ZAMBEZI VALLEY
CONSERVATION NETWORK
A CONSERVATION STORY
Conservation through Collective Action
ZAMBEZI VALLEY
CONSERVATION NETWORK This story recognises the immense contributions being made by a community of organisations that are working throughout the Zambezi Valley landscape to protect its natural resources. It is an illustration of the ongoing restoration and preservation of the extraordinary biological and scenic values of the area; a testimonial to the achievements of the past, the actions of the present and the needs of the future. And it is, of course, the future that is now our concern. Never before has there been such pressure on the natural resources that represent immeasurable value to our planet’s wellbeing. Biodiversity loss has spiked beyond anything seen before and it is the challenge of our time to restore what is vanishing and protect what is vulnerable. The Zambezi Valley Conservation Network represents those that have created and contribute to tailored interventions that tackle the specific problems within our particular and precious geography. The delivery of these conservation solutions requires the combined efforts of all involved. Furthermore, we need the added guidance, support and backing of a range of expertise and resources, both locally and internationally, to create a complete story of success. The Zambezi Network is determined to establish a holistically healthy landscape. The scope of entities and conservation-related activities on the ground (described on pages 9 and 10 and further detailed within the Zambezi Network’s expanding online database), does require the ongoing support of a global audience that shares our vision of success. We want this publication and the functionality of the Zambezi Network to illustrate the unique Conservation Story of a unique landscape, encouraging the immediate assistance of individuals and funds to join us on this journey. A journey that promises adventure at every step…
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Conservation through Collective Action
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The Zambezi Valley - its history at a glance
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What’s so special about the Zambezi Valley?
What is the Zambezi Valley Conservation Network?
Why is the Zambezi Network needed? Entities that make up the Zambezi Network The Activity of the Zambezi Network The relevance of the Biosphere Reserve? The Zambezi Landscape What is the landscape approach to conservation? What are the threats, needs and opportunities within the landscape?
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How the Zambezi Network community can advance eective conservation actions
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What lies ahead? The Traveller. An African Folktale
THE ZAMBEZI VALLEY - its history at a glance
FOSSIL LOGS from ancient forests
200MILLION YEARS BC
150MILLION YEARS BC
DINOSAURS Footprints and fossils
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Conservation through Collective Action
Earliest evidence of Arab penetration; “trade goods” found at Chirundu
10000 YEARS BC
STONE AGE MAN “Tool factory” in Mana Pools
600 AD
VASCO DA GAMA “discovers” the Delta; calls the Zambezi the “River of Good Omens”
1000 AD
GROWING ARAB TRADING for gold and hunting for ivory along the Middle Zambezi
1498 AD
ONLY 4 000 ELEPHANTS LEFT IN ZIMBABWE virtually eliminated from the Middle Valley by past centuries of ivory hunting
1800 AD
PORTUGUESE “FIEFDOMS” and hunting along the Zambezi up to the Sanyati. Over 50 000kgs of ivory exported via Tete in 1859
1900 AD
1963 AD
Mana Pools, Chewore and Sapi declared as “game reserves”; human populations expelled
Threatened flooding by hydroelectric dam AVERTED by NGO action
1975 AD
Mana Pools and Matusadona designated as National Parks; Chewore and Sapi as Safari Areas
1980 AD
First “sustainable utilisation” programmes in adjacent rural communities
1984 AD
Mana Pools, Chewore and Sapi declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site
1985 AD
± 21 000 ELEPHANTS IN MID-ZAMBEZI VALLEY AREA
1990 AD
Threatened oil exploration AVERTED by NGO action
2001 AD
ZAMBEZI VALLEY CONSERVATION NETWORK established to facilitate conservation action and communication across the Middle Zambezi landscape, including the ELEPHANT NUMBERS Biosphere Reserve, DOWN TO 12000 World Heritage Site, IN MID-ZAMBEZI Matusadona National VALLEY. Serious declines Park, and adjacent in other species settled areas
2010 AD
2014 AD
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status awarded to extended Middle Zambezi landscape. SEVERE WILDLIFE POACHING AND DEFORESTATION
2014 2020 AD
2020 AD
TURNAROUND BEGINS. Numerous agencies and safari operators mount anti-poaching and reforestation programmes to halt wildlife decline and habitat loss
WHAT IS THE ZAMBEZI VALLEY CONSERVATION NETWORK? We are a community of conservationists, environmentalists, indigenous communities, activists, civil groups, businesses and corporate organisations who are committed to preserving and raising awareness of the beauty and ecological importance of the Zambezi Valley landscape. Our common goal is the maintenance of this extraordinary natural resource whilst reconciling the needs of those within surrounding rural communities.
