Harare — Zimbabwe needs a holistic approach to solving problems affecting the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority if the country is to end rhino poaching, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has said.

During a meeting with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species secretary-general Mr Willem Wijnstekers at his offices in Harare yesterday, PM Tsvangirai said the international community should capacitate Zimbabwe to fully deal with poaching.

"As you have seen, the commitment is there but we have logistical problems.

"We are concerned with the deterioration of the National Parks but this is because of the circumstances the country is in.

"We will agree to a situation where Cites can second a officer to work with the National Parks in developing a roadmap on what needs to be done so that we are all moving in the right direction.

"Why don't we explore that so that the basic infrastructure is put in place? We will co-operate with the convention to ensure that Zimbabwe gets the best out of its natural resources," he said.

He urged the visiting Cites secretariat to go out and publicise the good things that Zimbabwe was doing.

PM Tsvangirai said owners of some private conservancies were behind negative poaching reports.

"There are a number of conservancies that are doing well. Have you met Wilfried Pabst? That man is overzealous. Did he justify his continued existence in that area?" he asked.

Pabst owns a wildlife conservancy in the Save area and has written many reports about poaching in Zimbabwe.

He is believed to be behind a campaign to vilify Zimbabwe's commercial wildlife sector.

Addressing a Press conference at the end of his visit, Mr Wijnstekers said: "We came to look and see for ourselves and talk to the responsible agencies on increasing reports of rhino poaching in the country.

"This is a regional problem. We have detailed information that the problem is a result of lack of capacity and resources. We hope to do our best to explain Zimbabwe's problem at next Cites meeting.

"We are not worried with who is behind it (the poaching) but that the rhino is being poached. We acknowledge that the police are doing something about the poaching."

In the morning, the team met Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and Attorney-General Mr Johannes Tomana.

Minister Mnangagwa said his ministry's role in protection of wildlife was only supportive and on a request from the Parks Authority and Natural Resources Ministry. He brushed off Internet reports linking him to poaching syndicates.

Mr Tomana said his office had established a section to deal with poaching and other wildlife issues.

Parks director-general Dr Morris Mutsambiwa said sanctions were weakening Zimbabwe's wildlife protection programmes.

"We used to be the best in wildlife protection but the sanctions have hit us hard.

"The authority is using only US$10 to protect a square metre of wildlife area compared to South Africa that was using US$3 000 over the same area per month," he said.