Gonarezhou: Zimbabwe's Conservation Success Story

In the south-east corner of Zimbabwe, adjoining the Mozambican border, is a vast wilderness area and one of the country’s most scenic landscapes—Zimbabwe’s second largest national park—Gonarezhou.

With an astonishing diversity of terrain, incorporating the iconic sandstone Chilojo Cliffs, plunging waterfalls, natural spring lines,threemajorrivers,magnificentbaobab treesonrockyridges,pocketsofopenflood plains and mopane woodlands with tracts of palm tree forests, the area is traversed by Africa’s largest land mammal, as well as an estimated 88 other mammal species. This is evident as their footprints and pathways are subtly moulded into, and seen across, the wide sweeping sand rivers and through the forest woodlands. It is no wonder then, that the name ‘Gonarezhou’, when translated in the local language, means ‘Place of the Elephants’.

It is an area steeped in history...with past outbreaks of war in both Zimbabwe and in Mozambique, notorious ivory poachers, land and boundary disputes and ancient traces of the slave trade. Its turbulent history, however, is now overshadowed by the successful collaborative efforts underway to restore the landscape and turn this exceptional ecosystem into one of the foremost well-managed conservation areas in Southern Africa.

So what does it actually take to transform 5,053square kilometres of prime wilderness into a protected and sustainable ecosystem?

Collaboration, team-work and long-term co-management partnerships

In 2007, the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority entered into afinancialandtechnicalassistancemodel for Gonarezhou National Park with Frankfurt Zoological Society. Lasting for a period of 10 years, up until 2017, the agreement focused on investment in infrastructure and the protection of the park’s resources. Following the successful implementation of these two aspects, in March, 2017, management of Gonarezhou was handed over to the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust, a co-management partnership between the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the Frankfurt Zoological Society. Overseen by a board of trustees, represented equally by both partners, the co-management partnership was created to establish a platform to enhance investment into the long-term sustainability of the park, a key feature being the retention of tourism funds at a park level for direct reinvestment into Gonarezhou and maintaining its ecological resources. organisations have been established to assist with research and monitoring, as well as ongoing engagement with local communities to ensuretheybenefitandbuyintothe protection of the park. Co-operation with key tourism stakeholders has also been vital for ensuring consistent revenue streams that will ultimately support ecological sustainability.

As Hugo van der Westhuizen, trust director of the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust says, ‘We need to ensure we are building alliances within the conservation world and with local communities to work towards a common goal. This is not about self-promotion, it is about our future and our children’s future, and to give up is not an option.’

A strong and unified vision

A powerful vision is vital to ensure focus, energy, objectives, planning, co-ordination and evaluation. The vision of the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust is clear and concise… ‘To be a model for sustainable conservation in Africa—where ecosystems are protected, tourism for conservation thrives and our stakeholders matter’.

Alongside this vision is a clearly laid-out purpose which is, ‘to protect and conserve the wilderness, biodiversity, ecological processes and wild and scenic landscapes within the park boundary. The park’s exceptional resource values will be sustained for present and future generations, while supporting its role in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area and regional economic development. The culture and history of the Shangaan people will be recognised as one of the key components of the park’.

Professional, dedicated and passionate people

Ultimately, if the will of the people is not there, then these wilderness areas eventually fall away due to inadequate protection, altering the habitat use, over-utilisation or the destruction of the natural resources. ‘We can have all financialresourcesandgoodintentionsin the world, but if the people who are doing the actual work on the ground are not committed to what they are doing then we are wasting our time, money and dreams. It is all about the dedication of the people we are supporting and working with, all of whom are working in difficultcircumstancesandprotectingthelast wild areas and its wildlife,’ says Hugo.

Currently, the number of staff directly available forfieldpatrolswithintheparknumberclose to 150, the highest in the park’s history, and a number that is anticipated to rise over the coming years. With a core aim to provide local

Writer: Shelley Cox, Africa Conservation Travel Photography: Africa Conservation Travel, Mana Meadows/ Gonarezhou Conservation Trust

GONAREZHOU

ZIMBABWE’S CONSERVATION SUCCESS STORY

‘Gonarezhou’, when translated in the local language, means ‘Place of the Elephants’

employment where possible and appropriate, recent recruitment drives have centred in areas directly adjacent to the park, and to date over 80 per cent of staff employed originate from neighbouring areas. All staff undergo intensive selection and training, followed up with regular in-house refresher courses and ongoing support to ensure the necessary skills and discipline to cope with the demanding and diverse issues theyarefacedwithinthefield.

