Mana Pools, Zimbabwe Progress Report 2019-2020

Mana Pools National Park encompasses 220,000 hectares at the heart of the the Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1984.

Mana Pools is located on the Lower Zambezi River where the floodplain turns into a broad expanse of lakes after each rainy season. As the lakes gradually dry up, 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, form one of the least-developed national parks in Southern Africa.

However, a 2014 survey conducted by a group of ecologists estimated that the elephant population had dropped over 40% since 1994. They are being mercilessly targeted for their ivory. Many other threatened species of wildlife in the park are also being poached, including pangolins. Cyanide poisoning of water holes has killed wild dogs and lions as well as elephants and any other wildlife that comes for a drink or feeds on the poisoned carcasses.

Mana Pools is the only park in Africa where visitors can get close to wildlife on foot.

ZimParks Director General Mr. Fulton Mangwanya approved and supported Global Conservation's efforts to deploy Global Park Defense (GPD) in Mana Pools World Heritage Site and the adjacent areas in the Lower Zambezi River Valley, Zimbabwe. This program includes satellite communications, digital radio upgrades, thermal long-range scopes, and cameras. Since more than 60% of the elephant and wildlife poachers come across the river from Zambia, GPD will focus on river protection.

Global Conservation is supporting Bushlife Conservancy and the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) in deploying this GPD program. Global Conservation is also providing funding, training and equipment to the Zambezi Society for prosecution support and aerial surveillance.

Global Conservation has five primary goals in supporting Global Park Defense in Mana Pools and adjacent areas:

1. Deployment of Global Park Defense systems and communications for all park rangers.
2. Achieving ‘No Cut, No Kill’ within the park by increasing arrests and jail sentences.
3. Increasing the size of Mana Pools National Park to protect adjacent high biodiversity areas by 30-50%.
4. Doubling core wildlife populations for endangered indicator species in five years.
5. Training of park rangers on Global Park Defense technologies and systems for rapid response and targeted patrolling.

Bushlife works in close coordination with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife personnel to help patrol remote areas, identify, detain and arrest poachers, monitor prosecutions and sentencing, and recover and rehabilitate stolen wildlife.

In the first six months of 2020, Bushlife Support Unit has made excellent progress in the protection of elephants and other wildlife in Mana Pools, while the Akashinga team of women rangers has protected the neighboring community areas.  

Bushlife's on-the-ground Activities

• Anti-Poaching Patrols
• Ranger Training
• Roadwork Improvements
• Setting Up of Remote Bases
• Human Wildlife Conflict and Community
• Wildlife Collaring Programs
• Investigations

Anti-Poaching Patrols

Global Conservation supports Bushlife anti-poaching patrols consisting of 4WD vehicles, each containing a driver, armed park rangers, and two “call signs”. The driver and one armed park ranger stay with the vehicle and transport the patrolling rangers from camp to camp in the bush as necessary to respond to poaching reports.

Bushlife is involved in all areas of the Zambezi Valley, from Dande in the east to Charara in the far west. Currently, the patrols cover an immense area of around 10,400 square kilometers, extending beyond Mana Pools and into the surrounding remote areas of Nyakasanga, Rife, and Sapi Safari areas. These patrols have been extremely effective. They have five active vehicles on patrol, but could use more. 

Anti-Poaching Priorities

• Providing mobility: By increasing the number of vehicles available, Bushlife has increased the number of ranger deployments. This has proven to be a major disruption to poaching activity, and an essential element in maintaining conservation momentum and expanding the reach of rangers in the entire Lower Zambezi area.
• Rations for Rangers: The economic decline over the past ten years has not spared the rangers. Ensuring they have adequate food as they patrol is essential.
• Re-Training of Rangers​: Due to ZimParks’ lack of funding, extensive ranger training has not occurred in the many years and rangers need coaching on the most effective anti-poaching efforts and tactics.
• Data Collection​: Reliable data is key to understanding the current state of anti-poaching efforts and successes. We hope to standardize the collection of data in this region, collate the data, and provide analyses to guide the most effective methods in the prevention of poaching.
• Intelligence and Prosecution​: Bushlife, parks intelligence, the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, and a number of other organisations in the Zambezi Valley are supporting the increase of overall capacity to gather intelligence and convert it into effective prosecutions that result in conviction and sentencing. Intelligence gathering remains the most effective tool in convicting wildlife criminals, as less than 1% of criminals worldwide are caught in the act. Intelligence coupled with modern tools and technology allow rangers and other law enforcement entities to intercept poachers before they can make a kill.

