PICTURE: Tourists love to view wildlife in its natural environment.
WILDLIFE conservation is the focal driver of our tourism. Tourism is one the major contributors to Zimbabwe’s economy. In 2014, tourism contributed US$1, 44 billion which is 10.4% of the Gross Domestic Product. It generated 181,000 jobs directly which is 3.1% of total employment.
Tourists are much interested in the unique part of each culture. Zimbabwe has a unique culture of preserving wildlife. It is the pride that we have in wildlife conservation that keeps the world headlining Zimbabwe.
Many foreign tourists prefer to spend vacation in a country which has a culture of conserving wildlife in its natural environment. Does Zimbabwe have such concrete policies that support wildlife conservation?
Conservation policies
The country has been implementing conservation basing on two solid policies.
The first one is the concept of sustainable utilisation of natural resources. This model of conservation is implemented from community to national level. It gave a nod to commissioning of game reserves and parks, safari and sanctuary areas.
Hwange, Gonarezhou, Matusadona, Mana Pools, and Zambezi are managed by government through ZimParks (Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Authority) whereas Malilangwe, Save Valley, Bubi River, Bubiana and Chiredzi River are some of the privately owned nature reserves.
The second policy is ensuring partnership between the government and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisations). Zimbabwe has an open course of action on NGOs who have an interest in funding wildlife management programmes on non-profit making basis.
ZimParks signed a 14 million dollar ten year agreement with Frankfurt Zoological Society to do capacity building in Gonarezhou National Park. The deal has seen the establishment of a safari camp at Chipinda Pools in the park, provision of maintenance machinery and marketing of Chilojo Cliffs, among others.
African Wildlife Foundation has been funding the protection of rhinoceros in Save Valley Conservancy, elephant conservation in Zambezi and leopard conservation in Limpopo. WWF (World Wildlife Fund for Nature) is supporting elephant and rhino conservation in the country.
Such partnerships are keeping our wildlife preservation culture alive. In turn, tourism is propelled to greater heights since tourists have plenty to see in our game reserves.
Protection and management
Implementation of the concept of sustainable utilisation of natural resources resulted in abundance of endangered species. Animals like elephants, lions, African Painted Dogs, pythons and pangolins are being protected in their natural habitats.
An animal can only be killed in its natural habitat by humans in a controlled and approved manner. Such control includes licensed sport hunting, culling (in case of emergencies like drought) and problem animal control (if an animal poses danger to human life outside the game reserve).
Zimbabwe’s nurturing of wildlife in its natural habitats is a cheaper operation and a more friendly gesture than adopting wildlife to alternative and confined environments like zoos. Alternative environments don’t have native food for wildlife so nutritionists are to be employed to supplement wildlife feeding. Natural habitats help save on the country’s wildlife food budget. The money that is banked can be used for other development programmes like marketing tourist attractions in the country.
Tourism collaboration
Tourism collaboration is one product that resulted from our culture of wildlife conservation. Peace parks have been established. This is where two or more countries merge their adjacent game reserves to become one. In the peace parks, animals are free to roam from one reserve to another. The aim being that a tourist to one country should end up touring its partner country.
Zimbabwe is part of the Great Limpopo Trans Frontier Park established in 2002 which amalgamates Gonarezhou National Park, Limpopo National Park and Kruger National Park of Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa respectively.
A second collaboration is the Greater Mapungubwe Trans Frontier Conservation Area established in 2009 which integrates Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa conservation areas at the confluence of Shashe and Limpopo rivers.
The third collaboration is the Kavango-Zambezi Trans Frontier Conservation Area launched in 2012. Tipped to be the world’s largest trans-frontier conservation area, it merges the conservation area of Okavango and Zambezi basin in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Angola and Botswana.
Conclusion
Wildlife conservation is a pillar to tourism. Tourism will suffer immeasurably if we fail to adhere to our unique culture of wildlife conservation. It is the duty of everyone to support government effort in eradicating poaching which is wildlife conservation’s principal enemy.