POACHING IN ETHIOPIA DECLINES BUT CHALLENGES REMAIN
(Posted 05th January 2018)
EWCA’s Directors Timer Girma – EWCA standing for the Ethiopian Wildlife Development and Conservation Authority – has stated that poaching has been declining across the country’s protected areas though challenges remain. In particular poaching of elephants in his words requires a more sustained effort and stricter measures in regard of enforcement but also surveillance and intelligence gathering.
Towards that end has EWCA sought cooperation with other state security organs like police and other law enforcement agencies while recruiting local scouts with area specific knowledge to come on board and join the anti poaching fight.
Ethiopia present has five national parks but in addition to that a wide range of historic sites, monuments and spectacular scenery which could potentially make it a leading tourism destination in Africa, more so given the standing of Ethiopian Airlines and the numbers of passengers they fly through Addis Ababa.
A Kenyan tour operator with business links to Ethiopia said that the country needs to introduce Visa on Arrival similar to what Kenya has done while the airline needs to open up all tickets for a potential stayover in Addis without added cost, in order to more fully tap into the tourism potential.
