A month after African Parks Network (APN) embarks on 18 million projects to manage Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve; Police in Kasungu have arrested two village headwomen together with 14 of their subjects for illegally setting in Kasungu National Park.
In a statement released yesterday, Kasungu police spokesperson Edwin Kaunda, said the suspects, Sauzade and Kachitchezo and other subjects, on Saturday last week were arrested inside Kasungu National Park by officers of the park who were on the patrol. “The two village heads are the one who allowed their subjects to enter into the park where they settled and started farming” leads the statement.
The two village heads and fourteen others will appear in court to answer the charges of entering into a protected area without permit, residing in the protected area without permit contrary to section 32(i) of the Park and Wildlife Act, conveying dangerous weapons into protected area contrary to section 35(e) of the said Act.
Government of Malawi recognizes the benefits of involving the public private sector in management of the protected areas since early 2000’s. It expects that partnering with private sector will bring investments that will resurrect the law enforcement capacity of the protect areas.
However, the tendency of breaking through protected areas without permit result to un-lawful acts like, poaching and illegal fishing, vandalizing boundary faces and human and animal conflict continues be a threat to livelihood. Therefore, government urges the public to be responsible in as far as managing wildlife is concerned
