Maputo, 23 September (AIM) — The conflict between humans and wildlife, particularly in the inner districts of Gaza Province, is one of the main concerns presented by communities to elected members of the Parliament of the Gaza District.
This concern was stressed this Wednesday in the city of Xai-Xai, during the evaluation session of the working visit carried out by representatives in the 14 districts of the province, under the direction of the head of the delegation, Damião Seventine Massingue.
Throughout the parliamentary sessions, communities presented the challenges they face on a daily basis, with particular emphasis on conflicts resulting from the presence of wildlife approaching residential areas and agricultural production areas.
In response to this situation, the Gaza provincial government has assured that measures are under way to mitigate the consequences of the conflict and create conditions for safer coexistence between communities and animals.
Measures implemented include strengthening wildlife control and management teams in parks and their respective buffer zones. The government also highlights the opening, in partnership with other actors, of drillings for animal water supplies, in order to reduce their proximity to communities.
Another ongoing measure is to expand the field fence program to protect cultivated areas and reduce encounters between the population and wildlife.
” Peaceful coexistence is possible, and we are working to protect human lives, agricultural land and, at the same time, to preserve our wildlife, which is a treasure of Gaza,” said Alfeu Constantino Cuna, Governor of Gaza Province.
In addition to the human-wildlife conflict, MPs received concerns related to the health and education sectors.
In the area of health, the problems raised concerned hospital care and the availability of equipment, while in the education sector, communities drew attention to the pupil-teacher ratio and the situation of overtime.
The concerns raised during the visit should continue to be monitored by elected deputies of the Gaza constituency to ensure that the problems presented by the communities are taken into account by the relevant institutions.
At the end of the meeting, Damião Seventine Massingue found the answers obtained during the visit encouraging, highlighting the direct contact with the population and the openness shown by the provincial government.
” We returned encouraged, having heard the population directly, without intermediaries, and the provincial government was attentive and committed. We will continue to follow up on this issue in the Assembly of the Republic to ensure that these commitments are realized for the common good,” said Mr Massingue.
The visit to the province’s 14 districts allowed Members of Parliament to collect directly from the communities the main challenges affecting their living conditions, with the conflict between man and wildlife being particularly important.
(AIM)