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Conservation through Collective Action
How we can contribute
The Zambezi Network will provide a platform to enhance the strengths of the many conservation players in the Middle Zambezi Valley. Through outstanding communication, impact acknowledgement and information exchange, we will be catalytic in assisting the eďŹƒciencies that can be achieved through collaboration and unity.
What we want to achieve A landscape that will showcase a success story of biodiversity preservation and improved livelihoods for nearby rural communities through the united action of diverse but aligned participants.
O There is nowhere else on Earth quite like it...
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he Zambezi Valley is an iconic, world-class wildlife and scenic resource. Here, you’ll find the Zambezi River’s longest, contiguous expanse of riverine wilderness, which stretches 230 kilometres from Kariba Dam to Dande and represents the lifeblood of 6,3 million acres of ecologically significant and diverse habitat. The Zambezi Network’s areas of operation include a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site (consisting of Mana Pools National Park and the Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas), the Lower Zambezi Mana Pools Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) and part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA). The Zambezi is the continent’s fourth-largest river, and features dramatic and iconic floodplains, deciduous miombo woodlands and mineral-rich grasslands along its course; a biodiversity which, in turn, attracts a prolific and varied wildlife population of global biological significance. Less obviously, but equally importantly, the Zambezi landscape’s great variety of ecosystems, habitats and plant and animal life make a unique contribution to local community prosperity.
WHY IS THE ZAMBEZI NETWORK NEEDED?
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ntil now, there has been no landscape-wide conservation framework in the Middle Zambezi Valley that enables all participants to communicate quickly and effectively, identify gaps in vital activities, track emerging issues, avoid duplication of effort, and source funding. The Zambezi Network fulfils this need by bringing together a connected “forum of equals” for discussion, planning and activity related to conservation issues. It is designed to include all participants, interests and authorities that play a role in the conservation of the Zambezi Valley and Biosphere Reserve, and will strengthen the trust and synergies between collective conservation and rural development work underway. Collective action leads to collective impact.
Conservation through Collective Action
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ENTITIES THAT MAKE UP THE ZAMBEZI NETWORK
The Zambezi Network brings together organisations and projects that are contributing to conservation delivery in the Middle Zambezi landscape. The many entities that make up this network are dynamic and diverse. The Zambezi Network’s website (www.zambezinetwork.org) has an illustrative mapping tool showing who does what, where and how – information that is updated regularly and an aid to the efficiency of conservation action in the landscape. The following shows the five entity types within which the varied range of Zambezi Network organisations are found.
LOCAL AUTHORITIES
TOURISM GROUPS
Local and regional government Environmental Management Agency Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority Forestry Commission Zimbabwe Tourism Authority
Photographic and trophy hunting safari operators
LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATIONS Community and traditional leaders Socio economic development organisations
CONSERVATION SUPPORT ORGANISATIONS Anti-poaching, law enforcement and ranger welfare
CORPORATE PARTNERS Mining and agricultural companies
Animal welfare groups
AT WORK WITHIN THE ZAMBEZI VALLEY LANDSCAPE – AN AREA OVER 6.3 MILLION ACRES
3 Rural District Councils
Over 25 safari tourism operations
Several developmental NGOs
Over 10 dedicated Conservation Support Organisations
Several agri business corporates
THE ACTIVITY OF THE ZAMBEZI NETWORK
The Zambezi Network’s core objective is to centralise and streamline critical communications on activity, information and impact between network members, in order to strengthen synergies and optimise outputs within the landscape. The following are the eight core activity categories where Network entities focus their impact delivery. Research and consultation will verify and authenticate these themes over time. The Zambezi Network’s online database shows detail of where this activity is taking place and by whom.