Earlier this year, a two-week extended patrol was conducted with Bushlife/ZimParks vehicles and personnel into the Dande Safari Area on the Mozambique border. The patrol was successful: no carcasses were found and elephants were reported to be abundant in the area. 

Bushlife also carried out a seven-day patrol in the Sapi World Heritage Site in January with no incursions or carcasses to report.

In Memoriam

The year started off with two young rangers, Ranger Mabharani and Ranger Tembo, being murdered by Zambian poachers while attempting to transport the arrestees to jail. These rangers lost their lives protecting Zimbabwe's parks and wildlife and will be remembered for their brave sacrifice. Bushlife has been paying the rangers' wives the equivalent of USD $200 a month since January. We raised USD $4,865 which will help support them financially for the year.

Arrest of Gold Panners

Illegal gold panning in the waterways of the World Heritage Site cause heavy siltation of rivers. Panners may also use chemicals such as cyanide, which are poisonous to wildlife, to extract gold. Gold panners may also create illegal settlements, which can further disrupt the ecosystem.

Confiscation of gold panning equipment during patrols. Panners also poach bushmeat and will kill elephants if the opportunity arises.

Arrest of gold panners and confiscation of their equipment.

Confiscation of gold panning equipment during patrols.

Zambezi River Patrols

With a dedicated patrol boat from Zambezi Society and three other vessels provided by Bushlife and Global Conservation, river patrols started up in December 2019. The patrols confiscated over 15,500 meters of illegal nets, 25 water beaters, unlicensed fishing lines, and fishing baskets. Two poachers were handed over to the Chirundu police.

Global Conservation believes wildlife poaching incursions across the river from the Zambian side of the border can be reduced by 60% with regular patrolling on the river, supported by night vision and thermal imaging equipment. This equipment allows for poachers to be spotted at night and increases safety for park rangers, who are often shot at by wildlife poachers.

Boat patrols commenced in January and have been conducted on a monthly basis.

Ten dugout canoes were confiscated and destroyed, and 300kg of nets were recovered in joint ops with Zimbabwe Parks and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.

Ranger Training

Due to ZimParks’ lack of funding, extensive ranger training had not occurred in many years until this year, and rangers need coaching on the most effective anti-poaching efforts and tactics.

In 2019, Global Conservation granted $20,000 to IAPF to provide training to lead rangers in four areas of wildlife protection:

1. Resilience​: Ranger Life Saver (field trauma care); Preventive Medicine; Stress Management; Survival & Sustainment.
2. Law Enforcement​: Law & Ethics; Patrolling; Ranger Defensive Tactics (use of force and associated unarmed techniques); Standard Operating Procedures; Tracking; Logging and Reporting; Emergency Procedures.
3. Biodiversity​: Conservation; Bush Firefighting; Wildlife Poisoning.
4. Investigation​s: Wildlife Crime Scene Preservation; Investigative Interviewing; Witness Statements; Basic Criminology.

In February, Bushlife, together with GC Security Manager Greg Brown, conducted a night shooting training course with thermal imaging equipment. The course was a success and another is planned for the future.

ZimParks hired 100 desperately needed new rangers in January 2020.

Improvement in Roadworks

Roads are essential to improve access and speed of reaction to any incursion. Consequently, Bushlife has put substantial effort into clearing and repairing existing roads, such as the road from Mazunga to Chitangazuwa through the rugged escarpment area. They also opened up several new roads, some of which took more than two weeks to create.

Some roads, like this one, are easier to create. In areas of woodland or thick bush, or on uneven, rocky soil, they can be much more difficult to create and maintain.

