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Zvamaida Murwira-Senior Reporter
The Parks and Wildlife Management Amendment Bill that seeks to create a fund to compensate victims of human wildlife conflict, ensure local communities have more involvement with their resources and to professionalise wildlife experts , has been tabled before Parliament for debate.
Conflicts between people and wildlife has been a thorny issue as it threatens both animals and forests which are a back-borne of the tourism industry and critical natural resources.
Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Sithembiso Nyoni tabled the Bill last week, where it was read for the first time before referring it to the Parliamentary Legal Committee to scrutinise and make sure it is consistent with the Constitution.
One of the key elements of the Bill is to establish a fund to pay compensation for those killed or maimed, and for property lost from human-wildlife conflict.
Clause nine of the Bill spells out the objective, source and disbursement modalities of the fund.
“There shall be established a Fund to be called the Human Wildlife Conflict Relief Fund (HWCRF) whose object shall be to offer some monetary relief to victims of human wildlife conflict, that is to say victims of any encounter with a wild animal resulting in the death of a victim, or his or her maiming (that is to say any permanent disablement of a bodily function) or any other physical injury to the victim,” reads the Bill.
“No person shall be entitled to monetary relief where they are injured, maimed or killed by a wild animal while illegally harvesting a wild animal or where they have negligently interfered with wild animals. Monetary relief shall be paid to the victim from the HWCRF upon a claim made in the prescribed manner by or on behalf of the victim no later than 12months after the encounter resulting in the death, maiming or injury in accordance with the prescribed scale for disbursements.”
The Bill stipulates that funds will be drawn from proceeds of the allocated hunting quota, and 0,5 percent human wildlife relief levy on revenue accruing to consumptive and non-consumptive tourism and wildlife based business and money that might be appropriated by Parliament.
“Not more than 30 percent of the income of funds in any financial year shall be expended on administrative expenses and on the remuneration and allowances of the members of the HWCRF or any employees of the Fund,” reads the Bill.
The clause spells out modalities of how to claim the money and that include an affidavit by those representing the victim, the medical report and the report by parks officer who investigated the case, a copy of the police incident report and the post mortem report in the case of death.
Clause three empowers communities adjacent to wildlife areas to be involved in conservation and other wildlife commercial activities in line with Government’s devolution policy with the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority charged with making sure communities are able to become involved.
“The first new section sets forth the general principles according to which this Act will be administered by the authority. Of particular note is the principle that enjoins the authority to devolve as much as possible the responsibility for wildlife conservation and management to local communities adjacent to areas of wildlife,” reads the Bill.
To build up self-regulation and ensure better and more responsible skilled people, there will be a Wildlife Professionals Council of Zimbabwe, a new professional body certifying professionals and being the disciplinary body for wildlife professionals.
It will represent their professional interests.
The Bill comes at a time when the world is facing a triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.
In international fora, international environmental law related to the conservation of wildlife resources and biodiversity in general has grown significantly.
This growth has resulted in several new international protocols regulating the interactions between humans and wildlife and using wildlife resources and other biodiversity elements.
The international protocols include the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES), the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Convention on Migratory Species among others to which Zimbabwe is a party to. The Parks and Wildlife Act was last amended more than a decade ago and since then, many changes have been witnessed in the political, social, economic, legal, technological, and environmental context thereby creating significant loopholes.
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