ZimConservation

EU urges Zim to halt land invasions

HARARE – The European Union (EU) urged authorities in Harare to impose a moratorium on all land invasions, saying this could improve Zimbabwe’s tourism profile.

“I still feel that as the European Commission and European Union that the government should announce a moratorium on farm invasions and conservancies,” Xavier Marchal head of the EU in Zimbabwe said last Thursday.

“If there is no wildlife, there is no tourism and there are no investors. I have proposed that we make a joint trip to the Save Conservancy and lowveld.”

More online at ZimOnline.co.za…

Pollution Fees Gazetted

Harare — Government has gazetted licence fees for air pollution with immediate effect.

According to a Government Gazette published last week, the registration fee for a blue licence (discharge considered to be environmentally safe) is now US$100 while that for a green licence (discharge considered to present a low environmental hazard) has been pegged at US$145. A yellow licence (discharge which is considered to present a medium environmental hazard) is US$280 while that for a red licence (discharge which is considered to present high environmental hazard) has been pegged at US$555.

All these are annual fees. More online at AllAfrica.com…

Zimbabwe National Parks, Historical Sites, Rest Camps and Lodges

Despite the economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe, tourists still flock to the Victoria Falls and National Parks where there is an abundance of game and attractions.

Since the virtual collapse of the government and economy in Zimbabwe, many people have been frightened off going anywhere near this landlocked African country. However, there is still much to see and tourism at the major attractions, such as Victoria Falls, the giant boulders of the Motopa Hills and the green, lush mountains of the Eastern Highlands continues as normal.

Remote and protected wildlife reserves such as the Hwange National Park and Mana Pools National Parks are, if anything, more of an attraction to the nature lover since the visitors and traffic has lessened. More online at Suite101.com…

It seems that April is the month that leopards disappear from the scene, or is it because of the abundant rain that they are difficult to find in the long grass?

If you have seen leopard in the last couple of months, and have not sent in a report, it would be great to get the information from you before it becomes a distant memory. This can be a sighting of a live animal or dead, and also any spoor that you may have seen.  If you can positively identify whether male or female, please record this on the form.

Attached is the same recording sheet, which please return to leopard@zamsoc.org. If you have difficulties in sending the sheet, then an email with the data is fine.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon and please don’t hesitate to forward this message to anyone who may have information about Leopard sightings.

Many Thanks
Michelle
Leopard Project

leopard-sighting-form

Dear Victoria Falls Community,

About two weeks ago, I sent out an appeal for the Victoria Falls Anti Poaching Unit and thank you to the three people that responded from the community.

Please refer to the attached picture (not for the faint-hearted) of the male lion that has been gracing Victoria Falls with his presence with a number of sightings in and around town. This lion suffered the most dreadful death yesterday due to poachers, three kilometres from the actual falls. WE NEED YOUR HELP – NO ANIMALS …NO VISITIORS…NO JOBS!

We all know that times are very tight financially for everyone, but any little bit will help keep the unit actively engaged if fighting these barbaric criminals, that are destroying one of Zimbabwe’s greatest assets – our wildlife. The more support we can get means the more scouts we can put on the ground.

Thank you to those who have and are supporting this cause already.

Please contact me on 45821 or 011 209 144 or email: cat@yoafrica.com

Charles Brightman
For: VFAPU

Photo by Charles Brightman

If anyone is interested in what is happening with Wild Dogs in Zimbabwe, please send an email to Peter Blinston at the following address — he will send you their monthly newsletter in PDF format:

Peter Blinston
General Manager
Painted Dog Conservation
Email: peter@painteddog.org
Tel: 00 263 (0)18 710
Cell: 00 263 (0)11 603 083
http://www.painteddog.org

Beck Edwards has written a report on the “Walk across Hwange National Park” which took place in early April 2009.

The “Friends of Hwange Trust” aims to raise money for the Park and ensure it survives the hard times in Zimbabwe. If you can help in any way, no matter how small, it will be appreciated by the thousands of animals that will quench their thirsts from your generosity and good will. A USD 25 donation will keep one water hole pumping for a day and keep countless animals alive.

How’s that for buying a worthwhile round of drinks?

If you would like to have this attachment sent to you or contribute to their cause please email Dave Dell on dave.dell@strachans.co.zw.

Ancient Bushman art peels off rock surfaces and endangered rhinos wander through derelict fences as neglect threatens to rob Zimbabwe’s Matopos game park of its world heritage status.

Shillah Nyakudzi, wildlife manager of the UNESCO site, cannot suppress her dejection as she points out a gap in the boundary fence between the Matopos National Park and a neighbouring village.

