By Anne Robi, Tanzania Daily News via AllAfrica
Plans are underway by Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET), to train reporters on wildlife conservation in attempts to reach wider public through their media coverage.
That was said during a two-day Online training for Environmental Journalists in Dar es Salaam by JET Executive Director, John Chikomo, adding that the course will build their reporting skills, and capacity to investigative on matters of wildlife conservation and fight trafficking.
“JET has been providing wildlife trainings to journalists in the country, but this time we thought it good to provide the course to majority of the journalists, who would hail from all corners of country and help them improve in media coverage,” he said.
Mr Chikomo further said the course would be facilitated by Internews through Earth Journalism Media Network in a project, where the beneficiaries will have a chance to visit the country’s wildlife conservation areas for success stories’ writings.
He said Tanzania has several unique and well-known biodiversity hotspots, and hence, need well planned practice that would ensure the wild animals and their habitats’ protections.
“One way we can help protect our wildlife is to improve media coverage on conservations, wildlife trafficking and human-wildlife conflicts in our country,” he noted.
On his part, an expert on Biodiversity with the University of Dar es Salaam, Dr Elikana Kalumanga, said loss of habitat, poaching and wildlife crimes and climate change, among others continue to ruin the conservation of wildlife in the country.
During 2018/19 fiscal year, JET through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), conducted a series of trainings, which provided capacity building to the local journalists on how to professionally report environmental conservation and wildlife protection stories.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202005280825.html
