Online Reporter
Walter Nyamukondiwa
Mashonaland West Bureau Chief
THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) is set to translocate buffaloes, eland and sable antelopes to Matusadona National Park from the adjacent Lake Kariba Recreational Park and Sibilobilo Safari Area.
Zimparks has so far issued permits to move 10 eland and 50 buffaloes from Tsetse Island in Lake Recreational Parks and 20 sable antelopes to Matusadona.
Other herbivores will also be sourced across the country. The authority is undertaking the translocation in partnership with the African Parks Network and The Matusadona Conservation Trust.
It is part of a comprehensive programme to restore biodiversity, enhance ecological resilience, and support sustainable natural resource management within Matusadona National Park (MNP) and the adjacent landscape.
Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said the move was meant to restore the ecosystem in Matusadona and the greater Sebungwe landscape.
“This strategic intervention aims to re-establish viable, self-sustaining herbivore populations, contributing to ecosystem restoration and the rewilding of Matusadona as part of the larger Sebungwe landscape,” he said.
“These efforts are underpinned by scientific ecological assessments to safeguard the health and sustainability of source populations.”
The programme will run over several years with other additional measures, including enhanced law enforcement, biodiversity monitoring, community development programmes and boosting anti-poaching measures, being implemented to strengthen conservation in the area.
“Such integrated approaches are essential to promoting co-existence and ensuring the long-term sustainability of conservation efforts,” said Mr Farawo.
Matusadona National Park is undergoing transformation with investment in infrastructure, ecological restoration, and stakeholder engagement, among others.
Zimparks and its partners, he said, would continue to pursue evidence-based conservation practices that uphold biodiversity integrity, ecosystem health, and community well-being for the benefit of present and future generations.
Peter Tanyanyiwa