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Nature crimes in Africa? Partners’ engagement is solution

IN MAY this year, President Samia Suluhu Hassan launched the National Clean Cooking Energy strategy targeting among others
THE ‘Africa Resilience Dialogue’ participants at Ilazo tree planting field

TANZANIA: IN MAY this year, President Samia Suluhu Hassan launched the National Clean Cooking Energy strategy targeting among others, at-least 80 per cent of Tanzanian population to be using clean cooking energy by 2034. Right!

She called on the private sector to massively invest in, as apart from lowering costs, the strategy to enhance the fight of nature crimes that attract climate change impacts, mostly through random tree-cutting.

In a quick analysis, the available data shows that about 469,000 hectares of forests in Tanzania are being destroyed every year. Why? for firewood and charcoal.

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To save the situation, some local Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), including Tanzania Women in Mining and Mineral Industry (TWiMMI) support the government’s fight against this nature crime that in a way promotes especially reforestation.

Through its 2023-2026 Green Flames-Clean Energy, Health Environment programme, TWiMMI deals with among others, offering gas cylinders to various women entrepreneurship groups, as alternative cooking energy that discourages firewood and charcoal use.

Among the beneficiaries are those on value chain addition in the mining sector, be it food vendors or miners, affirmed the TWiMMI Chairperson, Ms Palina Ninje, adding that: “So far, nearly 200 gas cylinders have been already distributed to some women in some areas in the Southern regions, particularly Somanga, Lindi, Ruangwa and Liwale Districts.

“We are supporting President Samia’s champion of clean cooking energy and environment preservation. We also rescue the women from possible health conditions like cancer and tuberculosis, resulting from frequent use of firewood at home.”

The programme targets at least 2,000 women, said Ms Ninje, while encouraging the youth to take up space in the conversations, especially on matters of clean energy, critical minerals and be part of the just transition.

She further stressed that: “we serve various women groups like women miners,  women in the mineral value addition chain, in mineral trading, in mining professions as well as youth mentorship.

“We encourage women and youths to participate in the mineral value chain, take advantage of the current local content regulations and government readiness to support women and youth in the sector.”

In the intervention list, there is also the Population and Development Initiative (PDI) that fights the nature crimes in Kigoma region, especially by conducting public education to the villagers surrounding forest reserves.

The step came in after another local NGO-Tanzania Wote Equality Alliance (TAWEA) and International Peace Information Centre conducted ‘Sauti za Tanzania’ research in 2019 in Makere, Kagerankanda and Mvinza villages, targeting to promote land rights and good relations between citizens and authorities over nature resilience, intervened.

In particular, the PDI Director, Mr Alpha Ntayomba said: “Sauti za Tanzania’ results showed mass forests’ destruction, poor people’s participation on environmental preservation and long-term land conflicts due to lack of forests’ boundaries.

“The villagers depended much on natural forests to have firewood and charcoal. We since then collaborate with authorities for endless public awareness campaigns. Tree planting is always a priority.”

In practice, the government and NGOs combined efforts towards nature resilience have been attracting some African countries to come to Tanzania, for experience sharing.

For example, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique and Zambia made it through the recent ‘Africa Resilience Dialogue’ practical experience share. It was organised by Africa Resilience Fund, PDI and TWiMMI, in Dodoma, gathering nearly 25 participants.

Commenting, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Center for Zero Waste and Development in Africa (CZWDA) in Zambia, Mr Billy Lombe, commended Tanzania for the NGOs’ engagement in nature resilience.

Basing on PDI and TWiMMI success stories, the CEO became impressed by how the NGOs organise the communities to fight nature crimes.

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According to his observation, African countries have something to learn from Tanzania provided that the continent shares common nature crimes, like illegal logging and mining.

Public awareness campaign should remain a priority, to help people be aware of nature crimes impacts and possible mitigations.

Perpetrators should also be financially and technologically empowered, for alternative economic activities while also adhering to existing environmental conservation laws.

“It is obvious that they seek daily breads to sustain their families. They have right to benefit from natural resources but at the same time open doors for next generation, in terms of environment sustainability,” he recommended.

The CZWDA is headquartered in Serenje District where it has planned to implement a project on nature crimes. Its location in Serenje enables comprehensive understanding of local issues impacting both the communities in Serenje and Chitambo Districts.

CZWDA has recently secured a grant from Resilience Fund to implement a nature crime project called “Uku Chingilila Impanga”, in English means ‘Protecting the Forest’.

‘Uku Chingilila Impanga’ will effectively address and stop future organised crime activities in illegal logging and also build capacity of the district based oversight institutions such as the Police, Wildlife authorities, District Development coordinating committees and ward and area development committees to the key undertaking.

It will also raise awareness and build community resiliency to deal with organised crime and protect local forest from deforestation and environmental degradation.

“In this regard, the project will work with mostly affected or vulnerable communities, government departments, and local authorities to ensure this trend is dealt with immediately,” he told the Daily News.

For his part, the Uganda-based Ocean One Social Research Centre (OSRC) Programmes Manager, Mr Ismael Ocen, praised the way Tanzanian communities are empowered, especially women who are more affected by environmental crimes.

He observed that the government supports miners and respect their rights, while affirming that Tanzania and Uganda share similar forms of nature crimes, mostly land conversion.

Consequently, OSRC conducts baseline survey to ascertain magnitude of the problem, while also building capacity and skills on how to use human rights approaches to apprehend the perpetrators, hence, making community more resilient.

The OSRC makes it through its July, 2024 to April, 2025 ‘Documenting human right as an approach for prevention, detection, suppression, and recovery of Indigenous nomadic pastoralist women, men and children affected by illegal mining and land conversion in Nabilatuk District’ project.

The project targets to directly benefitting 120 women, 100 men, 100 youth (girls 60 boys 40), 50 elderly, and 10 disabled, with indirect beneficiaries being 1,330.

He stressed that the project involves baseline and analysis to identify key challenges and opportunities in using human right approach, as well as key stakeholders’ engagement to foster collaboration and dialogue with them, including District local, political leadership , Police, Army , pro-bono lawyers, civil society organisations, to build consensus and garner support.

“The project is at 10 per cent and has strengthened community that is able to document, monitor the negative effects of illegal mining and land conversion using human right approach holding the perpetrators accountable.

Gracing the event, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Minerals, Mr  Msafiri Mbibo, on behalf of his Minister  said that the government recognises the partners’ contribution to nature resilience, especially capacity building to communities over the matter.

The Dialogue participants also conducted a tree planting exercise at Ilazo area in Dodoma, to practically show what nature resilience really means.