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15 March, 2008
African Parks started management of Nech Sar Park in 2004. There was very high pressure on the park. The major causes of pressure on the park were firewood for Arba Minch town, illegal fishing, illegal human settlement and cattle grazing inside the park.
African Parks consulted the government, especially the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples' Regional (SNNPR) government on the issues of the illegal settlement in the park.
"We recruited scouts to protect the park from poachers and wood cutters, illegal fishermen and grass collectors. That had greatly reduced the pressure on the park," said John Mark, country director of Africa Parks.
The main issues were the Guji communities who live in the park. As long as they stayed in the park, it was inconvenient for African Parks to manage the Nech Sar park.
"We waited two years for the government to deal with the settlement problems but the government did not do anything about it."
Therefore, African Parks decided to meet the Guji communities directly and negotiate with them. The government agreed with the idea of the Park negotiating with the settling communities.
"We managed to have an agreement with the Guji people by the end of September," John Mark said. The federal government requested a formal letter from the SNNPR government approving the negotiation between the Guji communities and Africa Parks. But the regional government would not approve the negotiation. That is the main reason why they are pulling out, said the manager of African Parks.
Since African Parks started managing the Nesh Sar Park, the number of tourists was doubling each year. It increased from 5300 tourists in 2005 to 20,500 in 2007. And 58 of the 86 scouts protecting the park were unemployed young men from the town of Arba Minch, recruited and paid by African Parks. The rest were supplied by the government.
African Parks is scheduled to hand over management of Nech Sar park to the government by June this year and pull out of Ethiopia.
Residents of Arba Minch and the association of fishermen said that would be affected by African Park's departure their lives. Hundreds of illegal fishermen have been working on Lake Abaya. The water recedes from the shore during the hot seasons and the volume has been diminishing in the last few years as tributary rivers were diverted for irrigation. One of the tributaries, the Kulfo River, is now just a dry bed of washed pebbles and boulders.
"There are over 3000 illegal fishermen working on Lake Abaya," said Abera Adnew, deputy manager of Arba Minch Fishermen Cooperatives.
Local farmers are planting bananas on the lake side where the water used to be but now has receded. As they turned the land to banana farm, they cut down the trees that were in the shallow water by the shore. The local people calls the tree. "soke". It is very light and soft wood that can be easily chopped into a stool and other simple furniture. The fish like to eat its soft, sweet roots, but now, Abera says, cattle are plucking it out of the ground.
"The lake was being overfished until African Parks came three years ago and began the protection of part of the lake from illegal fishermen," said Abera. And he fears that with the departure of African Parks, the souts they hired will quit and parts of the lake, hitherto protected will be invaded by illegal fisher men again.
The Arba Minch Fishermen Cooperative, a registered and tax-paying association, is now unable to fish on the part of the take closer to the town of Arba Minch. That part is controlled by the illegal fishermen who are hostile to anyone who would like to work there except themselves. So, the registered fishermen have to row for two hours to the other side of the lake for fishing or sail a motor boat which results in consumption of more oil than the association can afford.
"Our men spend a whole day once they set off upon their way to gather fish from nets cast on the other sidle of the lake"
Zaise, Umade, Ghenta and other fishing spots along the shore have fallen under the influence of the illegal fishermen. The association has recently received warnings from people on the eastern side of the lake because that part is in the Oromia region, said Abera.
The fishermen's association is licensed to work on Lake Chamo as well. But, there they are occasionally being attacked by the Guji pastoralists. "Every year two or three members of our association are killed while at work on Lake Chamo. We have reported this to the authorities, but we have received no help. We continue to work nonetheless, for we have no alternative work"
During the former regime, the association had rifles issued legally to it but were confiscated from it 16 years ago. Abera said that the assoiation had repeatedly asked for legal ownership of guns for protection of the lakeshore and members of the association during work on Lake Chamo.
However, as the authorities of the region had not responded to the request in either supplying arms or sending police force, the fishermen's association remains defenseless.
By Yelibenwork Ayele - Ethiopian Reporter
