Musa Makina
A 2020 Tusk Wildlife Ranger of the year Amos Gwema has teamed up with various organisations including a Hwange based arts organisation to fight wildlife crime in the country’s national parks.
Gwema, 45 who made international news last year after winning the prestigious award said he mooted the idea to defend wildlife after realising that arts was a less utilised but effective tool in the battle against poaching.
He said he believes that instead of the use of militarised stance to protect the country’s endangered species, intelligence was the best tactic.
“I decided to dwell on communities, who are the people who stay with wildlife nearby. Poachers come from community and poachers sell the wildlife products in the community. Community harbours the poachers so to effectively fight the wildlife crime the community is the first line of defense.
“Hence I came out with a plan to involve Shangano Arts Trust so that they teach the community importance of wildlife protection through poetry and drama,” Gwema who is a principal investigation officer with the country’s wildlife authority told The Zambezi Times.
He added that it was sad that arts has an overlooked communication power.
“Arts is very effective because it provides entertainment while being entertained the community will be taught the dangers of committing wildlife crime with examples of people sent to prison even after engaging lawyers.”
The seasoned ranger however explained how he engaged a Hwange based arts outfit as he embarked on his journey to fight wild crime.
“The project began in December 2020 soon after I won the award. I engaged Shangano Wildlife Trust who were already in drama and poetry. Surprisingly, they were not doing wildlife poetry nor drama. I sat down with them and come up with a plan to do the wildlife drama titled Wildlife Conservation For You and Me. I paid for artists’ transport, food and other necessities for them to practice the drama. I also guided them on the content of the drama,” he said.
As part of the project, Gwema, who is based in the coal mining town is also working in collaboration with Tusk Conservation Trust an organisation based in the UK.
Gwema who is so proud of the award whose patron is Prince William the Duke of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
The award is sponsored by Nick Maughan Foundation and gives recognition to the men and women who work in the field to protect wildlife in Africa.
“I thought of doing such a project with the community and the aim is to do that all over Zimbabwe and in the KAZA region, Southern Africa, whole of Africa and throughout the whole world,” he further noted.
Currently, in his project the ranger has received support from the Zimparks, Bhejane Trust and IFAW among other stakeholders.
“I expect the project to bear fruits but appealing for support from other organisation and government to support the noble cause. I expect the project to bear fruits but appealing to government and other organisations to support the noble cause,” he said.
But above all, Gwema believs that the fight against wildlife crime needs four effective pillars of wildlife conservation which are community, intelligence, law and justice.”
Gwema who began his career as a police office has since joining the parks notched up over 290 convictions, a record for any ranger in the country, and recovered dozens of firearms, traps and cyanide.
