The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia, has said that all park rangers in the country’s national parks across the country will be upgraded to the status of para-military forces.
The minister stated this while inaugurating of the Steering Committee on the Commercialisation of National Parks.
She explained that the establishment of the committee was an important milestone in the commercialisation process, which began over a decade ago when national parks were listed on Section 6 (Part1) of the Privatisation and Commercialisation Act 28 of 1999.
She urged the committee to work assiduously within the terms of reference which include “review and update any policies existing on forestry, wildlife and ecotourism; articulate fresh policies on the conservation and protection of national parks and the development of ecotourism in parks across the country; review and update the legal and regulatory frameworks governing the National parks services among others.
The minister noted that the membership spread across relevant government agencies, non-governmental organizations was deliberately designed with a view to articulating a commercialisation framework that would ensure active participation of communities’ stakeholders in the sustainable management of the parks.
The minister urged them to fashion out policies that would encourage biodiversity conservation which provides the main attraction in the national parks rather than concentrate all efforts on the commercialisation of the park.