“Not only is the boundary fence being stolen, but ancient paintings are not spared either by lack of care and maintenance,” Nyakudzi, area manager for the 435 square kilometre (168 square mile) park, said. More online at IC Publications…

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe, May 21 (IPS) – As funds begin trickling in for Zimbabwe’s reconstruction efforts, the rebuilding of infrastructure battered by years of neglect is set to gobble a huge chunk.

As Zimbabwe’s national unity government approaches 100 days in office, Finance Minister Tendai Biti – tasked with wooing donors to pour resources into support for the fragile coalition – has said it will take some time for the country to return to 1996 standards, before what was once southern Africa’s second largest economy went into a tailspin.

More on IPS News…

The Sport hunting industry, which has risen from obscurity to a significant contributor to Zimbabwe’s Gross Domestic Product, has generated high interest from niche markets in Europe and America, after Parks and Wildlife Management Authority floated a quota worth about US$100 million for the big four animals. The big four are the elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard. The fifth big animal — the rhino — is not hunted since it is an endangered species. More online at the Herald…

Byo Wildlife Association — This is a topic of great interest to us all.

Panel members included : Dr. Viv Wilson; Dr. Peter Mundy; Dr. Drew Coneybeare, and a representative of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife. Dr. Nettie Purchase served as Facilitator.

Several methods of estimating the Elephant population and their strengths and weaknesses were discussed. Waterhole counts, such as our Game Census, are not able to provide accurate population estimates for a, number of reasons, but are very valuable for showing trends over time, and for many species not countable by air. Our Game Census data was an essential part of two recent Ph.D. theses (Marion Valeix and Simon Chamaille-Jammes), and of two recent scientific articles in the journals by these authors in Journal of Animal Ecology and Animal Conservation. Significant results from these theses and articles will be reviewed in a later issue. More on Zimbabwe News…

Take advantage of tourist convoy, businesses urged

Zimbabwe will for 16 days, host part of the convoy of tourists who left Durban, South Africa, in a convoy of 50 Land Rovers on a nine-country expedition under Boundless Southern Africa.

It is now up to Zimbabwe individual business people and the tourism industry in general, to see how best to explore business opportunities to tap into the monetary gains of the expedition. More in the Herald…

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Small scale miners meet to confront challenges

The Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation (ZMF), a grouping of small to medium scale miners, will hold a mining conference at which it seeks to raise issues affecting its members with key government ministers.

ZMF chief executive officer, Wellington Takavarasha, said small and medium scale miners were under threat from a host of problems that hamstrung their potential to contribute to the well being of the country’s economy. More in The Financial Gazette…

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Environment conservation proves tough call

Zimbabwe’s three-month-old inclusive government is under pressure to deliver from all fronts. One area the inclusive government would be required to address as a matter of urgency is the damage being inflicted on the environment.

The country’s natural resources have been systematically depleted and the spectre of their exhaustion is seen posing serious danger to economic revival. More in The Financial Gazette…

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Zim needs aggressive tourism marketing

Today marks another beginning of a long, winding and exciting journey into the matrix of Zimbabwe’s tourism tapestries that nature’s endless generosity bestowed on the Southern African country.

In introducing this column, I am aware and will remain aware that no one — even those possessed with spirited malediction — can take away the grandeur and splendour of Zimbabwe’s tourism offerings. More in the Herald…

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EU Hosts Environment Conference in Zimbabwe

This week in Harare the European Union hosted an environmental conference in Zimbabwe which organizers hope would start a multi-party conversation about land ownership and use. The issue continues to be at the center of the country’s political conflict. More at VOANews.com…

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3 poachers shot dead

Three suspected poachers, who were part of a five-man gang allegedly intending to kill rhinos at Malilangwe Trust Conservancy in Chiredzi, were last weekend shot dead by a joint team of police and game rangers following a prolonged exchange of gunfire. 

After the shootout, inside the conservancy, one of the five suspects escaped while the other one was apprehended while holed up in their getaway Toyota Hilux parked along the Chiredzi-Tanganda highway. More at the Herald…

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Boost Anti-Poaching Resources

Harare — There is a disturbing rise in incidents of rhino poaching in the country with at least 70 rhinos slaughtered for their horns in the past 12 months.

The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority together with the police have responded swiftly by increasing patrols, where in the last two weeks four poachers have been killed while several others have been arrested during separate contacts. More at AllAfrica.com…

Boundless Southern Africa expedition departs from Indaba

Today, 11 May, the Boundless Southern Africa Expedition aimed at maximizing awareness of the seven Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA) as tourist and investment destinations departed from the National Tourism Indaba in Durban, KwaZulu -Natal province. The four month long expedition, led by Kingsley Holgate of National Geographic Travel will cut across nine SADC countries, seven TFCAs, two oceans, thirty national parks and nature reserves. More online at Travelwires.com…

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Dubai’s big property investment in Zimbabwe

Dubai has confirmed making a sizeable investment in Zimbabwean land - but is dodging questions on the acquisition that comes at a time when many companies are toying with the idea of re-entering the country. More online at realestateweb.co.za…

‘Guard against veld fires’

MEMBERS of Parliament and chiefs should guard against veld fires and lead awareness campaigns in their areas on the dangers of fire to avoid the risk of losing harvests and pastures through uncontrolled burning, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Francis Nhema has said. 

