Country Profile: ZIMBABWE
Summary of situation as of March 2003
by graduate student Diane Pitassy, for BCTF
Wildlife Declines
Data on wildlife numbers and declines from scientific monitoring operations are lacking. A few localized reports of snare deaths from conservancy sites are available, but countrywide information, to my knowledge, does not exist at this stage. One of the more recent estimates reported in Business Day (Johannesburg) has placed losses at 40% of animals in national parks and 50% of animals in conservancies. These percentages represent hundreds of thousands of animals including small and large bodied species.
Land Reform Policies
A large portion of the reported wildlife declines can be attributed to the government's policy of seizing wildlife conservancy properties for a land redistribution fast-track program. This controversial program was designed to address historical imbalances in land ownership between large rural populations existing on marginal lands and the relatively small minority of commercial farm owners. An effect of this program was that informal resettlements onto government-seized land allowed rural people open access to game animals, woodlands, and grazing areas. Hunting on these lands is largely unregulated, and occurs both for commercial and subsistence purposes. Commercial markets for meat and wildlife trophies offer economic incentives for impoverished people to hunt above sustainable levels. Settlers also began converting land for subsistence agriculture through removal of trees and burning of brush, reducing available habitat for wildlife.
Economy And Food Shortages
The current economic opportunities for many Zimbabweans are severely limited. In former times, the country derived significant revenue from commercial agricultural markets and tourism, but the subsequent unrest caused by the land acquisition program and other government policies, devastated the national economy. Arable land seized under the redistribution program has not been put back into full production due to lack of available capital (farm equipment, pesticides, etc). The result is that the agricultural sector has not been able to produce the commercial crop outputs necessary to sustain the national demand or support foreign trade. Inadequate rainfall in Zimbabwe during the current growing season has prevented or delayed planting in many areas and reduced crop yields are forecasted for commercial and subsistence areas. Pre-famine conditions now exist in Zimbabwe, making the use of wildlife an attractive nutritional and economic alternative.
Tourism was once an important source of foreign exchange, but the persistent reports of unrest and declining wildlife populations have caused tourists to travel elsewhere. The weakening of the tourist industry has direct impacts on conservation measures that can be provided by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Authority. The department receives a large portion of its funding from revenue generating tourist activities. As this source of income has been reduced, there are inadequate funds to support wide-scale anti-poaching measures in national protected areas.
The wildlife depletions that have occurred in Zimbabwe are the result of a complex mix of environmental, socio-political, and economic factors. Drought, famine, civil unrest, under funding of wildlife management, and open access to natural resources have all contributed to the current state of wildlife in Zimbabwe. The future of wildlife populations will depend on how the country addresses these issues.
Ms. Pitassy recommends these web resources for general information:
http://www.Allafrica.com – news archive
http://www.fews.net/Zimbabwe – drought / famine situation
http://www.samara.co.zw/cfu/ - commercial farmer's union site
http://africantears.netfirms.com/politics.htm – basic overview of conservancy losses