Global Conservation Invests in Global Park Defense for Iconic Zimbabwe UNESCO World Heritage Park

Global Conservation is growing its support of Mana Pools World Heritage Park and Wildlife Protection from 2018 to support Bushlife and Zambezi Society work with Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to deploy Global Park Defense in the core Mana Pools World Heritage Park of the Lower Zambezi Valley (LZV) against illegal wildlife poaching.

Mana Pools, a UNESCO World Heritage Park since 1984, is the last bastion for wildlife in the Lower Zambezi Valley while other surrounding areas are facing a deathly onslaught of poachers with high power weapons and criminal syndicates eliminating critical species including elephant, lion and buffalo.

Already the Rhino has been extinct in Zimbabwe’s national parks since 2010 due to poaching for rhino horn sales to China and Asia. Many other species of wildlife are no longer present in many areas in the perimeter and buffer zones due to intense wildlife poaching and Mana Pools is the Last Bastion for their protection.

Global Park Defense for the Lower Zambezi Valley

Global Conservation will support Park and Wildlife Protection in five (5) areas in the coming years:

1. Deployment of Global Park Defense systems including Cellular Trailcam Network, Long-range Thermal Cameras, Vulcan Domain Awareness System (DAS), ranger communications via satellite networks and PROTECT Ranger training.

2. Naval Patrols - funding of fuel and maintenance for river-based anti-poaching missions.

3. Anti-Poaching Patrols- funding for vehicles, fuel and maintenance for ranger patrols and base camps.

4. Park Expansion - support planning and government work needed to double (or triple) the size of National Parks in Lower Zambezi Valley.

5. General Support for Bushlife and Zambezi Society to assist Mana Pools National Park anti-poaching operations.

Global Park Defense Components

Key components of Global Park Defense include:

- SMART Ranger Patrols                               

- Surveillance Systems

      Cellular Trailcams

      Thermal Long-Range Cameras   

      UAV Drones

      Aerial Overflights

- Park-wide Satellite Communications

- Training - Military-level Patrolling / Technology and Systems                          

- Marine Anti-Poaching Patrols -  Fuel and Boat Maintenance                          

- Ranger Anti-Poaching Patrols - Vehicle Maintenance, Fuel and Rations, Camps and Equipment

- Legal and Prosecution Support

Map courtesy of The Zambezi Society

Meeting Global Conservation Selection Criteria

Mana Pools World Heritage Park meets 4 of our 6 Selection Criteria:

1.    Endangered World Heritage Park – Wildlife Poaching

2.    Developing Country - #154 out of 188 Human Development Index

3.    Strong Partner NGOs for Park and Wildlife Protection

4.    Growing Tourism for Sustainability – 7,000 Visitors in 2016; $2 Million revenues

Two of our criteria – 5) Strong Park Leadership and Ranger Teams and 6) Strong Internet and Technology Infrastructure– are both still in need of strengthening due to 20 years of ‘brain drain’ of over 50% of the country’s educated population, and low and often unpaid ranger and park administration salaries and budgets available for park operations. As well, the park suffers from the lack of reliable internet, power and cellular communications infrastructure in the park, as well as trained IT operators of systems, technology and networks needed for Global Park Defense.

The Poaching Crisis  

Due to severe economic hardship of the population under the Mugabi dictatorship, and low and often unpaid wages of park leadership and ranger teams, we are losing dozens of elephants and lions to poachers. The Rhino became extinct in Lower Zambezi Valley Zimbabwe within the past decade.

A poacher may get as little as US$200-300 for a pair of average female tusks, but the potential punishment for poaching in Zimbabwe is to be shot on sight. Despite the penalties of 9 years in jail, wildlife poaching of elephant continues unabated.

The Lower Zambezi Valley has too many entrances and exits to be patrolled by traditional means. New technology, systems and methods must be deployed to make exisiting under-resourced ranger teams effective over such a wide area.

