Tanzania Starts Process to Establish Nyerere National Park in Selous

BY YESMAN ANTOH-

Proposed Nyerere National Park
Photo Credit: Thestar

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS- REPORTS FROM Tanzania has indicated that plans are far advanced to establish Nyerere National Park in the Selous Game Reserve, a UNESCO heritage site.

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Adolf Mkenda, said the ministry will officially table a resolution in the next Parliamentary session for the establishment of the Nyerere National Park in the Selous Game Reserve.

“The ministry will deploy a team of experts to the reserve to start the re-demarcation process upon the approval of the resolution,” Mkenda told a news conference in Morogoro region” the official added.

“Today we have a management meeting to discuss the proposed initiative. After tabling it in parliament, we hope the president will approve it as soon as possible so that we start the process.”

He said the re-demarcation process will be conducted in a scientific manner to ensure it did not impact wildlife populations in the reserve, adding that the creation of the new national park was intended to generate substantial income through tourism.

However, Mkenda did not specify the actual size of the reserve that will be used for the establishment of the proposed Nyerere National Park, insisting that the ministry will provide further details in the near future.

Last week, President John Magufuli ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to begin the process of splitting the Selous Game Reserve into two wildlife sanctuaries.

The game reserve, covering about 50,000 square kilometers, is one of Africa’s largest protected wildlife sanctuaries.

Speaking at the inauguration of the mega Rufiji hydropower project located in the Selous Game Reserve, Magufuli said he wanted more than half of the existing Selous Game Reserve to be demarcated into a national park to be named after the country’s founding president Julius Nyerere.

The remaining area will continue to be used as a hunting reserve, he said. The head of state said Tanzania had not benefited enough from tourist hunting activities in the Selous Game Reserve. Xinhua

BY YESMAN ANTOH, NEW AFRICA DAILY  NEWS, BUSINESS & POLITICS, GLOBAL CORRESPONDENT

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