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Biodiversity and habitat maintenance and restoration
Rural community resilience and development opportunity
Research, evaluation and monitoring
Wildlife protection
The preservation of vulnerable habitat, a reduction in deforestation rates and habitat loss through innovative protection and restoration activity.
The creation and successful delivery of projects and interventions that improve livelihoods within communities living alongside wildlife. Including human / wildlife conflict resolution and improvements to agriculture, sustainable resource management and conservation education.
The identification of needs and development of programmes to implement essential allied landscape-wide research, data gathering and evaluation.
The maintenance of the Zambezi Valley’s optimal wildlife asset, through ranger support, assistance to antipoaching units, combating illegal wildlife trade and the reintroduction of lost species (i.e Rhino).
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Sustainable conservation investments and funding streams
Impact reporting
Advocacy, awareness and policy contribution
Optimal tourism and the revival of stranded assets
A diverse and robust blend of income to support essential programming, including philanthropic funding, tourism related incomes, private sector investments, CSR and carbon revenues.
The collation and distribution of data and narrative that illustrates the impact of conservation in the landscape. The production of publications for widespread distribution.
A representative platform for Zambezi Valley advocacy and awareness of conservation related issues and policy development. Serves to optimise local and international visibility of conservation needs, efforts and successes in the Zambezi Valley.
The promotion of the Zambezi Valley tourism asset, the product diversity and uniqueness of destination. The restoration of those distressed areas of the landscape that are stranded assets in terms of revenue value.
Biosphere Reserves place a strong emphasis on bringing together conservation and human needs at landscape scale.
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he boundaries of the Zambezi Network’s current area of interest coincide closely with those of the UNESCO Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve, which was gazetted in 2010. (Biosphere Reserve status is awarded to areas of globally-important biological value; and the Middle Zambezi Valley contains riverine and terrestrial ecosystems that are unique to the sub-continent.)
UNESCO describes Biosphere Reserves as being “learning places for sustainable development”, and as “places that provide local solutions to global challenges.” The success of these ambitions will depend heavily on strengthening the benefits to local councils and communities.
Biodiversity maintenance is vitally important to ecosystem function and human wellbeing and requires more detailed research in the Middle Zambezi Valley.
A common purpose, a deeper understanding, a mutual vision and a shared love of the Zambezi Valley and its inhabitants.
THE ZAMBEZI LANDSCAPE
National Parks Protected Areas Southern Boundary Community impact zone Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve
6,300,000 acres
UNESCO World Heritage Site 1,664,000 acres
Z I M B A B W E
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ntil now, wildlife-based conservation activities largely concentrated on “protected areas”, the majority of which fall under the management of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) with some under administration by Rural District Councils. Today, there is a growing recognition that conservation of these important biological assets is best achieved by regarding them as “focal points” within a broader “landscape” that includes neighbouring communities that co-exist with wildlife, and accommodates them in conservation planning and the sharing of the benefits it generates. Many conservation actions at landscape levels are directed at reconciling these competing forms of land use through reducing human-wildlife conflict and providing long-term benefits to rural communities through a variety of means, including job creation and income generation.
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Conservation through Collective Action
“ The world is changing fast and we understand that we in Africa need to adapt and change too. One of the most pressing
questions facing conservation is how local communities that live on the boundaries of wildlife areas can beneďŹ t from these assets, whilst at the same time protecting and preserving these last great wildernesses. We are all on a journey to unlock this answer Chief Chundu and can start by recognising that by working together we have the greatest chance of success.
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WHAT ARE THE THREATS, NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE LANDSCAPE? The last 20 years have seen a gradual degradation of the Zambezi Valley’s wildlife assets, particularly in those marginal wilderness areas that were once delivering business and investment opportunities for tour operators, but are now no longer viable and have become “stranded assets”. Recently, this degradation has been aggravated by the COVID crisis and its effects on tourism and hunting, which are the major “income earners” for wildlife areas and adjacent rural communities. Large areas of the landscape are therefore under increased threat of losing their wildlife and wilderness value.
