Vusumuzi Dube
Clementine Phulu, Sunday News Reporter
ZIMBABWE has made significant strides in the area of wildlife conservation through partnerships and collaboration that have seen a battle waged against poaching as well as human-wildlife conflicts, it has been noted.
Speaking to Sunday News ahead of the 3 March World Wildlife Day whose theme is “Partnerships for wildlife conservation,” the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) country director for Zimbabwe, Ms Alleta Nyahuye, said the day celebrated all wild animals and plants and the contribution they make to people’s lives and health of the planet.
She said the theme aims to encourage groups to work together in an effort to create and sustain healthy ecosystems, wildlife population and biodiversity.
“This year’s theme draws our attention to the power of partnerships and collaboration in conservation of treasured wildlife resources. These spaces are under threat from habitat fragmentation, wildlife crime and human-wildlife conflict among others.
“As an organisation, IFAW’s approach to partnerships reflects and addresses conservation challenges and focuses on fostering strong and close collaboration with the Government of Zimbabwe and agencies like ZimParks. Commemorating this event reminds us how wildlife is an important part of biodiversity — thousands of Zimbabweans depend on it for survival and tourism development,” she said.
Ms Nyahuye urged communities to take it upon themselves to safeguard wildlife for the benefit of current and future generations. As a way of commemorating the 2023 World Wildlife Day, IFAW in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will be hosting the fifth annual international youth art contest.
“The art contest focuses on species that have benefited from people working together to protect and conserve them. Open to artistes from the ages of four and 18 years old, entrants choose a species that has benefited from these partnerships, and then illustrate it as an individual animal or in its native habitat. Announcement of the winners will be made on World Wildlife Day,” she said.
Ms Nyahuye said IFAW was working with all partners in Zimbabwe and elsewhere to deliver impact for animals and people to thrive together.
She highlighted that all efforts were being expended in fighting biodiversity loss, wildlife crime, human-wildlife conflict and climate change which she said were among the most urgent risks threatening more animals and communities than ever before.
She reiterated that her organisation is committed to finding sustainable solutions to the threats posed to wildlife and people in collaboration with ZimParks and other conservation partners.
IFAW, she said, has introduced an initiative called “Room to Roam” that seeks to connect and secure habitats and create safe passages for animals to move more freely adding that Zimbabwe’s largest national park, the Hwange National Park is a key anchor landscape of the “Room to Roam”.
Their partnership with ZimParks has seen the construction of Makona Ranger Base Station in Hwange National Park to accommodate more than 25 rangers and their families as a way of minimising wildlife crime in Hwange.
“We are also looking forward to building upon the milestones of recent years to address key conservation challenges facing the Hwange-Matetsi-Zambezi landscape,” she said.
The country’s wildlife authority Zimparks has also partnered with numerous public and private players to ensure wildlife conservation efforts are achieved. One such partner is the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
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