Online Reporter
LAST year, Zimbabwe secured a major victory at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Conference of the Parties (CoP20) after successfully pushing for the easing of restrictions on the country to trade certain elephant products. The development marked a significant milestone for the country in its long-standing campaign to manage its elephant population through sustainable trade. The Sunday Mail interviewed Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Evelyn Ndlovu, on this development.
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Q: Zimbabwe has secured a rare diplomatic victory at CITES CoP20. How exactly does Government plan to translate the eased ivory and elephant-hide restrictions into tangible conservation and community benefits, rather than simply unlocking revenue?
A: Before COP 20 adopted this historic decision, Zimbabwe could not export finished products from elephants.
This was unjustified as all other Southern African countries were allowed to export elephant leather, except for Zimbabwe.
This decision unlocks new opportunities, and Zimbabwe is now allowed to sell, for commercial purposes, value-added products derived from elephant natural mortality, problem animal control, or elephant herd management.
Export of elephant leather products will go a long way in meeting the National Development Strategy 2’s objective of revitalising the leather and footwear industry as a key driver of value addition, employment creation and export diversification.
NDS 2 aims to transform the country from an exporter of raw hides and skins into a competitive producer and exporter of high-quality leather products, hence the addition of value-added elephant leather product to the portfolio of exports are welcome.
NDS 2 intends to increase the proportion of processed leather from below 10 percent in 2024 to at least 60 percent by 2030.
The expected resumption of leather exports is also in line with the Zimbabwe Leather Sector Strategy (2021–2030) of transforming the industry from raw material export to high-value finished elephant leather products.
Zimbabwe is now able to process and export ivory carvings.
The country also does have a sizeable number of trophy dealers hence they are now in a position to export.
Government will soon carry out stakeholder consultations in order to develop regulations on export of value-added elephant leather products with the objective of protecting and expanding the local leather industry. This will be done through prohibiting or restricting export of raw hides and skins.
With respect to ivory, CoP 20 adopted a recommendation for the establishment of an Intersessional Working Group that would consider disposal of ivory stockpiles through commercial or non-commercial means.
Zimbabwe will actively participate in the negotiations on ivory disposals. We look forward to unlocking significant value as Zimbabwe holds nearly 200 tonnes of ivory worth millions of dollars. We look forward to the participation on local communities in the export of both leather products and ivory carvings directly or as retailers. Local authorities, through the hugely successful Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) will also see an increase in their revenue base due to growth of the leather and ivory carving business.
Q: Given that the country holds ivory and rhino stockpiles valued at over US$600 million, what mechanisms are being put in place to ensure transparent trade, prevent leakages, and reassure international partners that proceeds will directly support conservation?
A: Zimbabwe has a robust legal and policy framework that spans across the entire ivory value chain, including secure transportation. The country has a secure physical storage facility with traceable procedural safeguards. With respect to CITES regulations, Zimbabwe is in Category 1, which means our laws comply with CITES provisions.
All ivory, either stored dead specimens, including parts and derivatives, held by public or private entities is recorded in terms of CITES regulations. Specimens in museums scientific and educational institutions, held as personal or household effects as well as seized or confiscated specimens are all recorded to ensure that such specimens do not enter illegal markets.
Movement of all elephants’ specimens is regulated through our very efficient permits and licence system.
In terms of Zimbabwean laws, the owner of the ivory remains the primary beneficiary of proceeds from trade.
Q: Communities living alongside elephants continue to suffer livestock losses, crop destruction and occasional fatalities. How will the CITES outcome reshape Government’s long-term approach to human-wildlife conflict, particularly in high-risk districts?
A: Zimbabwe recently gazetted its Parks and Wildlife Act, to align our laws to the changing wildlife conservation environment. One prominent feature in the Act is the establishment of the Human Wildlife Conflict Fund established assist victims of human-wildlife conflict. Government has adopted a whole-of-society approach in addressing human-wildlife conflict and is now seized with mobilisation of resources for the fund. Wildlife problems are interlinked, hence cannot addressed separately. For example, the overabundant elephant population in Zimbabwe — that is over 91 000 animals against a carrying capacity of 45 000 — is a significant cause of the rising human-elephant conflict incidences. The Government will export some animals upon request and is exploring game meat production as available options to bring down the wildlife populations.
This is in addition to already existing efforts such as community-based conservation education and capacity building of local authorities and communities in dealing with dangerous animals.
Government will continue to ensure that communities benefit from ongoing CAMPFIRE projects.
Communities are also being capacitated to establish Community Conservancies to enable such communities to enter into the wildlife production business.
Q: Zimbabwe’s push to establish a CITES Advisory Sub-Committee for People Living Alongside Wildlife was rejected. What is Government’s new strategy to ensure rural communities, who bear the costs of conservation, gain formal representation at future global negotiations?
A: It is true that Zimbabwe proposed to establish an Advisory Sub-Committee for People Living Alongside Wild Species of Fauna and Flora (PLFF). Although the proposal was rejected, it is however important to note that Zimbabwe successfully put on the CITES agenda a discussion on the establishment of a Permanent Forum for People Living Alongside Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (PLFF), hence ensuring further negotiations during the intersessional period.
The issue remains alive because Zimbabwe was invited to present a revised proposal on a Permanent Forum for People Living Alongside Wild Species of Fauna and Flora to the 81st meeting of the CITES Standing Committee.
This is a modest step towards elevating community concerns at future CoPs. This initiative aims to give communities bearing the costs of coexisting with wildlife a formal voice to influence CITES decision-making processes. Zimbabwe appreciates that the Convention recognises that peoples and States are and should be the best protectors of their own wild fauna and flora and that the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples respectively affirm that indigenous peoples “have the right to participate in decision making in matters which would affect their rights” and that “ways and means of ensuring participation of indigenous peoples on issues affecting them shall be established”.
Zimbabwe requested two things, namely, the establishment of a Permanent Forum on Indigenous People and Local Communities (IP&LC) and in particular, People Living Alongside Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and secondly, the establishment of a Voluntary Fund for PLFF participation in the Permanent Forum as a way of allowing full and effective participation of the same.
Zimbabwe still believes that this is consistent with CITES’s core mandate of ensuring that trade remains legal, sustainable and traceable by empowering these communities.
Q: Mining activities, particularly illegal operations, have severely degraded rivers and dams in some areas. What concrete reclamation programme is the Ministry rolling out to restore water bodies?
A: Illegal mining has severely degraded rivers and dams.
The Ministry is rolling out a reclamation programme focused on stabilising riverbanks, reforestation, and sediment removal.
This ties directly into our biodiversity-economy model post-CoP20, where restored water bodies will support eco-tourism, fisheries, and clean water supply.
In short, we are repairing damage while turning water bodies into engines of sustainable development.
Q: Can you please give us an update on what the Ministry has done so far to deal with water pollution inside Lake Chivero.
A: On Lake Chivero, the Ministry has piloted bioremediation trials that showed positive results in improving water quality.
We are now scaling up these efforts across larger sections of the lake. But let me emphasise: the real solution lies in tackling the root causes of pollution from greater Harare.
That requires broader collaboration with local authorities, industry, and communities to improve waste management and wastewater treatment. Bioremediation helps, but addressing pollution at source is the only way to secure Lake Chivero’s future.
