Three Eswatini chiefdoms overcome rivalry to preserve indigenous forest
Al Jazeera
Illegal poaching of wildlife and plants in Jilobi Forest threatens the biodiversity hotspot in the Southern African kingdom.
Lubombo, Eswatini – In the heart of the Jilobi Forest, a biodiversity hotspot in Eswatini’s eastern region of Lubombo, the three chiefdoms inhabiting the territory had longstanding disputes, and tensions used to run high.
But recently, an urge to preserve their shared land has caused them to retire their rivalry.
“There were disputes over boundary lines and resources management that strained relations and hindered peaceful coexistence,” said Muzi Maziya, a 32-year-old from the Lukhetseni constituency, one of the chiefdoms in the remote area of the country formerly known as Swaziland.
“Most of the disputes resulted in illegal activities like wood-cutting and livestock theft by outsiders and people from the communities who took advantage of the polarisation.”
The rivalries, which date back to the 1980s among the chiefdoms of Maphungwane, Tikhuba and Lukhetseni, posed a grave threat to the diversity of the Jilobi Forest, according to environmentalists.
