NCAA EMPHASIZE CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO UPHOLDING HUMAN RIGHT IN SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION EFFORTS
By Our Correspondent.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) has reaffirmed its dedication to safeguarding human rights in the process of resettling residents from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and all areas under its jurisdiction.
This initiative aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those prioritizing community welfare, environmental sustainability, and climate change mitigation.
Speaking to our correspondent, Acting Public Relations Manager of the Authority, Mr. Hamis Dambaya, stated that the government's objective in resettling residents within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is to ensure these residents lead improved lives consistent with the SDGs while promoting sustainable conservation.
He highlighted that in areas where residents have voluntarily resettled, natural vegetation has started to regenerate, and the environmental condition is satisfactory.
He emphasized that the global community should recognize that residents are not being resettled to make way for tourism activities but rather to enhance conservation and provide residents with better and safer living conditions outside the conservation area.
"There is no basis for linking the voluntary resettlement of residents from the conservation area with tourism activities," he clarified, adding that Tanzania boasts numerous tourist attractions, not just Ngorongoro.
"What we are doing is preserving this area. Anyone who visits and observes the environmental degradation caused by increased human activities will agree with the government's good intentions," Mr. Dambaya said.
The Sustainable Development Goals involved in this initiative include Goal 1: No Poverty, Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being, Goal 13: Climate Action, and Goal 15: Life on Land.
Under Goal 1: No Poverty, the government aims to ensure that residents have access to better living conditions and opportunities to improve their socioeconomic status. By providing safer and improved living environments, the initiative seeks to elevate the overall quality of life for the residents.
Through Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being, the focus is on resettling residents to safer areas. This initiative is expected to control the risks posed by wildlife and environmental hazards, thereby improving overall health and well-being.
A primary objective of the resettlement plan is to ensure that residents live in secure and healthy conditions.
By resettling communities from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to safer environments, the initiative aims to mitigate the risks posed by wildlife and environmental hazards.
This not only enhances the residents' overall health and well-being but also fosters a sense of security and stability.
The resettlement effort is designed to provide improved living conditions, access to essential services, and a higher quality of life, thereby addressing fundamental human rights and promoting sustainable development.
Through Goal 13: Climate Action, the initiative focuses on enhancing conservation efforts to mitigate climate change. By preserving the natural habitat and reducing human environmental impact, the initiative supports broader efforts to combat climate change and its adverse effects.
Finally, Goal 15: Life on Land promotes the sustainable management of forests, combats desertification, and works to halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss. The resettlement initiative is integral to these efforts, as it helps restore and protect the conservation area's ecological balance.
Mr. Dambaya further highlighted that the population of people and livestock in the area has alarmingly increased. “If these residents and their livestock remain in the area, which spans only 8,292 square kilometers, without being educated to voluntarily resettle, there is a significant risk of the conservation area disappearing, affecting the ecosystem of the surrounding regions,” Dambaya insisted.
"Anyone with common sense, after calculating the population of 8,000 people in Ngorongoro in 1959 and 260,000 livestock, will not oppose this initiative to educate over 110,000 residents and more than 860,000 livestock in the same 8,292 square kilometer area to voluntarily resettle," Mr. Dambaya emphasized.
"Many of those opposing this initiative are not natives of Ngorongoro. You will find them dressed in traditional attire and going to various countries to seek funds and deceive the locals into opposing the government's voluntary resettlement plan," Mr. Dambaya asserted.
Mr. Dambaya urged some international media outlets to avoid falling into the trap set by certain activists. Instead, they should visit Ngorongoro to witness the reality and see how the resettlement process is being conducted with great eagerness, without any resident being arrested, coerced, or beaten, contrary to what some activists claim.
The Tanzanian government has decided to implement this initiative to fulfill various global resolutions on environmental conservation and human rights protection.
In this area, residents have been losing their lives due to injuries and attacks by wild animals. The execution of this initiative adheres to all legal principles, procedures, regulations, and the foundations of human rights and good governance.
