Rural communities urged to take part in wildlife workshops
August 14, 2008

Herald Reporter

THE Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has urged communities in hunting areas to participate in their workshops on quota setting being held countrywide and help come up with better wildlife conservation methods.

The authority’s public relations manager, Retired Major Edward Mbewe said communities stand to reap huge financial benefits if they know how to utilise their wildlife resources sustainably.

He said the workshops were not a national animal census but would, however, enable the authority to establish the approximate number of animals in private game reserves

"The workshops have so far been successful in parks around Chiredzi, Hwange and Bulawayo. Basically, we require those involved in wildlife management to provide information on the availability of wildlife species in their game reserves, poaching statistics and the way they manage their wildlife.

"We also ask them to prove ownership and size of their land. This gives us an indicator of the number of animals that can survive on the piece of land and be able to advise the operator on what to do with his animals," he said.

Rtd Maj Mbewe said participants are encouraged to give back to the community by providing fireguards and drilling boreholes to supply game water especially in times of drought.

He said they could also use the resources to acquire other equipment to support operations.

The exercise, he said, would also help the authority to come up with strategies that promote organised hunting but prevent over-hunting and poaching.

The authority has a mandate to manage the entire wildlife population of Zimbabwe, whether on private or communal lands.

Private landowners can utilise the wildlife on their land but are still accountable to the authority for the welfare of the animals.

It also manages one of the largest estates in the country, about 5 million hectares of land or 13 percent of Zimbabwe’s total land area with most parks located in ecological regions four and five or rugged mountainous areas which would not have much economic alternative use.