A national park increases the pressure
Citation
CTA. 2001. A national park increases the pressure. Rural Radio Resource Pack 01/4. Wageningen, The Netherlands: CTA.
Permanent link to cite or share this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/57453
Abstract/Description
When a national park is created, the people who are forced to leave the area can increase the pressure on the surrounding communities. How can governments balance both the need for foreign exchange and environmental conservation, with the livelihood needs of the local people?
Notes
A national park increases the pressure
Cue:
The Nyika National Park in northern Malawi, is a high grassy plateau, home to zebra, eland, and even leopards. As well as having environmental importance, it also attracts tourists, and much needed foreign currency. However, when national parks such as Nyika are created, governments are faced with the problem of how to compensate and resettle the inhabitants of the area. Some off those living on the Nyika plateau moved to a nearby village, Chakaka, where they were given places to live and land to farm. However, this naturally put more pressure on the people of Chakaka, as Excello Zidana discovered, when he talked to the village chief.
IN: ?These people who were removed ??
OUT: ??place to do our farming.?
DUR?N 2?11?
BACK ANNOUNCEMENT:
Chief Chakaka, explaining why he has asked the government of Malawi to give his village some land from the Nyika National Park.
Transcript
Chakaka [Vernac.] These people who were removed from the park came here, and they said that they would be proceeding to the other areas. But unfortunately, they are still with us here at Chakaka. Now we are finding it tough to have land for cultivation, because these people are in our midst. And we are therefore asking the government to consider our problem, to at least give us a small portion of land for us to cultivate. Even if it could be two kilometres, that would be enough.
Zidana These people who were removed from the park, were they given anything as a token, or as a compensation?
Chakaka [Vernac.] Those people who had some goods like trees, coffee plants, they were given a small compensation, but they were not compensated for being removed from the park.
Zidana This national park plays an important role in our country. It helps in bringing in foreign exchange, that is when people come to see the beautiful animals like zebra and eland. Why should people around this park request the government to give them a piece of land from the same national park which plays the major role in bringing in the foreign exchange?
Chakaka [Vernac.] Indeed we know that the national park is really helping us, and we are also engaged in telling the people from our villages not to kill any animals from the national park, not to cut down trees. But at the same time, we are also aware that God gave us this land for us to stay on it, to use it. The government should consider our problem. We really need a place to do our farming. End of tape.
Subjects
ENVIRONMENT; NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT;Regions
AFRICACollections
- CTA Rural Radio [690]