Protecting An Industry By Protecting Our Wildlife
The link between a flourishing tourism industry and African wildlife diversity is unquestionable, especially in Zambia. Here our tourism industry is growing fast and is mainly wildlife based. About 80 percent of our tourism activities are linked with our country’s biodiversity within its broad wildlife estates. The industry also contributes significantly to Zambia’s reputation, employment levels and revenue.
Unfortunately, wildlife is under threat by poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Among other cases the most recent is a report in 2015 that noted poaching as a major threat to the Zambian Kafue Lechwe population which was declining at an alarming rate of 19 percent in 5 years.
The ‘This Is Not A Game’ team interviewed the Ministry of Tourism and Arts Public Relations Officer, Mr Sakabilo Kalembwe, on the topic to get a better understanding on what the Ministry’s mandate is on protecting wildlife and what Zambia would look like if we lost all our wildlife.
What is the ministry’s mandate on protecting wildlife?
Mr Kalembwe: With regards to wildlife, the Ministry has the Department of National Parks of Wildlife tasked specifically to look into wildlife conservation.
The Ministry is working to have Zambia as a tourism destination of choice among the top 5 in Africa by the year 2030. Wildlife plays a particularly important role in the growth of tourism hence the Ministry is going all the way to conserve wildlife.
How has the illegal bushmeat trade affected Zambia’s tourism industry?
Mr Kalembwe: First of all, we need to draw a line between illegal bushmeat and legal game meat. The difference is game meat is always legal and bushmeat is illegal. This problem has persisted because some people look at wildlife as a product meant for the pot, but its time Zambians changed their mindset. The Government, through its 7th National Development Plan, has prioritised the tourism pillar after agriculture in the diversification agenda. This is getting actualised.
What would it look like if our wildlife disappeared?
Mr Kalembwe: It is an unpleasant picture. Africa is the future today and you cannot talk about its beauty without the diverse wildlife. Zambia has unique species, such as the wattled crane, (Zambia has over 50 percent of them), the Shoebill in the Bangweulu flood plains, one of the most amazing bat migrations and the second largest wildebeest migration after the Serengeti.
Mr Kalembwe concluded the interview by sharing that he would ‘shudder’ and ‘drop tears’ if he had to grow up in a generation where wildlife was only seen in books, like the dinosaurs. He greatly emphasised that if we utilise the chance now, we can save our tourism industry – visit national parks, stop the consumption of illegal wildlife products like bushmeat and work together in doing so.
How You can support Tourism in Zambia
- Visit National parks; visit Liuwa National Park this year in November to witness the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa and the Kasanka National Park at the beginning of the rainy season to view the straw colourful fruit bat migration and support our tourism industry.
- Avoid illegal bushmeat and buy legal gamemeat form the Department of National and wildlife accredited suppliers listed on the This Is Not A Game Website