POACHING and illegal wildlife trade is threatening Zimbabwe’s tourism industry, wildlife industry stakeholders have said.
During last week’s World Wildlife Day commemorations which ran under the theme: Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation, stakeholders from government, civil society and the private sector said the country has experienced massive economic loss due to illegal wildlife trade.
Speaking over the weekend at the Nyangambe community conservancy game scout graduation ceremony in Chiredzi, which coincided with the World Wildlife Day celebrations, United States Agency for International Development (USaid) acting mission director Ramses Gauthier said: “Poaching and illegal wildlife trade are threatening the country’s tourism industry and the livelihoods and security of rural communities.”
He said wildlife scouts play a critical role in safeguarding the country’s flora and fauna for future generations.
Zimparks Save Valley Conservancy senior area manager Douglas Kuramba said: “To all poachers and your associates, be strongly warned that we are more than prepared to confront you anywhere and anyhow. Should you dare take a chance with our resources, the rangers have been equipped with techniques to deal with you.”
Resilience ANCHORS, through support from USAid, is working with communities in Nyangambe, particularly the Wildlife Management Committee, to ensure that the Nyangambe Wildlife Conservancy provides increased opportunities for previously disadvantaged communities to engage and benefit from the wildlife industry.
Meanwhile, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has partnered government, through the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) in conservation and anti-poaching campaigns.
Since 2018, AWF has invested over US$10 million in the mid-Zambezi Valley through infrastructural developments, provision and digitalisation of radio communication equipment, provision of fuel, field and camping equipment, patrol rations, vehicles, and boats for anti-poaching patrols.
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AWF director Olivia Mufute said: "We have facilitated specialised training and capacity building programmes for rangers as part of efforts to combat poaching and reduce illegal wildlife trade and trafficking in the landscape. With support from our partners, we donated three vehicles to ZimParks in 2021, one vehicle in 2022, and recently purchased two Toyota Land Cruisers to support anti-poaching work by ZimParks in the mid-Zambezi Valley. We also supported ZimParks with a one spot fisher patrol boat, one pelican boat and installed a modern boat jetty at D Camp, along the Zambezi Valley.”
Mufute said ZimParks rangers have been trained on use of Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool technology to improve data collection.
