Khetha – THE POWER OF CHOICE

It all starts with a choice in the name. Khetha, this native word, became an action to save African wildlife from extinction. Saving the animals in the name of tourism, which would bring profits to men and women who would have a horizon of their own choice. Backwards.

The memory of the days of war against wild animals that fuelled poaching, the third most lucrative activity in the world behind the illegal sale of drugs and arms, is still present. Rhino and elephant populations were reduced to the brink of extinction. Between 2008 and 2018, Mozambique and South Africa lost more than 7,000 rhinos. Five elephants were slaughtered every day in 2014 on the savannahs of Mozambique. And the numbers have risen over time fuelling the dream of easy wealth, which has also left many families without their parents.

The situation needed to be changed. To bring the whole ecosystem back to life by increasing black and white rhino populations and maintaining elephant growth rates. These objectives are being pursued in various geographies: Gaza and Maputo, including Limpopo National Park, the emerging Great Libombos Conservation Area and the proposed Maungwe Conservation Area adjacent to Gonarezhou National Park in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

Reversing the big picture of trafficking has required more concerted and robust action, such as criminalising poaching, but also education campaigns from an early age to encourage future guardians. And some progress is already being made.

The river yields to the weight of the hippos. The ground shakes with the choreography of the buffalo herd. Elephants perform a trunk ballet to reach the highest branches. The giraffe’s neck makes its way to the sky. The fleeting shapes of impalas and waterbucks test our retinas. Birds tear through the air and dye the sky new colours.

Khetha, this native word, became an action to save African wildlife from extinction.

Now that life is being born from the womb of the forest, and new landscapes are being announced, Marcelino Foloma, the director who took on the Khetha programme as staff and was responsible for the pact of trust with the community, has the feeling of having done his duty. With more than 30 years of experience in the field, he knows that the programme’s gains would only be possible with the community. “The communities are the first guardians of the reserves and parks,” says Marcelino Foloma.

And the joy is expressed in the smile on the face of a community that realises that wildlife tourism generates the 20% that can decide the application.

Edição 85 NOV/DEZ| Download.