The Zambezi Society in a 2015 report highlights the crisis to Zimbabwe’s elephants in the Zambezi Valley. In addition to a 75% decline in the numbers of elephants in the Zambezi Valley south of Lake Kariba (Sebungwe area) since 2001 – from 14,000 to 3,500.

There has been a 40% decrease recorded in the middle Zambezi Valley complex (which includes Mana Pools) – from 18,000 to 11,500 according to a Paul Allen / Vulcan 2014 air survey as part of the Africa-wide Great Elephant Census.

Despite hard work and dedication by many rangers, Zimbabwe park and wildlife authorities are unable to provide sufficient policing and protection of wildlife areas to protect elephants from poaching due to the high levels of poachers entering the park.  The costs of protection are high, but government funds allocated for the purpose are negligible.  This gap is exploited by corruption.  Rangers on the ground, in general, are highly experienced but poorly paid.

Photos courtesy of The Zambezi Society

Major Challenges in the Lower Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe

- Poaching of over 12,000 elephants for ivory and meat in the past 10 years, with hundreds of dead elephant carcasses found.

- Hundreds of illegal wildlife poachers are entering the park monthly from all four flanks including the entire Zambezi river from Zambia.

- Lack of government funding and ranger headcount due to the collapsed economy under the Mugabe dictatorship.

- Salaries for park rangers are under $200 per month. In recent years, Park Rangers have not been paid for 3-6 months driving corruption with poacher syndicates.

- There are no government vehicles for use by the Park Rangers, and no fuel or patrol rations are provided.

- Some rangers and volunteers have been shot or injured due to lack of training, including two Italian volunteers killed in 2010.

- Due to major issues in design and plan, the Mana Pools Park Management Plan has not been signed by tourism and hunting concession operators (except one) in the park.

- Hunting continues in the World Heritage Park even today by families living in the park and there is in effect a10 kilo per month quota for each ranger to hunt, effectively legalizing wildlife poaching for government employees within Mana Pools World Heritage Park.

-  Anti-Poaching Patrols must cover over 2,000 square miles for the UNESCO World Heritage Park and 6,000 square kilometers for the entire Lower Zambezi Valley to prevent wildlife poaching.

Map courtesy of The Zambezi Society

Positive Developments – Park and Wildlife Protection

- Bushlife and Zambezi Society are now supporting National Park Ranger Anti-Poaching teams with forward ranger camps, vehicles, fuel and rations, as well as for the Wildlife Crime Units.

- Local NGOs are beginning to work together closely with new international funding and partners like Global Conservation and African Wildlife Foundation for Anti-Poaching.

- RhinoForce and Great Plains Foundation has recently licensed two large former Hunting Concessions adjacent to Mana Pools for photographic-based tourism.

- There are approximately 7,000 visitors to Mana Pools World Heritage Park and the LZV each year (2016), generating over $2 million in revenues.

- A new government has been formed through a bloodless coup in Zimbabwe in late 2017 after 30 years of dictatorship.

- A new Elephant Management Plan for LZV has been developed driving a coordinated response to the poaching crisis.

-  Zimbabwe has ‘Shoot to Kill’ indemnification for Rangers and stiff penalties (9 years in prison) for guilty poachers.

Partners in Conservation

Bushlife Conservancy

Global Conservation will co-fund Bushlife 50-50 for Global Park Defense deployment of Anti-Poaching systems, equipment and training, as well as Zambezi Society, two leading NGOs in Zimbabwe working in the Zambezi River Valley for many years on restricted budgets with little international support.

To date, Global Conservation support in 2018 has helped enable Bushlife to deploy rangers on anti-poaching activities in the Mana Pools, Sapi, Nykasanga, Rifa and Marongora areas funding ranger patrol rations, fuel and vehicle maintenance. 

On the most recent mission, Global Conservation provided a Thuraya Satellite Network to enable six (6) ranger teams to be in constant communication (text, voice, email) using Galaxy S8 smartphones anywhere in the park. These smartphones also can support the SMART Patrolling system for data collection on anti-poaching patrols and biodiversity monitoring.

