The Ministry of Regional Administration and Local Government is not aware that the 2,228.36 square kilometre Lwafi Game Reserve in Rukwa Region is understaffed.

The game reserve has only six game wardens who patrol the forest on foot because they have neither a bicycle nor patrol vehicles.

The area is also a haven of poachers, mostly refugees and others who come directly from the DRC and Burundi, who use heavy military weapons to kill wild animals with impunity.

Deputy Minister for Regional Administration and Local Government Celina Kombani told The Guardian over the weekend that although her ministry was responsible for employing district council staff, the problem of shortage of employees at the Lwafi had not been communicated to the government.

Recently, this paper reported that Lwafi Game Reserve in Nkasi District was protected by only six poorly equipped wardens, too small a number to run such a big area.

But Kombani said over the weekend that it all depended on the district council`s priority, and on the problems they were facing.

``If they think lack of staff in the reserve is a priority, they should forward their request to the ministry and we shall work on it,`` she said.

She said Nkasi District Council had full autonomy to employ any number of field staff provided they informed the relevant ministry.

An officer with Nkasi District Council told this paper over the weekend that they had tried to announce job vacancies in various fields--wildlife, forestry and fisheries--but nobody had applied. Nkasi District is one of the peripheral areas in Tanzania.

``We announced vacancies in the forestry sector three times but nobody applied until the permit was cancelled in 2003-2004,`` said the officer.

The officer blamed the government for not giving priority to understaffed sectors such as the wildlife department.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has admitted that Lwafi Game Reserve is a potential area that has been recommended to be placed under the central government.

Recently, a Nkasi District senior officer told this paper that the district had set aside about 55m/- for operations and patrol activities at the reserve.

He said that so far, wildlife protection was not a priority for the district authorities at the moment, that is why no budget had been set aside for that purpose.

``We think if it all works well at some stage, we shall have at least two game wardens in each ward surrounding the reserve and in areas that are prone to poaching,`` the officer said.

The understaffing of game parks and reserves is said to have been worsened by implementation of the 1996 wage bill recommended to the government by the International Monetary Fund.

The paper has learned that the retrenchment of civil servants in the national parks and game reserves belonging to both the local and central governments ?when applying the IMF proposal-- has greatly affected the wildlife sector.

The six ill-equipped game wardens who guard the 2,228.36-square kilometre Lwafi Game Reserve are forced to walk long-distances to monitor security.

An on-the-spot survey by The Guardian established that the warders are working under extremely difficult conditions to protect the treasured wildlife, and are now losing hope because transport woes had remained unresolved for over six years.

This happens when refugees from camps in neigbouring Mpanda District use heavy military weapons to poach with impunity and kill wild animals in scandalous numbers at Ugala Game Reserve and Katavi National Park. These can also reach Lwafi Game Reserve easily.

Other poachers come directly from the DRC and Burundi. It is alleged that some of the proceeds of illegal hunting are used by the foreign poachers to fund political party activities back home.

Reports from Mpanda say poachers are mainly from Katumba and Mishamu refugee camps. These can still reach Lwafi Game Reserve with ease.

The Lwafi Game Reserve, established in 1993, is increasingly becoming vulnerable to clever and highly-equipped poachers.

http://www.ippmedia.com/ipp/guardian/2008/01/21/106734.html