for investigating future photographic camps. It would be a logistic and financial nightmare for the Government to put in the required road network for starters!!!

quote:

Originally posted by mboga biga bwana:

quote:

He told the house that the authority is also set to change all protected areas as it is for the 4,000-square kilometre Selous Game Reserve, which will be reserved for photographic tourism.

WOW ....lots of space to set up Photo Camps ! Millions of Tourists are on the way.

Yeah they will be spilling over from Zambia.

guys, as usual, this is another example of bad reporting and translation...To be fair on the poor reporter, it ain't easy understanding and quoting politicians

The Selous is not 4000 sqkm in size...... that's roughly only the non-hunting zones.

http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=76872


Tanzania Wildlife Authority has mandate to change policies, use of game reserves - Nyalandu



BY LUSEKELO PHILEMON



30th January 2015



Natural Resources and Tourism minister, Lazaro Nyalandu has told the National Assembly that the Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA) will be fully operational sometime this February and will have mandate to change policies and use of the country’s game reserves.

He explained that TAWA will have widespread responsibilities and mandate that covers the reshaping of wildlife management and conservation in Tanzania.

He said TAWA will also handle ownership change for tourism hunting blocks citing that ‘TAWA has the mandate to change policies and use of the country’s game reserves.’

In a related development during the same parliamentary session, the government also announced plans to review rental contracts for all hunting blocks in the country, retaining some and seeking alternative uses for the rest.

The plans were aired by Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mahmoud Hassan Mgimwa as he responded to a suggestion by Mbogwe MP, Manyanda Maselle (CCM) for the government to stop hunting activities at the Kigosi-Mnyovosi Game Reserve in Shinyanga and to instead use it for other tourism activities.

Speaking during the question and answer morning session in Parliament, Deputy Minister Mgimwa said other than changing activities at Kigosi-Mnyovosi Game Reserve, the Mbogwe District Council should also get 25 per cent of revenue generated from the current hunting activities at the game reserve.

Deputy Minister Mgimwa explained that there are a total of eight game reserves used for hunting tourism activities in the country.
He said ownership of the country’s hunting blocks is expected to end by 2018 and at which point then the government will carry out extensive assessments of all hunting blocks.

“Some will remain for hunting but others will be used for other activities connected with tourism,” he told the House in agreement with the MP’s suggestion.

“The government, in collaboration with other players, will continue with its efforts to improve tourism infrastructure,” he went on to say and cited target areas to include accommodation for tourists, water supply and roads.

Mgimwa also took the time to point out that for the 2014/2015 fiscal year, the ministry repaired the 50-kilometer road leading to the game reserve.
“In the next fiscal year, we plan to rehabilitate 100 kilometers of roads and make all that lead to the reserves the reserves passable throughout the year,” he added.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

I wonder if tourist guides will carry guns for poaching deterrent and DG deterrent?
How does that work? What if they have to shoot at poacher or kill DG?
Poor tourists, already feel sorry for them. NOT!!!

The end of this chapter is near... There will always be hunting in Africa, but the pages are turning quickly for this region...

Ed