Remote Bases 

Remote Bases help ZimParks rangers combat poachers that enter the park from the remote southern boundary and the surrounding highland areas, which are often very difficult to reach due to the terrain. Bushlife has been maintaining two remote bases this year. New tents have arrived from South Africa to install at a new base on the escarpment, but a shortage of rangers has delayed the base's establishment. The new tents will be used to refurbish existing bases until the time that Bushlife can establish this new and remote base. 

New water tank for a remote base on the escarmpent.

Communities and Human-Wildlife Conflict 

2019 saw the initiation of a ZimParks and Bushlife partnership, the first of its kind since 1980, with the communities along the southern boundary of the World Heritage Site. One accomplishment of this partnership thus far is the initiation of a Young Rangers Club. 

This year, the community has lost 68 goats to leopards. Bushlife is attempting to catch this leopard and relocate him with a collar far from the villages, and to pay compensation for stock loss to the people involved. Bushlife staff have had personal communications with the Chief of the area and have his support in the project. Another issue that needs attention is elephant crop damage. Bushlife is looking at ways of mitigating this in the future with preventative measures such as trenches, which provide a physical barrier for elephants; beehive fences, which deter them when the bees attach; and chillies, which elephants dislike.

Farmers who are receiving partial compensation for the loss of their livestock. Each case is investigated before compensation is offered. ZimPark’s rangers are in green uniforms, and in blue are Bushlife drivers who support the rangers.

Wildlife Collaring Program

Bushlife is working with ZimParks to build up a research progamme in Mana Pools and its surrounding areas. A preliminary wildlife population count of the area was done in March. To date they have collared three lions, three hyenas, and one leopard. They are hoping to get collars on another two lions, two hyenas, three leopards, four wild dogs, and one cheetah this year. This will open up research opportunities in the park for both local and international students.

They also re-collared three iconic elephant bulls to help identify them as iconic and prevent them being hunted in hunting areas adjacent to Mana Pools. They have two more collars to go on elephants this year.

Long-term, Bushlife hopes to establish a black rhino reintroduction program once elephant poaching is under control and a viable plan for sustainability is formed.

Collaring elephants for better security of large tuskers.

Lions, hyenas and leopards have also been collared to understand migration patterns and enable study of local populations.

Investigations

Regular patrolling and presence of rangers has been a big deterrent to poachers. There have been at least four cases where early warning by informants has kept poachers out of the Lower Zambezi Valley. However, rangers are still making arrests and conducting investigations.

Bushlife operates two vehicles with intelligence officers and funds covert operations with fuel, informant payments, and other operational costs. This year, a pangolin was recovered, rehabilitated, and returned to the bush. A pangolin trophy and python were also recovered. A total of ten arrests have been made so far this year. Two poachers were convicted for nine years each, after being caught trafficking ivory. Two tusks were recovered. Another poacher was arrested for illegal possession of ivory, and one poacher was apprehended with snares.

The pangolin that was confiscated, rehabilitated, and released back into the wild.

Women Protecting Wilderness: The Akashinga Rangers

Akashinga is a community-driven conservation model led and implemented by IAPF, empowering disadvantaged women to restore and manage large networks of wilderness areas as an alternative economic model to trophy hunting.

Akashinga aims to recruit 1,000 women, protecting a network of 20 former hunting reserves by 2025. The vision of Akashinga is to replace trophy hunting as an area management tool for conservation in Africa. This achieves landscape conservation at scale: A balance of ecology, economics, ethics and politics for the long-term preservation of large wilderness areas run by women.

The program was started in Phundundu Wildlife Area and Wilderness, which borders Mana Pools National Park to the south. The Akashinga program builds an alternative approach to the militarized paradigm of ‘fortress conservation’, which defends colonial boundaries between nature and humans. While still trained to deal with any situation they may face, the team has a community-driven interpersonal focus, working with rather than against the local population for the long-term benefits of their own communities and nature.

