Community involvement vital in wildlife crimes fight

The Malawi Revenue Authority says communities surrounding nature reserves have an important role to play in the fight against wildlife crimes.

MRA’s Acting Commissioner for Customs and Excise, Mrs. Eleanor Chirwa, said this on Thursday, December 10, 2015 at the Institute of Tax Administration in Blantyre where she presented certificates 30 officers who attended a workshop on Combating Wildlife Crimes.

The officers were drawn from the Immigration Department, Financial Intelligence Unit, MRA and Anti-Corruption Bureau.

“My call is that all of the departments present here and other arms of Government should work together to mount coordinated operations against such crimes. This can also be done by getting communities around game reserves and borders to understand their roles. It is through such contact that people will attain positive ownership of the country’s wildlife and ably protect it from harm,” she said.

She urged the participants to value the knowledge gained from the workshop by protecting Malawi’s wildlife with vigour.

“We should bear in mind that Malawi belongs to us and our children. Any attack or attempt to do so on our wildlife is an attack on our society, and the generation to come. Therefore, officers should stand against these crimes at all times. We should not allow our precious flora and fauna to be depleted under our watch,” Mrs. Chirwa said.

She expressed gratitude to the UK Border Force and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in Malawi for the support rendered towards the workshop.

In her remarks, Senior Advisor for the Royal Society for Protection of Cruelty of Animals of United Kingdom, Donnamarie O’connell, made an assurance that the workshop is the beginning of an expected long term partnership with Malawi in the fight against wildlife crimes.

MRA is mandated to protect the society and the environment from harmful importation and exportations. For the past 2 years the Authority has played a huge in seizing and confiscating illegal items such as ivory.