Conservancies in Garissa decry environmental degradation in refugee camps

Community wildlife conservancy groups in Garissa County want the government to address massive environmental degradation within the refugee camps and at various abandoned gypsum mining sites in the region.

Speaking during the World Tourism Day celebrations in Iftin Ward in Garissa township, Abdi Ahmed, the chairman of the Garissa County Ecotourism Conservancies Association, said wildlife conservation was under threat due to extensive destruction of habitat.

"For the past 30 years the refugees were using firewood as a source of fuel despite a call by the government and environmentalists on the need for the provision of an alternative source of fuel to the refugees to maintain the fragile ecosystem and conserve wildlife," he said.

He said unless efforts are made to restore all the degraded areas, wildlife is likely to migrate to unsafe areas.

He noted that gypsum mining in the area also massively contributed to environmental destruction, with a negative effect on wildlife conservation.

"Apart from backfilling the mining sites, the companies that were doing the exploration were supposed to be compelled to plant trees to restore the degraded land," he said.

Hassan Affey, the secretary of the conservancies association, also raised concerns about threats posed by human activities in the wildlife habitat.

He appealed to the government to enforce protection of the environment to boost wildlife conservation in the county.

County Director for Wildlife and Tourism Hut Rashid Hilowle, who was the chief guest, said a multi-sectoral environmental assessment conducted recently revealed that many mining sites were abandoned without backfilling, a situation that he said posed a threat to both humans and animals.

"We have identified the companies and we ordered them to do the backfilling of the open sites and they complied," he stated.

He said gypsum mining is currently banned but in the future, in case the ban is lifted, the department with the support of the Department of Environment and the National Environment Management Authority will make sure the companies adhere to the environmental safety standards.

He urged the conservation groups to remain committed to promoting wildlife conservation and tourism for economic growth and to bridge the cultural divide.

"Tourism has always been more than just travel and adventure. It is about learning from one another, appreciating our differences, and recognising that our world, though diverse, shares a common humanity," he said.

He said the sector has a promising future for the local community which recently increased the integration of livestock keeping and wildlife conservation.