Isazi samasiko se-UNESCO uDamir Dijakovic uthe inqubo yokuqoka imvamisa ithatha iminyaka emibili nokuthi isicelo se-Okavango Delta sisendleleni.
Ithimba lengcwethi zenhlanganiso yeInternational Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) likhangelelwe ukuvakatshela kweleBotswana ngenyanga ezayo njengengxenye yohlelo lokuhlola ukuqokwa kwe-Okavango Delta ukuthi ihlonitshwe njengeNdawo yeGugu lomhlaba wonke. Lokhu kuvele emhlanganweni wabezindaba omayelana neWorld Heritage Convention kanye nokuqokwa kwe-Okavango Delta obubanjelwe eMaun. Ongoti bazotheleka eBotswana mhla zili-13 kuMfumfu.
U-Dijakovic waphawula ukuthi okunye okucatshangelwayo okubalulekile ekufakweni kuhlu kufaka phakathi ubuqotho obuphathelene nezindaba eziphathelene nokuvikelwa, ukuhlonzwa okucacile kwemingcele, ukuphathwa kwesayithi, ukubandakanyeka komphakathi kanye nezinsongo ezingase zibe khona kusayithi. Wenze isibonelo sesizinda esisanda kufakwa ohlwini lwamagugu omhlaba iNamib Sand Sea eseNamibia, esiqinisekise ukuthi imiphakathi evele ihlala khona nemfuyo yayo iyaqhubeka nokuthola amalungelo nezinsiza zomhlaba. UKgosi Oleyo Ledimo, owamukele abaphatheke kumhlangano lo, ubakhumbuze ukuthi izakhamizi zeNgamiland kumele zibongwe ngokulondoloza indawo ehlanzekileyo egameni laBatswana. “Sisebenze kanzima ukonga i-delta futhi sibambisene neminyango efanele ukuqinisekisa ukuthi ukufakwa ohlwini kuyafezeka,” usho kanje, wengeza ngokuthi lo mfula ubalulekile emnothweni wendawo njengoba imiphakathi iziphilisa ngokudoba. nezinye izinsiza zemvelo.
Isemina yezwa ukuthi eminye imisebenzi yentuthuko ayihambisani nokufakwa kuhlu kwesizinda futhi lokhu kuhlanganisa amabhizinisi ezokuvakasha angalawuleki futhi angagadiwe aholela ekuminyaniseni kanye nezimayini ngaphakathi kwesizinda sendawo kanye nezindawo ezivikelekile. Maqondana nokuthuthukiswa kwezokuvakasha, umqulu wokuqokwa kweBotswana uphakamisa ukuthi kube nemibhede eyi-1,300 noma engama-700 endaweni ewumgogodla, kanye nemibhede engama-24 yendawo yokuhlala. Ngokusobala ekuthuthukisweni kwezimayini, ukufakwa kuhlu kuqeda ngempumelelo noma yimiphi imisebenzi yokufuna izimayini kuyo yonke indawo esohlwini.
Ngesikhathi ethula inkulumo yakhe, umnakekeli oyinhloko eMnyangweni Wezigcinimagugu Kazwelonke Nezikhumbuzo (DNMM), u-Gertrude Matswiri, waphawula ukuthi inhloso isiyonke ukuthi “ngeke kube “namalayisensi okubheka kanye/noma okumba akhishwe ngaphakathi komfula kanye ne-panhandle. Awekho amalayisensi amasha okuhlola kanye/noma okumba akhishwa endaweni eyi-15km ye-delta kanye ne-panhandle.”
Amalayisense akhona akhathazayo ngokombono wokongiwa kwemvelo kuzofanele ahoxiswe uhulumeni ngokushesha nje lapho ehoxiswa umnikazi welayisensi wamanje, wengeza. Kusenjalo, indawo yaseBotswana okuwukuphela kwayo eyiGugu Lomhlaba, iTsodilo Hills kubikwa ukuthi ithuthuka kahle, ibhalisela izivakashi ezicela ku-20 000 ngonyaka, ikakhulukazi ngemuva kokujova ngesihle uxhaso oludingeka kakhulu lwe-P10 million oluphuma ku-Debswana-run Diamond Trust. I-Tsodilo Community Initiative ifike ngesikhathi uNkulunkulu ethumela lo mphakathi wabantu abangu-200, ongakufanelekeli ukuthuthukiswa kwengqalasizinda kahulumeni njengesigodi. Lolu hlelo seluyakwazi ukwenza imali ngemali yokungena, isitolo semisebenzi yezandla kanye nendawo yokukhempa. Kumbiwe ama-boreholes amabili ukuze umphakathi uphelele - sekuhlanganiswe amanzi endaweni futhi iningi lezakhamizi lisebenza kulo msebenzi. UMatsweri udalule ukuthi kunezinhlelo zokwakha izindlu zokulala ezimbili eduze kwalesi siza, kanye nokubhoboza enye indawo yokuphuzisa imfuyo yezakhamizi. I-Tsodilo, okungenye yezindawo eziphambili kakhulu zobuciko be-rock e-Afrika enezithombe ezingaphezu kwezi-4 500 kusukela phakathi kuka-850 AD no-1100 AD yamenyezelwa njengesikhumbuzo Sikazwelonke ngo-1927 kanye NeNdawo Yamagugu Omhlaba ngo-2001. Enye ingcebo entshonalanga Ngamiland, Gwxihaba Hills, kwaba futhi yamemezela Isikhumbuzo Sikazwelonke ngo-2006.
LOKHO ONGAKUTHATHE KULESI SIHLOKO:
- “We have worked hard to conserve the delta and we have been co-operative with relevant departments to ensure that the listing comes into reality,” he said, adding that the delta is vital to the local economy as the communities make a living through fishing and other natural resources.
- A team of experts from the International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) are scheduled to visit Botswana next month as part of an assessment exercise towards the proposed nomination of the Okavango Delta for being declared a World Heritage Site.
- The seminar heard though that some development activities are incompatible with the listing of a site and this includes uncontrolled and unmonitored tourism ventures leading to overcrowding as well as mining within the site’s core and buffer zones.