Key personalities over the years have been influentialinensuringtheparkisprotectedand conserved for future generations. These include well-known and respected names such as Clive Stockil, Hugo and Elsabe van der Westhuizen, Anthony Kashcula, and the National Parks Area Manager, Evious Mpofu. Without these passionate individuals, Gonarezhou could have been in a very different situation than that in whichitfindsitselftoday. Ecological monitoring and resource protection

Ecosystems can be easily stressed by human activities, climate change and many other variables. Ecosystem monitoring is critical to ecosystem health and Gonarezhou Conservation Trust conducts extensive ecological monitoring to measure the impact of project activities, as well as to guide future management actions. These include regular large mammal aerial surveys, ongoing carnivore spoor surveys, monitoring of threatened or endangered species,roadgrading,firemonitoring, vegetation mapping and elephant movement studies.

In addition, the trust makes use of new and innovative technologies as a key strategy in the protection of the park’s resources. All patrol groups are equipped with digital radios, allowing them to be in constant communication with a central operations hub, allowing senior management and staff to monitor real-time movements of the ranger teams and provide immediate feedback on deployment strategies, taking into account information obtained through other groups and sources. The park also has a canine unit which, through a combination of tracking and detection skills, is on hand to support the ranger operations. Law enforcement efforts and results are monitored through the use of the SMART law enforcement software and DAS, enabling management to make informed decisions, evaluate staff performance, and determine trends in levels and types of threat over time.

Community engagement and sustainable community development

The‘ChilojoClub’istheflagshipcommunity engagement project in Gonarezhou and is a joint initiative by the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust, the African Wildlife Conservation Fund and the SAT (Sustainable Agriculture Technology)-WILD (Wildlife in Livelihood Development) Programme. It embraces a number of initiatives that include conservation education, awareness programmes and mitigation of human-wildlife In addition, along the north-eastern boundary of the park, the directors of Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge have been operating the MahenyeCharitableTrusttohelpfurtherbenefit the local communities. Continuing the positive momentum created by the CAMPFIRE (Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources) Programme initiated by Clive Stockil in the 1980s, the trust provides fundingtowardsprojectsidentifiedin conjunction with the village elders that will directlybenefitthelocalcommunity. Connectivity

Gonarezhou plays an integral role in the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, an area measuring almost 100,000 square kilometres and made up of wilderness landscapes within South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. With at least 30 per cent of the park boundary being the international boundary between Zimbabwe and Mozambique, it has been vital to ensure cross border collaboration in protecting the park, and these Transfrontier Conservation Areas are critical for ecosystem resilience and support the ethos of regional stability, sustainable economic development and enhancing the overall ecosystem integrity.

Tourism and infrastructure

The ethos of the park’s tourism is to tread as softly on the landscape as possible, whilst fully immersing oneself in the experience of being in this vast and rugged wilderness. Maintaining a low footprint has been a priority and ensuring the park does not become oversubscribed with tourism operators has been key to this. The park offers a variety of accommodation options, from remote wilderness campsites with basic facilities to community-built manangas (traditional Shangaan-style rondavels), mid-level chalets and higher-end mobile or temporary tented camps. In addition Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge, which sits on the boundary of the park, offers a more luxurious experience.

The conservation of large protected areas such as Gonarezhou are complex and costly, and it is through the formation of the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust that positive steps have been taken towards achieving long-term conservation viability for the park. Over the last decade, wildlife populations in Gonarezhou have shown a consistent positive trend. So if you are looking for a pure, rugged and true wilderness experience, Gonarezhou should be top of your list. With an estimated 89 species of mammals and 492 species of birds, the park has a plethora offaunaandfloramakingitoneoftheultimate safari destinations in Southern Africa today. By visiting Gonarezhou, you are not only supporting the concerted efforts underway to ensure the longevity of this incredible ecological gem, but you are supporting an example of successful on-the-ground conservation of a truly wild habitat.