The Bushlife Support Unit is an on-the-ground anti-poaching support unit based in Mana Pools and run by safari operators Bushlife Safaris out of their Vundu Camp.  It works in collaboration with Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and a group of like-minded operators, guides and conservation groups in Mana Pools to stop the poaching of wildlife (especially elephant) and to help protect Mana Pools World Heritage Park for future generations.

Bushlife Support Unit works in close coordination with Parks and Wildlife personnel to help patrol remote areas, identify, detain and arrest poachers, monitor prosecutions and sentencing, and recover and rehabilitate stolen wildlife.  Bushlife also works closely with local communities to improve opportunities for work and training.

In the past three years, Bushlife has acquired the following assets for anti-poaching operations in the field:

·      6 4x4 vehicles

·      SUV for the investigations team based in the town of Chinhoyi

·      Boat for river patrols

·      1,000 litre water bowser trailer

·      Water storage containers for remote bases

·      Road clearing tools to help build, repair, and maintain access to remote areas 

·      Supplies and Equipment needed to help build a ranger station in a remote area

The Zambezi Society

The Zambezi Society was formed in 1982 to lobby against a dam site in the Mupata Gorge which would have flooded the Zambezi Valley in the Mana Pools area.  The proposal was abandoned and Mana Pools-Sapi-Chewore was later declared a World Heritage Site.

Since then, the Zambezi Society has advocated for and delivered numerous successful conservation projects and awareness campaigns. Our work is informed by research and a deep-love and local knowledge of the Zambezi Valley -

- Coordination and collaboration

- Supporting Zimbabwe National Park authority

- Planning, Advocacy and Lobbying

- Community Engagement - awareness & intelligence gathering

The Zambezi Society is driven by a passionate team working closely with local and international organisations, government authorities and with local communities. We're committed to initiating rapid, well-informed, and effective action to:

- Maintain the Zambezi River basin’s biodiversity

- Conserve Zambezi wildernesses and promote the recognition of their values

- Ensure that conservation is incorporated into planning for the whole Zambezi river basin

- Educating how to use the natural resources of the Zambezi basin without destroyed them
 

Mana Pools World Heritage Park

Outstanding Universal Value to Mankind

Mana Pools National Park is 676,600 hectares in the heart and core of the UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed, in conjunction with the Sapi Safari Area (118,000 ha) and Chewore Safari Area (339,000 ha) in 1984.

Mana Pools is located on the Lower Zambezi River where the flood plain turns into a broad expanse of lakes after each rainy season. As the lakes gradually dry up and recede, the region attracts many large animals in search of water, making it one of Africa's most renowned game-viewing regions.

Mana means ‘four’ in Shona, in reference to the four large permanent pools formed by the meanderings of the middle Zambezi. These 2,500 square kilometres of river frontage, islands, sandbanks and pools, flanked by forests of mahogany, wild figs, ebonies and baobabs, is one of the least developed national parks in Southern Africa.

It has the country’s biggest concentration of hippopotami and crocodiles and large dry season mammal populations of the zebra, elephant and buffalo. The area is also home to other threatened species including the lion, cheetah, wild dog, and near-threatened species including leopard and the brown hyena.

When the property was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1984 it contained about 500 black rhino, although due to poaching by the end of 1994 only ten animals remained. These were removed for safekeeping elsewhere, but poaching remains a problem for rhino re-introduction as well as for other keystone species such as elephant.

Plans are in discussion for many years to declare the Mana Pools (Zimbabwe) and the Lower Zambezi National Park (Zambia) as a Trans frontier Park which could strengthen the management of the entire area.  

Almost all the large animal species found in Zimbabwe are here except giraffe, wildebeest and the endangered black rhino. There is excellent bird viewing with over 400 species recorded as these Safari Areas cover a very diverse range of habitats each suited to the different species.