Thousands of fishermen in Itezhi-Tezhi District, Southern Province, have staged a protest over the limited issuance of park entry permits for fishing in Kafue National Park. The fishermen argue that the 1,600 permits provided by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, in collaboration with African Parks, are insufficient to meet the community’s needs. This situation, they claim, has driven some individuals to resort to illegal fishing, leading to the arrest of 440 people so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mutaipi Kaumba, Chairperson of the Itezhi-Tezhi Fishermen Association, has called on the government to intervene urgently. Kaumba expressed frustration with the lack of response from relevant authorities despite repeated requests to increase the number of permits. He highlighted the adverse impact this has had on local livelihoods, stressing the need for immediate action to prevent further arrests and illegal activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Itezhi-Tezhi Ward Councilor Gertrude Sosopi has advised all parties to engage in constructive dialogue. She emphasized that a collaborative approach is key to resolving the conflict and ensuring that both conservation efforts and the livelihoods of the fishermen are protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ongoing tension between conservation policies and local livelihoods underscores the delicate balance required to manage natural resources like Kafue National Park sustainably while supporting local communities. The fishermen are hopeful that their concerns will soon be addressed through increased permit allocations or alternative solutions that benefit both conservation and local economic needs
By Helga Chibwe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thousands of fishermen in Itezhi-Tezhi District, Southern Province, have staged a protest over the limited issuance of park entry permits for fishing in Kafue National Park. The fishermen argue that the 1,600 permits provided by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, in collaboration with African Parks, are insufficient to meet the community’s needs. This …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n