TNRF IN THE 57TH GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL FUND COUNCIL MEETING
gef.jpg
Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF) a national Catalytic organization for Indigenous Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) Tanzania is participating to the 57th Global Environmental Facility (GEF) council meeting which started on Monday of the 16th December 2019 and expects to end on 19th December 2019.
On day one of the meeting, the council had consultation with civil society representatives, hearing their perception towards combating illegal wildlife trade. CSOs representatives came from China, India, Nepal, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Burundi, Kenya, Namibia, Panama, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago.
Two roundtable meetings were held; the role of communities in the management of conservation areas and in law enforcement; and the benefits of a wildlife economy for the local communities. Several CSO representatives shared successful experiences helping rural communities co-exist with wildlife and helping governments improve monitoring in and around protected areas. TNRF shared recommendations that came from CBRNM forum participants, held recently in Tanzania on 13th Dec 2019 whose focus was on engaging communities in tackling Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT).
TNRFs perspective; It is high time to recognize community efforts in conservation. By setting aside land for conservation it shows that they are willing and ready. However if economic benefits are not felt at an individual household level, poaching will never go down.
We cannot keep on telling the community to invest in bee keeping, tree planting etc while they have immediate need for food, clothing, school fees for their kids and medical.
GEF should go beyond this if at all we really want to addressing poaching and combating illegal wildlife trade. Communities have to be part of the process.
The Civil Society Consultation was held just ahead of the 57th GEF Council Meeting in Washington, and was organized in collaboration with the GEF-CSO Network, the GEF Small Grants Programme, the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group, and the GEF-funded Global Wildlife Program led by the World Bank.
The Global Environment Facility is one of the largest public funders in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade. It has allocated $168 million over its new funding cycle - known as GEF-7 - for work in this area, up from $131 million over the previous four year period.
CLICK HERE For daily update of the 57th GEF council meeting.