ZimConservation

In a new blog entry, Worldwatch Senior Researcher Danielle Nierenberg reports on efforts to preserve Zimbabwe’s wildlife by paying farmers for ecosystem services such as protecting wild species. Wildlife conservation and sustainable farming practices are becoming increasing prevalent across sub-Saharan Africa. Yet efforts to preserve elephants, rhinos, and other wildlife are difficult in countries plagued by political unrest and conflict. Read more: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6416

Government has shelved the relocation of nearly 800 families of the Chitsa clan who have been staying near Gonarezhou National Park because they have valid offer letters to live on that land. The State says the area occupied by the families is not within Gonarezhou and will not affect the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. The Transfrontier Park brings together Gonarezhou, Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park and the Kruger National Park of South Africa. The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park will be the world’s biggest wildlife sanctuary on completion. Read more: http://allafrica.com/stories/201004210396.html

The proposed construction of a 144-room hotel on the Zambian side of the Victoria Falls has been shelved following intense lobbying in that country and in Zimbabwe against the project. South Africa’s Protea group wanted to build the hotel in the Lower Zambezi but has now shelved the plan. Environmentalists on both sides of the Zambezi had said the hotel could result in Victoria Falls and Mana Pools losing their World Heritage Site status, in the process negatively impacting on tourism revenues. Read more: http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=17813&cat=1

THEIR area is endowed with one of the most valuable minerals in the world and many of their visitors in the last few years have left the place awash with cash. But many inhabitants of Chiadzwa in the Manicaland province remain trapped in the vicious circle of poverty. This is the sad reality of many rural communities living in otherwise rich areas endowed with natural resources such as diamonds, wildlife and black granite in Zimbabwe. These are some of the injustices that the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (Zela) is seeking to address by empowering rural communities to derive benefits from resources within their areas. Formed in 2000, Zela aims to promote environmental justice and sustainable use of natural resources. Read more: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/mrls_so-rich-yet-so-poor-the-sad-reality-of-communities-with-mineral-resources-920722.html

PROTEA Hotels plan to build a“ultra modern” 144-bed hotel on the banks of the Zambezi River in a wild area opposite the world-renowned Mana Pools National Park and World Heritage Site. The proposal to build the hotel in the Chiawa Game Management Area on the Zambian side of the river, has shocked tour operators and conservationists in the region, and has been slammed as “totally inappropriate” for the area. They say the proposed hotel,which will be by far the biggest in the area, is likely to scupper plans to have World Heritage Status extended to the Zambian side of the Zambezi. Read more (and join!): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=104842256217442

On March 31, eTN’s own Wolfgang H. Thome reported that the Zambezi Society in Zimbabwe, along with other wildlife conservation NGOs, had severely criticized Protea Hotels over environmental concerns raised from the development work. The very next day, on April 1, Protea Hotels issued a rebuttal statement. Read more: http://www.eturbonews.com/15501/protea-hotels-withdraws-lodge-project-zimbabwe

The Protea Hotels group in South Africa appears to be disregarding concerns raised by communities near the site of the group’s proposed 72-room hotel on the Zambezi River, the location of which has been opposed by tourism operators and conservationists, both in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Operators in the area say community representatives have said, in writing, they would not object to the development if it took place outside the eastern Chiawa Game Management Area (GMA) and closer to the Chiawa community bordering the GMA. Protea, however, claims the community has approved the current site inside the GMA. Read more: http://www.zambianwatchdog.com/2010/04/12/protea-hotels-disregards-concerns-on-zambezi-project/

CONSERVATIONISTS, villagers and tour operators in Zambia want to bar Protea Hotels Zambia’s plan to build a 144-bedroomed hotel on the banks of the Zambezi River. Protea Hotels plans to construct the hotel in a wild area upstream from the world-renowned Mana Pools National Park and World Heritage Site. The hotel will be about 12km from the Lower Zambezi National Park. Protea Hotels Zambia is 97,5% owned by Union Gold and 2,5% by Mauro Guardigli, an Italian living in Zambia. Read more: http://allafrica.com/stories/201004090721.html

Zimbabwe faces a massive environmental crisis as inability by the government to provide enough electricity forces people to cut down trees to meet basic energy needs. “We will be left with no forests or trees and one has to imagine the deserts we are creating in the process all because of the electricity outages,” says Thabilise Gumpo, of conservation group Environment Africa. “But it is difficult (to raise objections) when this is the only energy source the people have. The environment has been the worst casualty here.” Read more: http://www.therightperspective.org/2010/04/05/zimbabwe-faces-deforestation/

Clips from the BBC series Wild and Dangerous showing the extensive training undertaken by wildlife guides in Zimbabwe. Visit http://www.bbcearth.com for all the latest animal news and wildlife videos and watch more high quality videos on the new BBC Earth YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/bbcearth. Video clip on YouTube here.