Akashinga Highlights from the First Half of 2020

• An Akashinga team intercepted an ivory deal in the capital of Harare. This resulted in the recovery of two large tusks and an arrest for trafficking ivory.  

• In Gokwe, a heavy calibre .303 rifle was recovered, thanks to an informant tip that triggered the operation.
• In the Zambezi Valley where the Akashinga rangers are based, five rifles and a hand gun were seized in a joint operation with local authorities on Wednesday. Removing weapons from the system is a critical part of our work, since each of these rifles are capable of endless carnage.

• In south-eastern Zimbabwe on the Mozambican border, the team conducted a sting operation that netted approximately 225 pounds of elephant ivory. One person was arrested for illegal possession of ivory and remanded to appear in court.
• Akashinga rangers recovered a live pangolin being illegally trafficked. Several armed suspects were arrested, including criminals with existing arrest warrants. In addition to the live pangolin, a vehicle and pistol were confiscated. Several face masks that the criminals used in armed robberies in the past were also recovered.

Effectiveness of Akashinga Teams

• Between 2019 and 2020, Akashinga had an average increase of 78% in the monthly arrest rate per year;
• Between 2019 and 2020, Akashinga had an overall monthly conviction rate of 44.6% on all arrests, increasing each year (2017: 33.3%, 2018: 47.1%, 2019: 53.4%). Some convictions are still pending, meaning this rate for 2020 should still increase.
• In 2020, Special Investigations had an overall monthly conviction rate of 64.8% on all arrests (2018: 66.7%, 2019: 63.0%). Some convictions are still pending, meaning this rate for 2020 should still increase.

Of the 27 individuals that were arrested by either Akashinga and Special Investigations teams between January 2018 and mid-March 2020:

• 30 arrests were made by Akashinga, representing 47 offences, and resulting in 21 convictions;
• 28 arrests were made by Special Investigations, representing 46 offences, and resulting in 23 convictions.
• The most prolific offender, one Peter Maketo, was arrested twice by Akashinga and twice by Special Investigations, receiving 3 convictions for his 4 offences.

Elephant Poaching – Lower Zambezi: 2016-2019

Thanks to the efforts of our rangers and investigation teams, elephant poaching in the Lower Zambezi has declined every year for the past 3 years. 

• 2016:      70+ (5.8 per month)
• 2017:      28 (60% decrease from 2016)
• 2018:      18 (36% decrease from 2017 and 76% from 2016)
• 2019:      7 (Down 90% from 2016)

Good relationships with and investment into local communities widens the intelligence network and operational footprint across the region. Between Akashinga and our work on special investigations, there have been over 200 arrests made since 2017, helping to drive an 80% reduction in elephant poaching across the entire Lower Zambezi ecosystem, home to one of the largest remaining elephant populations on Earth. 

Conservation and the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the wake of a complete disappearance of tourism as a source of income in African countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for protection of wildlife and wilderness areas has been greatly reduced. With the collapse of some non-profits and a lack of international funding sources, rangers across the continent are being left without resources to operate and sent home. We have already started to see a surge in poaching in the wake of these industry shutdowns.

When valuable ecosystems are now being abandoned and left without staff, they open up for poaching syndicates. This is a serious threat that needs to be fought now in order to not risk the destruction of unique wilderness areas and biodiversity. If the situation continues to deteriorate, years of conservation efforts could be undone. IAPF’s income has been affected by the crisis, with multiple activities and events restricted. We estimate up to a 30-40% downturn in projected funding this year.  

If you would like to help, consider donating to Global Conservation, or to our partners at the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, Bushlife Conservancy, and the Zambezi Society to help preserve the Mana Pools World Heritage Site through this difficult time.

2020 Expected Outcomes

• Increased ground coverage of rangers to further disrupt poaching activities
• Enhanced ranger confidence due to re-training protocol
• Improved data collection
• Improvement in intelligence and prosecutions
• Decline in number of elephants lost to poaching
• Stronger stakeholder presence, building trust and acting as a deterrent to poaching activity 
• Improved planning for rainy season hot spots for poaching activity
• Implementation of modern technology to offset the lack of manpower.