KASANE, Botswana, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Environment ministers from southern African nations on Monday called for concerted regional efforts in managing the elephant species on Monday.
The meeting, a precursor to the May 7 summit, was held in Kasane, northern Botswana, and attended by ministers from Angola, the host Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The summit is expected to generate a better understanding of elephant management and associated challenges as well as come up with measures to address the challenges.
It is expected that the summit will agree on actions and effective trans-boundary initiatives that will address the challenges faced in the management of elephants.
Addressing the meeting on May 6, Botswana's Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism Minister, Kitso Mokaila said the region has the majority of the world's elephant population.
Botswana's elephant population has increased from an estimated 55,000 in 1991 to the current 160,000.
"This increase has brought associated challenges and one major challenge that is haunting us is that of human-elephant conflict," he said.
While the elephant range is increasing over the years, the demand for agricultural land is equally increasing and has resulted in growing competition between people and wildlife for living space, he said.
"In the process people lose lives, crops and agricultural infrastructure and this tends to reverse the government's efforts in improving the livelihoods of our communities," he said.
"It would be a failure on governments' part if the state of affairs is not addressed," said Mokaila.
The increase in the number of elephants has also resulted in poaching and it is a considered view that local communities should be engaged to close the loopholes for poaching, which is a threat to successful conservation, said Mokaila.
"The region should speak with one voice when it comes to regional elephants in order to curb hostility from the international community at the upcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference of parties," he said.
"We as a region, have become victims of our own success and this calls for concerted efforts in order for us to make head way and we call upon the international community to respect our community-rooted approaches," he said.
