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MATSAPHA – Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati says this project is long over-due as the country is battling with wildlife crimes.

The minister, who was represented by the Principal Secretary (PS) in the ministry, Khangezile Mabuza, said this initiative was aimed at assisting government and the country’s two wildlife competent authorities; Big Game Parks and Eswatini National Trust Commission, in combating wildlife crime. He said wildlife crime was diverse, as it ranged from hunting elephants for ivory to smuggling endangered plant species.

Specifically, the minister said wildlife crimes ranked alongside drug smuggling, human trafficking and illegal arms trade, as one of the most lucrative activities funding organised crime and terrorism. He said it undermined legitimate activities such as eco-tourism or sustainable hunting, which provided long-term livelihoods and generated foreign exchange income to poor countries.

Statistics

At international level, the minister said wildlife crime involved violations of intergovernmental treaties such as the convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) as well as the convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which regulates exports and imports of wildlife. In that regard, he said they needed solutions and current approaches relied heavily on the supply side of wildlife crime, like poaching statistics.

However, the minister said a more holistic approach that addressed the economic and social factors aiding supply, along with consumer preferences in demand countries, would yield more effective responses. Therefore, he said it was their hope that the laboratory would provide more diverse data that would assist them to better understand the factors that drive people to participate in wildlife crime.

As a country, he said they had taken a leading role in Africa when it came to wildlife conservation and in that regard, the wildlife laboratory would cement their national action in domesticating all the global and regional agreements that they were party to. He said it was, therefore, critical that the mandate, skills and capacities of the laboratory matched the need in the field. “If it fails to identify the needs of the competent authorities, the laboratory will be unable to play the necessary complementary role in tackling wildlife crimes,” the minister said.

Conservation

Again, he said in the country, wildlife issues were taking centre stage. He said they have seen the country taking steps towards increasing the area under conservation to 10 per cent and with the proposed big five project, such a dream would come true.

Moreover, he said with the opening of the laboratory, they expected tangible scientific and forensic evidence that would strengthen wildlife cases, not only in the country, but even in neighbouring countries.

On another note, a moment of silence was observed for the late Hlane Game Reserve Chief Ranger, George Mbatha, and other rangers who died while fighting for wildlife conservation.

It was highlighted that Mbatha, who was shot dead in March 2023, while he was in his house situated at the game reserve, died at the age of 68, 35 of which he spent protecting wildlife. It was also said that he contributed immensely in the establishment of the EWILD Laboratory.