In an interview yesterday ahead of the National Fire Week to be launched in Kadoma tomorrow, Minister Nhema said while Zimbabwe was still celebrating the good rains that led to bumper harvests, there was a danger of losing the gains through uncontrolled fires. More online at The Herald…

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Masvingo embarks on tourism marketing programme

MASVINGO Publicity Association has embarked on a programme to market tourist attractions in the city ahead of 2010 World Cup, an official has said.

In an interview, Masvingo Publicity Association manager Ms Margaret Mapepeta said the publicity association had begun compiling a DVD on tourist attractions in the city. More online at the Chronicle…

Micropropagation is a popular technique used for propagation of plants. This technique is already commercially in place in more than 30 developing and transition countries5. The benefits of plant tissue culture propagation include potentially unlimited multiplication of selected plant lines or individuals, elimination of pathogens, production of true-to-type multiplication material of desirable plant lines, inde.nite storage of genetic resources through long-term maintenance of propagule inventories.

The success of micropropagation may be explained by its relatively low cost and generally positive effects on productivity (especially of clonally propagated root and tuber crops). The most common application of micropropagation in developing countries is the production of virus free plantlets through meristem culture combined with explant heat treatment. More online at The New Nation…

Chelsy Davy’s father receives major Dubai investment in Zimbabwe game reserve stake

A game reserve in Zimbabwe part-owned by the father of Chelsy Davy, Prince Harry’s former girlfriend, has a new majority investor, in a deal that demonstrates his closeness to Robert Mugabe’s regime.

Charles Davy, along with the other owners of the Bubye Conservancy in Matabeleland South province, has accepted an investment in the 720,000-acre property by a consortium led by Dubai World, the sovereign investment company of the Arab emirate.

No other white landowner in Zimbabwe is known to have managed to raise such investment for years. More on the Telegraph.co.uk website…

Media reports untrue, says Parks authority

THE National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has refuted media reports that a UAE firm, Dubai World, is investing in a game park in Zimbabwe as part of its expansion plans into Africa.

National Parks public relations manager Caroline Washaya-Moyo yesterday denied the media reports circulating on the Internet saying the article “lacked substance”. More online at The Herald…

Over the last century, the conservation movement has created some beautiful parks – and millions of refugees.

LAFAYETTE BUNNELL, AMERICAN explorer and wilderness romantic, first rode into the bucolic stillness of Yosemite on March 21, 1851. He was on a voyage of discovery. Once in the valley he thought he had arrived, if not in heaven, in Eden. “I have seen the power and glory of a supreme being,” he wrote in his journal, and “the majesty of his handiwork.” 

Bunnell’s attitude toward the people who actually lived in the valley was decidedly more ambiguous. At times he romanticized the lifeways of the Miwoks who had settled there some 4,000 years earlier. But he also said there was no room for them in the West, calling them “yelling demons” and “overgrown vicious children.” The whole territory, he wrote, should be “swept of any scattered bands that might infest it.” More online at the Boston Globe…

Consortium Embarks On Mega Tourism Development Project

Harare — A CONSORTIUM of 20 indigenous conservancy operators, who benefited from the land reform programme in Masvingo, has embarked on a multi-million dollar tourism development project envisaged to give birth to Masvingo Wildlife Conservancy.

This will be possibly the first time that indigenous conservancy operators in the country would have come together to establish a tourism development spectacle of that magnitude. More at AllAfrica.com…

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Thirty-one local companies to participate at SA Tourism Expo

THIRTY-ONE companies from the country’s tourism industry will participate at the Indaba Tourism Expo to be held in South Africa tomorrow, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) said in a statement.

ZTA head of corporate communications and public relations Mr Sugar Chagonda said the Indaba was one of the largest tourism-marketing events on the African calendar, which showcased a variety of Southern Africa’s tourism products. More at the Chronicle.com…

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Beitbridge — QUELEA birds are wreaking havoc in Beitbridge West where they are reportedly destroying crops on small-scale farms and irrigation schemes in the area.

In an interview yesterday, Ward 10 councillor Mrs Gladys Tlou said the birds, which travel in flocks of up to 20 000, had virtually destroyed the villagers’ livelihood, especially those at the 5-hectare Dombolidenje, Kwalu and Zhovhe-Masera Irrigation Schemes, Madali, Hwunga, Zezani and surrounding resettlement areas. More on AllAfrica.com…