The news that Gerald Musoni has oncemore taken up the position of Chief Investigations Officer with the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) lends encouragement for our efforts in combating elephant poaching - now running at epidemic levels. Perhaps he had something to do with the recent ivory bust in Nyimba involving the elder brother of the former Member of Parliament, Lloyd Grey.
Musomi was removed from ZAWA a few years ago, along with the present Director-General, Dr Lewis Saiwana (who went back to his farm for two years), by the hapless Hapenga Kabeta, the D-G at the time. As Saiwana represents about all of the institutional memory of ZAWA, and as Musomi was building up a reputation as a concerned and honest crime fighter, this was a grave error on Kabeta's part, as well as a severe misjudgement on the part of the ZAWA Board. Fortunately, the pair are oncemore united, reversing somewhat the recent spate of resignations and firings of senior personnel in the embattled organization. But they are going to need all the help they can get; time surely for the donors to fund the necessary technical supports for a much leaner and fully funded regulatory body. But this will require that Saiwana continue his innovative work in developing public private partnerships in the management of our National Parks - with Africa Parks leading the way, and that he address the very pressing problem of the poaching and fire situation within Game Management Areas by embracing the concept of land trusts in which the ownership of wildlife is held on behalf of the villagers. Ownership is the key here; without it the tragedy of the commons will continue.
I.P.A. Manning
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