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imbabwean legislation requires that State-controlled “protected areas” must finance their own management via incomes generated mainly from tourism and sport hunting, without government subsidy. The decline in this income leading to the “stranded assets” scenario described opposite, is aggravating the erosion of the asset value, as wildlife and habitat are lost through illegal hunting, agricultural expansion and mining activity. Immediate solutions to salvage the situation include the focused restoration of wildlife and habitat sufficient to revive sustainable revenues through innovative tourism and potential carbon project investments. This restoration will need to include concerted collaborative improvements to local community economies, through a range of investments that lead to job creation, agricultural advancement and a reduction in threat to livelihoods through wildlife interference. Ultimately, the revival of the overall Zimbabwean economy and of local revenues from tourism and sport hunting will play a large role in determining the speed at which restoration ambitions can be achieved.
Threats
Poaching and Wildlife Trade
Illegal hunting or “poaching” continues to be a major concern throughout the landscape and is significant in both subsistence level hunting, in which meat for survival or local trade is the primary objective, as well as the illegal killing of several high value species for international trade, including ivory, lion bones and pangolin scales.
Habitat Loss
Habitat loss due to agricultural conversion and wood fuel demand has accelerated in the last decade. Within the Middle Zambezi Valley catchment attractive returns have become available to small-scale farmers through tobacco farming in the settled areas. Pressure on natural habitat is aggravated by the wood-fired tobacco curing process and the consequential massive loss of natural forest habitat.
Mining and extractives
Interest in minerals and hydrocarbon exploration have been constant threats to the Valley ecology for some years. Conservation efforts may have to be directed more towards mitigation of impact as well as the prohibition of illegal exploitation, which has accelerated to unprecedented levels recently, particularly with the arrival of many hundreds of artisanal gold panners throughout the river systems of the Valley. The conflicting land use issues highlighted by mining claims must be countered by illustrating that the value delivered by sustainable natural resource development can provide equal or greater economic and social benefits to mineral extraction.
Needs Conservation funding and investments are continually required to enable the delivery of critical activity on the ground. The Middle Zambezi Valley is yet to reach the recognition it deserves as a flagship wilderness landscape within Africa. Our task, now, is to raise the Valley’s profile to a wider audience of supporters, who can see clearly where the delivery of conservation action is taking place and then choose to support specific interventions. Ranger support – optimal skills development and improvement of working and living conditions
Essential biodiversity and allied research – bridging the knowledge gaps to enable robust management decision-making Improvement of tourism facilities – providing the most advanced portfolio of opportunities for visitors to the area Rural community benefits – employment, education and innovations to enable optimal agriculture and the sustainable use of natural resources Climate change projects – local agricultural adaption plus exploration of viable carbon projects and revenue opportunities through optimal habitat management
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Conservation through Collective Action
Opportunities Co-management Opportunities
Historically, the management of Zimbabwe’s National Parks and other State-protected areas has been undertaken solely by a Government department or, more recently, by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) with assistance from NGOs in cash or kind. In the past few years, ZPWMA has entered into long term “co-management” agreements with externally based NGOs for two Zimbabwean national parks: Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) in Gonarezhou and African Parks in Matusadona (which lies within the Zambezi Network’s current geographical boundary and is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve “Core Area”). A similar approach may be appropriate in parts of the Zambezi Valley landscape, especially where the area’s distressed assets require specific long-term conservation investments.
Corporate and Agricultural Partnerships
Opportunities exist in the transition zones for corporate and agricultural entities to become involved in natural resource conservation activities. Significant investments in conservation are already being made by large corporates, who are now playing an exciting new role in conservation outcomes in the landscape.
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lthough many international agencies have consistently contributed generously to the Valley landscape over the years, there is still a huge need for external funding if Zambezi Network members are to achieve their collective goal. The Zambezi Network aims to support these fundraising activities and assist the communication of activity and impact to a wide audience. The Zambezi Network sets out to provide a catalytic platform that will enable the major components of the conservation landscape in becoming ďŹ nancially and managerially self-suďŹƒcient.
