Wildlife-based land reforms implemented in Mash East

The Herald
June 16, 2009


NATIONAL Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has started implementing the wildlife-based land reforms in Mashonaland East.

Marondera-based Parks board member Mr Jerry Gotora confirmed the latest development.

"Although we do not have a lot of potential conservancies in the province, we are continuing to identify farms where wildlife based land reform can be implemented," said Mr Gotora.

He said farms or areas with game animals were to be declared conservancies in order to curb poaching and also attract tourists.

Mr Gotora said so far, parks had identified four potential areas to be recommended for wildlife based land reform.

Last year, the department presented a policy framework for the implementation, highlighting that the policy was developed in the context of Zimbabwe’s land reform programme.

The policy also sought to point out that wildlife production was a viable land use option if practiced with due regard to its conservation and sustainable utilisation.

Parks constitutes 13 percent of Zimbabwe’s Land, although the parks and wildlife Act allows for wildlife production outside the parks estates by farmers who are given appropriate authority.

As a result, some farmers have adopted wildlife ranching as a land use option, with some coming together as conservancies.

Cde Gotora lamented that the land reform programme tended to concentrate on resettlement biased towards crop and livestock production at the expense of wildlife production.

Under the current Land Reform Policy, conservancies could not be allocated for resettlement purposes.

This meant that the wildlife production sector remained a preserve of the minority group in Zimbabwe. The policy on wildlife based land reform addresses this apparent imbalance and ensures access by the majority to wildlife resources.

The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management is to administer the policy whose objective includes facilitating the indigenisation of the wildlife sector and ensuring more equitable access by the majority of Zimbabweans to land and wildlife resources as well as business opportunities.

As a way forward, A2 farm holders who wish to go into private game ranching on their properties will be allowed to apply to the Ministry which will consider the application in accordance with laid down criteria.

Rural district councils that wish to engage in wildlife production will also be required to apply for appropriate authority for management of Natural Resources in the context of the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources.