Don’t snub chiefs, warns Minister

WE shall not work with Community-Based Natural Resources Managements that do not recognise and engage traditional leaders in areas where they operate, Minister of Tourism and Arts Ronald Chitotela has said. Mr Chitotela said it was unacceptable that owners of the villages were being sidelined by CBNRMs and environmentalists when in fact they were the ones who understood the real issues affecting the area. He said CBNRMs should endeavour to engage with traditional leaders and Government on behalf of the people to see how best they could manage the natural resources in the country. He was speaking at the opening of the third National Conference on Community Based natural resources management forum in Lusaka, Mr Chitotela said Government was very much committed in ensuring that there was a cordial working relationship between communities, private sector and Non-Government Organisations. Mr Chitotela said this could be alluded to Government reposition of the Zambia wildlife Authority (ZAWA). He said the transformation of ZAWA into a Government department was done to ensure effort and sustainable resource allocation and management of resource of wildlife resources. And Government has been urged to increase funding allocation to the natural resources management sector for it to have enough resources to fulfil its mandate. In a joint meeting, National Community-Based Natural Resources Management chairperson Rodgers Lubilo and his counterpart president of the Zambia Community Based Natural Resource Management Felix Shanungu said there was a need for more effective and efficient in the community resources for the sector’s potential to be realised.