3 March 2008
Maputo — Mozambican Agriculture Minister Soares Nhaca announced in Maputo on Monday the launching of a wildlife census, to start in June.
The project was designed by the government, in cooperation with international consultants. The idea is to know the available potential in terms of the number of animals of each species, the density of their population, and their distribution across the country, to allow better planning and strategies for conservation areas, and for community management of wildlife.
Nhaca explained that the main objective of the census is to obtain information that will allow the government to take control measures aimed at reducing conflicts between humans and wild animals.
He added that such conflicts have been worsening recently, in competition for space, food, and water.
"The worst aspects of this conflict are the loss of human lives and large amounts of crops and domestic animals", said Nhaca. He noted that some wild animals, of considerable economic value to the country, have to be slaughtered to defend human lives and property.
Nhaca stressed that the government has been seeking solutions to ensure that while all animals that cause problems to people are killed, the country can also derive economic, social and ecological benefits from its wildlife.
So far, the government has up-to-date information about wildlife in only a few parts of the country - namely the Maputo and Niassa reserves, the Gorongosa national Park, and the Tchuma Tchato Community Area, in Tete province. These areas will thus not be included in the census, the final report from which is to be published before the end of this year.
The report will include mapping of the wildlife, the number of existing animals of each species, the migration of large mammals, and the mapping of areas where people live.
Because of the shortage of financial and material resources, the study will be based on samples of data collected in certain areas to estimate the number of animals in other areas with similar characteristics.
A four people research team will use a plane to overfly various parts of the country for three months to collect data.
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