We hail Government’s assurance to traditional leaders that it will continue to involve them when relocating animals because they are chief heralds of sustainable growth.
This follows a controversy that raged over the relocation of animals from North Luangwa national Park without engaging the local leadership, a situation which angered Chief Mukungule of Mpika district.
Chief Mukungule said the Department of Wild life and National Parks should always engage the local traditional leadership and community whenever there was an exercise to relocate some animals.
Chief Mukungule said the trend of moving animals from North Luangwa national Park without the consent of the community was creating unnecessary speculations.
“I am not happy that Government has been moving animals from North Luangwa national Park without the community knowing,” Chief Mukungule said.
He said he had been receiving reports that animals are being moved from the national parks without the relevant local leadership’s consent.
“As a traditional leaders, I receive a lot of concerns from my subjects whenever animals are being moved from the national park and I am usually short of answers because the department does not inform us of its activities,” the traditional leader said.
But Tourism and Arts Minister Ronald Chitotela has directed the department of National Parks and Wildlife to always involve local leadership when relocating animals.
Mr Chitotela said relocation of animals was a necessary programme but it was important for the department to inform local leadership.
This is good because traditional leadership has been the basis of local government in most of Africa throughout history.
Traditional leaders are chief heralds of sustainable growth. Yet the role of traditional leadership in modern Africa, especially modern Zambian democracy is complex and multi-faceted which is why traditional leaders’ continued importance in the social and political life of their communities is virtually indisputable.
In many countries, they still play a major role in managing land tenure, local justice, property inheritance, and the implementation of customary law, as well as conflict resolution also continue to be important spheres of responsibility.
Thus, it is gratifying that government has directed the department of National Parks and Wildlife to always involve local leadership when relocating animals, to ensure they feel part of development and for avoidance of any speculations.
Of course we know that the Zambia Wildlife Act, Act No. 12 of 1998 vests the absolute ownership of every wild animal in the President on behalf of the Zambian people.
Only those animals that are lawfully captured or killed by licensees or are found resident on any land and the Minister gives, on advice of the Zambia Wildlife Authority, the right for those animals to be harvested can be said to be vested in the licensee or in the owner of such land respectively.
The withdraw of ownership rights and control over natural resources from traditional authorities and systems and vesting them in the State without total acquiesces by affected communities has created some level of confusion over the status of natural resource ownership and management.
This has been compounded by the lack of harmonization of policies governing natural resources at the local level by different line Ministries and by the absence of necessary legislation framework in some sectors like Fisheries and Forestry to accommodate community participation and revenue benefit sharing mechanisms.
In the Wildlife sector where community participation is legalised, a lack of over-all consultation between government and traditional leaders on one hand and transparency and accountability by community representatives on the other affect smooth operations of wildlife management.
It is imperative that workable traditional natural resources management systems are incorporated within workable modern and scientific management regimes under harmonized natural resources policies.
It is also cardinal that democratic and transparent community structures acceptable to both government and the broader and affected communities are put in place to ensure the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources at a community level.
