Chronicle Editor
Richard Muponde, Zimpapers Politics Hub
THE recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) and Defend, a wildlife conservation organisation, marks a significant milestone in the protection and conservation of Chizarira National Park and a boost to the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (Kaza TFCA).
This partnership, valued at US$3 million, is set to elevate the park’s profile on the tourism landscape, despite being Zimbabwe’s fourth-largest national park.
Chizarira National Park is situated atop the great Zambezi escarpment in the north western part of Zimbabwe overlooking the mighty Zambezi Valley and upper waters of Lake Kariba.
The park is well known for magnificent gorges, numerous natural springs and extended scenic landscape. As the fourth-largest national park in Zimbabwe, it covers 1 910 square kilometres and is home to several animal species including lion, leopard, buffalo and elephant; and a good mix of other animals such as the rare roan antelope, sable and klipspringer, among others.
Chizarira is also a bird watcher’s paradise and has over 360 species on its checklist. The rare Taita falcon and Angolan Pitta are often spotted roosting on the cliffs on its wild natural area with rocky landscapes.
The Park is dominated by Miombo woodland while lower lying areas are covered with mopane scrubland and Baobab. Chizarira National Park is an integral part of the Kaza TFCA, which spans across five countries in Southern Africa.
The park’s unique biodiversity and stunning natural beauty makes it a vital component of Zimbabwe and the region’s ecological heritage. In order to effectively protect Chizarira National Park, Zimbabwe through Zimparks can engage local populations in conservation efforts, providing economic benefits and incentives to discourage poaching and promote co-existence with wildlife.
They should also conduct training and employ community members as game scouts to partner with Zimparks rangers, fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility.
Human-wildlife conflict has been a scourge to all communities living close to national parks and measures to minimise conflicts, such as compensation schemes for crop damage and livestock losses should be implemented.
The park was proclaimed as a Reserve in 1958 and later gazetted as a National Park to give home to wildlife, which was displaced by the construction of Lake Kariba in the Zambezi Valley.
Speaking at the signing ceremony of the MoU recently, Zimparks director general, Dr Fulton Mangwanya said Chizarira National Park had the potential to become a leading example of conservation and tourism in the Sebungwe region and the Kaza-TFCA.
The Sebungwe region, which is 17 000 square kilometres in northern Zimbabwe is a vast, rugged landscape of great beauty, which forms the eastern most part of the Kaza TFCA. It encompasses an area south of Lake Kariba stretching over the four districts of Binga, Gokwe North, Nyaminyami and Kariba.
Dr Mangwanya said despite challenges such as habitat loss, poaching and human-wildlife conflict, there was optimism about the partnership’s ability to address these issues effectively.
“By combining our expertise and resources, we can enhance the conservation value of Chizarira while improving the livelihoods of neighbouring communities. Zimparks has a national obligation to contribute to the National Priority Areas of environmental protection, climate resilience and natural resource management, as well as key result areas in sustainable tourism development and environmental sustainability, as outlined in the Government’s National Development Strategy One(NDS 1-2021 to 2025) and the broader Vision to achieve a ‘Prosperous and Empowered Upper Middle-Income Society by 2030’,” he said.
Dr Mangwanya said such important partnerships are an answer to biodiversity threats and seek to ensure that humanity benefits equitably from the country’s rich biodiversity.
Defend executive director, Dr Niall McCann pointed to the high costs accompanying wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe due to growing animal populations and human-wildlife conflict.
He said in this regard, there was a need to have Conservation Trusts, which he said are important for wooing additional financial and hardware resources to support both wildlife protection and community well-being.
“Zimbabwe’s success in conserving its wildlife, with all of the ecosystem services and tourism benefits that flow from that, does bring increased management costs and increased human-wildlife conflict. Through the creation of conservation trusts, Zimbabwe has developed a model that is able to attract significant extra resources into conservation, extra resources that are required to protect the growing populations of animals and the communities that live alongside them,” Dr McCann said.
The MoU will be in effect for the next 20 years. A renowned journalist and co-owner of the Marketing and Sales Director of Africa Conservation Travel, an organisation with a focus on creating a greater connection between tourism, conservation and local communities, Ms Shelley Cox in her article in the recent edition of Nzira Travel Magazine said visiting Chizarira National Park has never been about seeing large herds of animals but about appreciating its pristine wilderness and biodiversity, savouring the epic landscapes and absorbing the incredible tranquillity which the park offers.
“Securing Chizarira National Park will ultimately preserve one of Zimbabwe’s last great wilderness areas and protect important populations of threatened species including elephant, lion, leopard and the rare Taita falcon. The result will be an increase of tourism to the area, generating funds for the park and providing livelihood opportunities for the surrounding communities,” said Ms Cox.
“Ultimately, the success of this project will mean it can continue to function as an important ecological linkage to other protected areas in the region and allow for the long term preservation of one of Southern Africa’s rapidly dwindling, truly wild and rugged habitats.”
Already, the European Union (EU)- funded project, “Strengthening Community Law Enforcement and Sustainable Livelihoods in Kaza TFCA has trained and equipped 39 community scouts to respond to illegal hunting and to carry out joint patrols with Zimparks rangers in the Park.
Through such initiatives on both sides of the Zambezi, Chizarira National Park and Sioma Ngwezi National Park in Zambia last year recorded zero poaching of elephants. This success is largely attributed to the participation of community game scouts in Government anti-poaching campaigns.
This initiative is part of several intertwined anti-poaching and community pride activities supported by various co-operating agencies such as the United States Agency for International Development Aid (USaid), German Development Bank (KfW), World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Peace Parks Foundation and the respective National Wildlife Departments.
The two partners, Zimparks and Defend, should raise awareness about Chizarira’s importance, promote tourism and invest in infrastructure and tourism facilities, creating jobs and economic opportunities for local communities.
Above all, this should be done through vigorous marketing and promotion to showcase the park’s unique features and experiences, targeting regional and international tourists. The integration of environmental education programmes, highlighting the value of conservation and sustainable livelihood is also of paramount importance.
Tourism has consistently contributed to Zimbabwe’s Gross Domestic Product, championing economic development in line with Vision 2030. By promoting sustainable conservation, Zimbabwe can diversify its economy and reduce dependence on traditional industries, fostering economic resilience.
This also creates employment opportunities which support local communities through tourism-related jobs and entrepreneurshi. The country should also enhance international reputation by showcasing Zimbabwe’s commitment to conservation and sustainable tourism.
The partnership between Zimparks and Defend marks a significant step towards protecting Chizarira National Park.
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