Botswana’s director of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) has described as ‘misguided and misinformed’ a report by UK’s Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) condemning the government’s anti-rhino poaching efforts.
The document ‘The Rise of Rhinoceros Poaching in Botswana’ released earlier this year, says Botswana has been reluctant to work with other governments and civil society to address poaching. It says allegations of corruption have further called into question Botswana’s ability to protect its rhino population from poaching and illegal trade. But DWNP Director Dr. Kabelo Senyatso has called the document inaccurate and misleading.
“This is a misguided and misinformed position by Environmental Investigation Agency,” Senyatso says. “Botswana’s law enforcement agencies, under the ambits on the National Anti-poaching Strategy (NAPS), have a myriad of pro-active approaches, including intelligence-led strategic, operational and tactical interventions. As a sovereign state, we do not have to explain to EIA, a non-Botswana entity that has made no material inputs towards efforts to combat rhino poaching in Botswana, what the law enforcement strategies are. However, if EIA had at least enquired from the Government of Botswana on some of these interventions prior to writing the misinformed EIA submission, we may have given them the highlights.” He says it must be noted as a fact that the EIA had not contacted the DWNP as the coordinator of the National Anti-poaching Strategy and rhino conservation in Botswana prior to writing their submission to the CITES Standing Committee which, Senyatso says, explains why they would be unaware of some of the basic facts pertaining to what is being pro-actively done to combat rhino poaching in Botswana.
“Moreover, even after the CITES Standing Committee meeting, the EIA has still not even bothered to engage the Department of Wildlife and National Parks to solicit for any information that could help them better understand the situation on the ground. It has to be noted that EIA is a UK-based NGO which has no physical presence in Botswana, nor has it made any financial or logistical investment towards assisting the Department of Wildlife and National Parks and its partners to combat rhino poaching, and thus their true interests and intents need to be established.”
The DWNP Director also dismissed accusations that Botswana has been reluctant to work with other governments and civil society to address poaching.
“Botswana works exceptionally well with its immediate neighbors within the ambits of SADC, as well as at site-level through platforms such as provided by the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). Specifically for the KAZA TFCA processes, civil society participation is facilitated through a myriad of formal and informal platforms, including specialist Working Groups. Consequently, the claims that we are reluctant to work with others are baseless and unfounded”.
On the issue of corruption and ability to protect rhinos, Senyatso says as the DWNP they are unaware of any cases under investigations or in court, pertaining to corrupt practices linked to rhino poaching. He says Botswana has authorities to whom suspected corrupt individuals can be reported to, and so rather than make “baseless” claims, EIA should have approached the relevant agencies to report any individuals whom they know or suspect to be involved in corruption linked to rhino poaching.
The EIA document also claims that none of the actions taken by Botswana have effectively addressed the root causes of the rhino poaching problem, being organized crime and corruption. It says it is unclear what, if any, joint intelligence-led investigations Botswana has undertaken to dismantle the poaching and rhino horn trafficking syndicates responsible for the destruction of the Okavango Delta’s rhino population.
“Botswana’s law enforcement agencies do not owe EIA or any foreign-based NGO any explanation or update on any planned, ongoing or completed joint intelligence-led investigations relating to rhino horn trafficking,” DWNP Director says. “Instead, the key law enforcement agencies leading on the implementation of the National Anti-poaching Strategy, namely the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, the Botswana Police Service, Directorate on Intelligence and Security and Botswana Defence Force, report to appropriate Botswana authorities.”
