The Citizen Bureau Chief

Arusha. Indiscriminate killing of animals has to be stopped in order to sustain national parks and their ecosystems, the director general of the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) Allan Kijazi said here at the weekend.

Tanapa and other conservation authorities also addressed the conflicts between the management of the protected areas and the surrounding villages, which were now a major concern in many parts of the country.

“We are living in conflict with the villages. We are also facing ecological problems in the protected areas,” he said when addressing workers of the conservation agency to usher in the New Year.

He challenged officials responsible for ecology and the parks management in Tanapa, which manages 15 national parks across the country, to lay down strategies that would address the main challenges threatening the protected areas.

“The major task ahead of us is to stop poaching and address the crisis between us and the surrounding communities,” he further said as he introduced the newly-appointed director of Conservation and Ecology Martin Loiboki.

Mr Loiboki landed the crucial job after more than 20 years working with Tanapa, a government institution with its head office in Arusha, most of the time as the chief park wardens for various parks across the country.

The Tanapa boss admitted, however, that there were other issues which would have to be worked out by the management in order to motivate its staff for the monumental tasks ahead, including fighting poachers.

He challenged the management to improve the working environment for workers of the conservation body to make it more conducive. He directed the officials of the human resources department to consider increasing renumerations for workers.

Also introduced during the party at an Arusha entertainment joint was the new director of Human Resources and Administration, Ms Witness Shoo, who pledged to put in place a better working scheme for the employees.

Remarks by Mr Kijazi on the worsening poaching situation came only days after tourism sector stakeholders in Arusha raised concern on the eve of the New Year, saying if not addressed urgently, it could dent the lucrative economic sector.

Serengeti, the most visited national park in Tanzania, is said to be infested with notorious and wanton killers of animals, including the endangered rhinos which were relocated there in recent years from South Africa.