IT may not surprise many people that the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) has finally been consigned to Zambia’s historical records.
In the face of some long-running controversies, the phasing out of this important body is likely to be welcomed with less whimpers than some people may expect.
There is a good reason for this. The turmoil that characterised the management of ZAWA for many years sounded the death knell for this Government unit that had an important mandate but clearly veered off course.
ZAWA has for long been plagued by mischief of unnerving proportions, and its scandal-ridden image became a source of deep concern for all Zambians.
Tourism and Arts Minister Jean Kapata said yesterday that ZAWA would now exist as a department in her ministry.

. Kapata

Ms Kapata told Parliament that the decision to do away with the Authority was necessitated by the numerous problems it was facing, which even resulted in workers going for months without salaries.
This bold step suggests that Government has not met its expectations on the management and conservation of Zambia’s wildlife through the now dismantled body.
ZAWA was a corporate body established by the Act of Parliament, Zambia Wildlife Act No. 12 of 1998.
The transforming of the National Parks and Wildlife Services Department into ZAWA was meant to re-orient the new wildlife authority towards revamping the country’s wildlife sector.
ZAWA was mandated under the Act to manage and conserve Zambia’s wildlife, which covers 31 per cent of the country’s land mass.
It was tasked to integrate the wildlife policy with economic, environmental and social policies to ensure effective contribution to sustainable national development.
Zambia’s tourism is nature based and the majority of the country’s biodiversity is contained within this extensive wildlife estate, which accounts for about 80 per cent of tourism activities.
The wildlife estate comprising 20 national parks, 36 game management areas and one bird sanctuary is the main tourism product after the Victoria Falls.
ZAWA was also supposed to help improve the quality of life among communities and the maintenance of sustainable biodiversity.
It had the responsibility to promote integrated and participatory approaches to wildlife resource management to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
Alas. In recent years ZAWA gained prominence for committing transgressions against the people and the wildlife.
If the news surrounding the authority was not on nepotism or related vices, it would be on illegal granting of hunting licences. This is what led to the dismissal of senior officials in 2012.
The dubious dealings in the awarding of tenders and other illicit practices have had serious ramifications for the authority, and a step had to be taken to stop the mess.
What should offer relief to ZAWA employees is that there will be no jobs lost during these reforms.
The ministry will redeploy the workers to the agency that will be created to look into the affairs of wildlife and the game parks. Those who will opt to leave will receive their terminal benefits.
Against such a backdrop, the abolition of ZAWA should be viewed positively.