August
31 August – The Ivory Trade Need Not Endanger the Elephant… The “to be or not to be” question of selling ivory has been the subject of a heated debate for 20 years now. Kenya has been leading the charge in the debate with its resounding “Not to be” answer. From: AllAfrica.com
29 August – Officials implicated in Zimbabwean rhino poaching… Concerns have been raised that some government officials might be involved in the poaching of rhinos in Zimbabwe’s national parks. The local Zimbabwe Times reported that four rhinos were recently killed in Gonarezhou National Park. From: International Animal Rescue
27 August – PWMA out to curb poaching… The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has embarked on a drive to promote the sustainable utilisation of wildlife among resettled and communal farmers to curb poaching of small game in the country. From: ZBC News
27 August – Who goes on holiday to Zimbabwe?… The Foreign Office warns against all but essential travel to Zimbabwe, but according to the country’s tourism chiefs, thousands of people from overseas still head there every year. So who are Zimbabwe’s tourists and why do they go? From: BBC
27 August – Parks Still to Implement SADC Strategies on Elephants… The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said on Sunday it has not yet started implementing any of the 2005 recommendations of the Sadc Taskforce on strategies to control the population of elephants in the region. From: AllAfrica.com
27 August – Magic of the Tsotso Stove… According to an old adage, necessity is the mother of invention; it forces people to find alternative ways and tools. In Zimbabwe today, devising skills to survive is the norm of daily living. From: Eco Worldy
Essential reading: President Mugabe’s speech to Zimbabwe’s 7th Parliament
26 August – Ministers involved in poaching of rhino… Zimbabwe’s rhino species faces extinction after four animals were killed this week in the Gonarezhou National Park, bringing to 15 the number of the animals killed by suspected poachers since January. From: The Zimbabwe Times
Food for thought: Hunting – A brief comment
Animated entertainment from Animal Planet (UK) / Discovery Communications: The Animals Save the Planet
22 August – Three rhinos killed in Gonarezhou… Three black rhinoceros carcasses were found last week in a state of decomposition in the Gonarezhou National Park. Masvingo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Phibeon Nyambo confirmed receiving the reports, but said they were still carrying out investigations. From: International Rhino Foundation & The Herald (Zimbabwe)
22 August – NGO Ban Stalls Farming Preparations… Communal farmers in the Nkayi communal area who had been relying on aid from non- governmental organizations (NGOs) under the drought recovery programme, have suffered a major set back as NGO’s remain barred from conducting field work at a time land preparation is supposed to have commenced. Thousands of farmers in the district had adopted conservation farming, which was introduced by several NGO’s as an alternative to conventional farming in low rainfall ecological regions four and five. From: Radio VOP
19 August – Organisation working to conserve birds… Birdlife Zimbabwe says it has conservation programmes to save some of the threatened birds facing extinction. The organisation’s Director Dr Chipangura Chirara said most Zimbabweans are still to appreciate the value of birds in bio-diversity. From: ZBC News
19 August – Conservation farming can counteract fertiliser prices (Zambia)… As fertiliser and petrol prices zoom and threaten food production in Zambia, farmers are being urged to adopt conservation farming. The price of a 50kg bag of fertiliser has shot up from US$30 in December 2007 to $70, while the pump price of diesel has risen from $1 to about $2.80 per litre over the same period. From: Reuters and AlertNet / IRIN
18 August – ‘Carry Out Regular Technological Assessments’… Industries in Zimbabwe should carry out regular technological needs assessments to ensure the type of machinery they are using is efficient and friendly to the environment, an official said on Friday. From: AllAfrica.com
18 August – Public-private partnership for Mkambati reserve… The Eastern Cape Parks Board has signed a community-driven public- private tourism concession deal, the first of its kind in the province, for its flagship Mkambati Nature Reserve on the Wild Coast. From: The Herald (South Africa)
17 August – Vital to treasure renewable resources… The world’s economic history seems poised to enter a glum phase characterised by severe food shortages, catastrophic, human-triggered climatic change, and lack of agreement on what constitutes a fair world trade system. The resultant human suffering will be borne almost entirely by economically poor and underdeveloped countries. From: The Sunday Mail
15 August – Lion Hunt Ban Still On… The ban on lion hunting is still in force despite calls by some safari operators in Matabeleland north province to have it lifted citing a marked improvement in the population of the big cats, Radio VOP has learnt. Spokesperson for the National Parks and Wild Life Management Authority, Retired Major Mbewe, told Radio VOP that the ban was still in force. From: Radio VOP
15 August – Elephant meat used to supplement income in Zimbabwe, say activists… Zimbabwe’s wildlife is being decimated by the impact of its economic crisis, conservationists claimed on Thursday. Almost 2,000 elephants have been killed in and around the Hwange national park this year, the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) claimed. It said the national parks department intended to authorise the shooting of 1,000 more by the end of the year. From: GulfNews
14 August – Urban farming in Zimbabwe… As we now approach the rainy season people are preparing their small pieces of land, or A3s as I heard someone saying, around the suburbs of our cities. I think this is the right time for the Harare City Council to address this – the earlier the better. The council must have a clear-cut policy on urban agriculture that takes into consideration the need to conserve the environment while acknowledging the contribution urban farming makes towards household food security. From: Kubatana.net
