Mweka celebrates 60 years with symposium

ARUSHA: TOURISM and conservation stakeholders have been urged to use the results of the various conservation as well as wildlife management research to improve sectors’ well-being.

The Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Mr Dunstan Kitandula said when opening the International Symposium on 60 years of Wildlife Conservation in Africa held in Moshi, Kilimanjaro that College of African Wildlife Management Mweka (CAWM Mweka) throughout the years has conducted various research that contributed greatly to the welfare of the country’s economy.

“The issue of conservation is very important for the national economy; you cannot talk about reliable electricity, productive agriculture without having well-protected water sources”, he said.

The CAWM-Mweka Rector Prof Jafari Kideghesho said has trained over 11,000 graduates from 28 African and 26 overseas countries in six decades and now is the center of excellence for wildlife training in Eastern and Southern Africa.

“These graduates have greatly contributed to the presence of various researchers in the field of conservation and wildlife management in and outside the country,” Prof Kideghesho said.

The students included those from Australia, the United Kingdom, Scandinavian countries, Asia, South Africa, West Africa and East Africa countries.

Earlier, the CAWM-Mweka Deputy Rector (Academic, Research and Consultancy) Prof Alex Kisingo said one of the achievements of the college was the discovery of a new type of pollinator bee Lasioglosum Meruraptor in Arumeru district in Arusha and a new type of a wild cat—African golden cat in Minziro Nature Forest Reserve, in Kagera.