Zim govt partner with Germany on Gonarezhou National Park management

HE Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Oppah Muchinguri Kashiri has said Zimbabwe government has partnered with the Parks Authority and the Frankfurt Zoological Society of Germany in the management of Gonarezhou National Park.

"On the 12th of July, 2010, the government through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources entered into a 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) for the management of Gonarezhou National Park (GNP). The agreement therefore terminates in July, 2020," Muchinguri Kashiri said.

 "FZS is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), registered in Germany (Registration Number VR 5228), with its headquarters at Alfred Brehm Platz 16, D-60316 Frakfurt 1, Germany. It is also registered in Zimbabwe in terms of the Private Voluntary Organisations Act [Chapter 17:05]. It is specifically dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and the natural environment, including the practical conservation of wild flora and fauna, landscapes, water, soils and other natural resources."

She said the objectives of the MOU were to, among other things, develop, implement and monitor natural resources conservation and protection programmes in the GNP and to jointly develop, ratify, implement, monitor and periodically revise a General Management Plan for GNP which forms the basis of all conservation activities therein.

"The General Management Plan was adopted by the Ministry in 2011. The support of FZS included logistical support to GNP, especially land, water and air transport, radio communication, supply of field equipment, supply of uniforms and office equipment; provision, where appropriate, of technical expertise, i.e. professional staff, technical advisors and consultants; applied research,She said. "Conserving and protecting the natural resources, including wildlife of GNP and the Greater Limpopo Trans-Frontier Conservation Area; infrastructure development and maintenance; natural resource assessment and monitoring, including animal numbers and vegetation change."

She said before the expiration of the MOU, the parties decided that the money coming into GNP by means of the MOU was not enough to ensure self-sustainability of GNP.

"It was noted that the MOU did not provide for the real unlocking of the full potential of the park and there was need to come up with a system or model that would ensure that more money would come to the park through joint efforts by the parties and other funders," she said.

"After consultations and further negotiations, a new partnership model for GNP was agreed upon in the form of a Conservation Trust with Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (PWMA), with FZS being the founders. The objectives of this partnership are; delivery of effective and efficient management of GNP    Building financial sustainability of GNP through the development of additional revenue streams and further investment, e.g tourism, which was not covered in the original MOU," she said.

"The new partnership involves PWMA and FZS jointly setting up a Trust, the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust (GCT) and transferring the management mandate to the Trust. The Trust is an independent entity, capable of suing and being sued in its own name. The Board of Trustees consists of members seconded from both parties. The GNP will be managed by a management committee which consists of employees seconded from the PWMA. The Trust has a lifespan of 20years from date of signature. On termination of the Trust, any assets left will remain for the use of GNP."

Muchinguri Kashiri said the Trust will raise more than US$40 million for the GNP during the period of its existence. Conservation is an expensive undertaking that ordinarily requires Government funding due to the social nature of research and community service activities.

She saidparks therefore requires funding that is sustainable, hence the need to transform the nature of the agreement with FZS in order to attract commercial revenue.

"There are no policy constraints delaying the signing of the Trust. However, due diligence has to be undertaken to ensure that the Authority is not in any way short-changed so that the new model benefits the country," she said.

"The communities are not involved in the forming of the Trust as G NP is administered by PWMA. The communities are already benefitting through Malipati Safari Area, which PWMA has leased to them for hunting purposes through the Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE)."

"The communities will however benefit from the Trust. It is envisaged that the development of the park will increase the participation and benefit surrounding communities as follows; communities will continue to receive revenue from hunting conducted in Malipati area and Sengwe, which are currently under the Chiredzi Rural District Council; increased employment opportunities; harvest of thatching grass projects, reduced human-wildlife conflict; development of Private-Public-Community Partnerships with respect to key future tourism developments in the Park and adjacent communal lands, generating direct financial benefits to communities as well as stimulating job creation and skills development," she added.

 "Improved natural resource management initiatives in adjacent communal lands and development of structured, sustainable resource use partnerships between the park and communities, resulting in enhanced food security and livelihoods options; Implementation of targeted conservation education initiatives for schools, community groups and traditional leaders; reduction of human-wildlife conflict through implementation of cost-effective mitigation plan, making use of a range of mitigation measures and techniques; and development of the GNP in order for it to fulfill its potential to become a significant economic driver in the South East Lowveld."