14 August – Sanganayi Zimbabwe to Showcase Best of Tourism… For the first time since 1981, the Zimbabwe Travel Exposition, or Travel Expo to many, promises to be the biggest and most fruitful this year after the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority moved the premier travel showcase to the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds. From: AllAfrica.com
14 August – Campfire embarks on fire management programmes… The Campfire Association says it is working with people in the rural and remote parts of the country in the protection of ecotourism sites especially at a time when most forests are being ravaged by bush fires. From: ZBCNews
14 August – Impoverished Zimbabweans are killing elephants, claim activists… Elephants in Zimbabwe are being shot and eaten as wildlife is decimated by the impact of the country’s economic crisis, activists claimed today. From: Telegraph (UK)
14 August – Sanganayi Zimbabwe to Showcase Best of Tourism… For the first time since 1981, the Zimbabwe Travel Exposition, or Travel Expo to many, promises to be the biggest and most fruitful this year after the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority moved the premier travel showcase to the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds. From: AllAfrica.com
13 August – National Parks Authorize Shooting of Elephants… In the past week, we have received numerous very disturbing reports from tourists and locals alike regarding the wholesale killing of wildlife, in particular, elephants. From: SouthAfricull
12 August – EU ready to assist Zimbabwe agriculture recover in event of ‘acceptable’ political settlement… Excerpts of a recent speech to the 2008 Annual Congress of the Commerical Farmers Union by Xavier Marchal, E.U. Ambassador to Zimbabwe: It is the third time that I am honoured by addressing your annual Congress. Indeed a tradition now, going with the deep commitment of the European Commission towards land and agriculture in Zimbabwe, ever since we opened a delegation in Harare back in 1981… From: African Agriculture
12 August – Write About the Environment and Win!… The British Council in partnership with Budding Writers Association of Zimbabwe (BWAZ) have launched a writing and theatre performance competition which is open to 15 to 25 year olds resident in Zimbabwe. From: The Unofungei Fungai Blog
11 August – Parks Provides Game for Heroes Festivities… The National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has given Mashonaland Central Province seven elephants and a buffalo to slaughter for this year’s Heroes Day commemorations today. The organising chairperson Mr Josphat Jaji last week confirmed the donation, saying the beasts were part of their hunting quota. From: AllAfrica.com
10 August – ZTA to Promote Eco-tourism… The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is set to embark on an extensive drive to promote the country’s ecological tourism before the end of the year. From: Sunday News (IE only)
10 August – Sustainable Use of Wetlands Improves Food Security… The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has urged communities to sustainably use wetlands to enhance household food security. From: Sunday News (IE only)
8 August – The MDC’s Land and Agriculture Policy… Resolving the land question once and for all to ensure that no Zimbabwean will ever go hungry again. From: PoliticsWeb
Local Zimbabwean NGO in action: SAFIRE
7 August – Harare Water Under Threat… A cocktail of impediments threatens to dry up Harare’s water taps while raw sewage continues to contaminate the city’s water reservoirs. The main constraints pertain to chemical costs, poor funding, an unrealistic tariff regime, frequent power cuts and a half-hearted approach to water management policies, officials say. From: AllAfrica.com
7 August – Two Indicted for Smuggling Leopard Hides Into U.S.… A federal grand jury in Denver has returned an indictment charging two individuals with smuggling the hides and a skull of two leopards into the United States in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), an international treaty that regulates international shipments of listed species, to which the United States and 172 other countries are members. The leopards allegedly were hunted and killed in South Africa illegally and then smuggled into Zimbabwe to obtain false CITES permits. From: PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX (The Wall Street Journal – Market Watch)
Resource tool: A review of tools for incorporating community knowledge, preferences, and values into decision making in natural resources management
6 August – Chinese Firm Cuts Deal for Chrome Mines in Zim… Chinese mining giant, China Jiangxi Corporation for International Economic and Technical Cooperation (CJIC) is to form a joint venture company with the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) to mine chrome in Zimbabwe. From: The Zimbabwe Guardian
5 August – EU Ready to Unlock Funds to Help Zimbabwe… The EU is holding onto its purse until there is an acceptable outcome of the current inter-party talks in South African and a legitimate government is formed Head of Delegation of the European Commission to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Xavier Marchal says. From: The Zimbabwe Times
Food for thought - What Are We Doing About Climate Change (From: IRIN – UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
5 August – In Zimbabwe, Low Cost Technology Saves Poor Farmers… Most Zimbabweans – about 70 per cent of the population – live in rural areas and are engaged in smallholder agriculture. These smallholder farmers, particularly in the country’s low rainfall areas, are extremely food insecure and have little or no access to new technology. From: EcoWorldy
4 August – Tread on Biofuels Cautiously… While there is a drive by Zimbabwe and most other African countries to develop biofuels as a response to both climate change and the rising petroleum fuel import bill, agronomists and environmentalists say this must be done cautiously so as not to threaten food security and sovereignty. From: AllAfrica.com
1 August – Africa Should Tackle Climate Change… If you are one of the many Zimbabweans who do not know or do not care too much about climate change, perhaps it is time to think again. Climate change has become a global challenge and was the most contentious topic at this year’s G8 Summit held in Japan.
Food for thought: The Shona People – LIving in Harmony with the Earth
