National parks to have perimeter fences

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has said Government will erect perimeter fences around national parks as part of measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict.

Zimbabwe has about 84 000 elephants against a carrying capacity of 54 000, in a country in which game reserves occupy 26 percent of the land.

As a result of overpopulation, elephants and other wild animals end up encroaching into communities adjacent to game parks, destroying crops and killing both livestock and people.

Wild animals have also been blamed for some of the accidents that occur on the country’s highways.

 Speaking at the Africa Union-United Nations Wildlife Economy Summit which ended on Tuesday in Victoria Falls, President Mnangagwa said the country will stand firm on its call for free trade in wildlife products so that revenue from the sector is used for wildlife management.

He said the country has US$600 million worth of elephant and rhino horns stocks which when sold could generate enough money for wildlife management for the next two decades.

The President said the money will help to mitigate drought in game parks as well as fight poaching among other initiatives.

“Communities continue to experience human-wildlife conflict where some are maimed while crops and livestock are destroyed. We have to unlock value in wildlife in line with our model of wildlife management. There is a need to create an environment whereby wild animals are restricted from encroaching into human settlements. We need to fence the national parks. If we don’t maintain national parks, buffaloes will go to agricultural land and infect cattle with foot and mouth thereby affecting our export trade in beef,” said President Mnangagwa.

He said there is also a need to develop water bodies such as boreholes within national parks to mitigate water shortages induced by climate change.

President Mnangagwa said besides fencing national parks, Government is also fighting poaching through implementing a number of policies that include increasing aerial surveillance around national parks. 

He said Government is revitalising the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) to enhance conservation and ensure that communities benefit from locally available natural resources. – @ncubeleon