Herald Reporter
The safari industry has lost nearly US$100 million revenue as hunters continue to cancel bookings for 2020 because of Covid-19 that has affected the world in general and Zimbabwe in particular.

The industry has revealed that close to 90 percent of the bookings which are equivalent to 8 000 hunting days have been cancelled so far.

Zimbabwe has also witnessed a spike in poaching, including human-wildlife conflict due to the sudden and drastic decline in tourism revenue .

Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe president, Dr Emmanuel Fundira, said direct and indirect jobs lost were in excess of 100 000, which he said was significant in the development of the economy.

“Zimbabwe is part of the Transfrontier Parks namely Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP), Kavango Zambezi Conservation Area (KAZA) and is signatory to emerging Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA’s) such as Chimanimani TFCA and The Greater Mapugubwe TFCA which together support more than two million direct and indirect jobs all of which are under severe threat due to the evasiveness of Covid-19,” he said.

“The pandemic comes at a time when Zimbabwe is in the throes of a debilitating drought and barely recovering from the effects of Cyclone Idai (2019). The pandemic, COVID-19, adds more pain to a very depressed situation and is further compounded by widespread cancellation of bookings recorded daily nationwide.

“This is revenue running close to US$100m already lost which means the remaining US$10m worth of business may not be salvaged in this calendar year unless the spread is halted or controlled to reasonable levels.”

According to the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) 2018 annual report, more than 800 000 households in Zimbabwe depend directly on wildlife utilisation.

A sizable share of wildlife revenues is applied towards community based projects such as building schools, clinics, provision of water, sanitation and building of roads.

“Be that as it may, and in order to mitigate against the prevailing dire situation we continue to advise operators to persuade international clients to postpone bookings to a future date, including rescheduling bookings to 2021 season,” said Dr Fundira.

Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guides Association chairman, Mr Lance Nesbitt expressed concern that wildlife conservation activities had been affected by Covid 19 and appealed to governments and non-governmental organisations for funding to protect wildlife.

He said since the global shutdown that has led to travel bans and shutting of borders, tourist arrivals had come at a standstill, negatively affecting revenue inflows.

“This has led to the inability of a lot of safari operators to fund the anti-poaching units; the day-to-day patrols,” said Mr Nesbitt. “There are some that are managing to do this, but others will not be able to do this and this has an impact on wildlife.

“We are not only unable to operate, but 85 percent of the populations are not employed in the formal sector and they survive on a day-to-day basis; their source of revenue has also been taken away. This leads to hungry people and an increased poaching.”

Mr Nesbitt said there was an increase in human-wildlife conflict which the association was having challenges dealing with.

The association has set a platform for experienced personnel to assist people in the affected areas.

Mr Nesbitt said they had lost revenue for the next six months and this had an impact on operators, as they may end up having challenges paying employees.