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Goals
The role, mandate and ambitions of the Zambezi Network will evolve over time. However, below is an indication of some of the initial value that can be added to the impact of Network members.
1 - 3 YEAR GOALS
3 - 5 YEAR GOALS
5+ YEAR GOALS
• Develop a publicly accessible database that shows clearly where conservation related activity is taking place and by whom. • Develop communications platforms and collateral, including publications illustrating Zambezi Valley conservation, that can showcase how activity meets global objectives and can lead to international recognition that will assist an improved visibility of Zambezi Valley protection and restoration activity. • Develop a mandate and the capacity to play a meaningful role in the efficacy of conservation impact delivery by members. • Develop an information platform to assist conservation efficiency and advocacy in opposition to illegal or inappropriate developments or threats to the biological integrity of the landscape. • Demonstrate to conservation stakeholders and wider audiences that information exchange and collective action can be a powerful catalyst to sustainable conservation. • Contribute to the development of the landscape’s strategic management planning. • Assist research to identify emerging conservation threats. • Cultivate a culture of transparent ‘open book conservation’ where collective leadership is catalysed by information sharing. • Assist with the provision of forums, events and campaigns to promote connections, conversations, synergies and collaboration between member organisations.
• Function as a proudly Zimbabwean conservation community that showcases the diverse and powerful combined contributions to conservation by its members. • Improve understanding and mapping of impact and activity by members to inform local and international audiences and funding agencies. • Share successful models and strategies within the region for replication and cross-pollination of impact, including analysis of trans-boundary and regional conservation successes. • Contribute to a resilient suite of funding sources to maintain critical conservation activity by members, garnering local and international recognition and support. • Facilitate the regular distribution of informative reports and publications to illustrate member activity and collective impact, optimising collaborative potential.
• Play a contributing role in the effective reconciliation of competing forms of land use, achieved by delivering improved local incomes, education and reduced human-wildlife conflict. • Contribute to the free flow of adequate funding for essential conservation activity throughout the landscape. • Reinforce long-term protected area status and support sustainable commercial and conservation activity. • Work closely with the Ministry of Environment and the Wildlife Management Authority to deliver management and monitoring of the Biosphere Reserve.
“Sharing experiences and ideas, recognising the wins, identifying and filling the gaps, understanding the challenges and mobilising collectively to be a more effective force… these are at the heart of our vision.”
WH WHAT LIES AHEAD?
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e know that a sustainable Valley landscape is possible if we make vital changes now. This requires innovative methods of income generation and a balanced allocation of natural resource benefits for the future welfare of habitat, wildlife and rural people. This process is underway in the protected areas and the settled lands on their boundaries. The future will see a growing scope and scale of the Zambezi Network’s response to conservation and community development. The Zambezi Network’s landscape-wide operational area need not be defined by national or international legislation. Its boundaries are therefore inherently flexible, and this allows for timely additions and modifications should this become appropriate in future. With this flexibility, the Zambezi Network will also be able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances that may require the inclusion and support of further participants. One example is the swiftly-evolving global response to climate change, which has already identified the urgent need for biodiversity maintenance in all its aspects, including species and genetic diversity through the preservation of precious wilderness assets.
“We look forward to what is achievable in telling the compelling conservation story of the Zambezi Valley. If through this process the Zambezi Network can link or inspire collaborative success or advance the ecosystem of Zambezi partners worldwide, it will have made a contribution! Protecting the Middle Zambezi Valley’s biological natural resources for a long and sustainable future demands that we, all stakeholders of the Zambezi Valley at large, aim higher, work wider, and stand stronger – together.The Zambezi Network will do all it can to share information, exchange ideas, support its members, find solutions and take action to assist the success of its community of actors… and the Zambezi Valley is all the better for it.”
Conservation through Collective Action
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The Traveller. An African Folktale
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nce there was a wise, elderly man who spent his days just outside his village sitting under a shady tree where he would think.
One day, a traveller came up to him and said, “Old man, I have travelled far. I have seen many things and met many people. Can you tell me what kind of people I will meet here?” The wise man replied, “Yes, I’d be happy to tell you. But first, tell me what kind of people you’ve met in your travels so far.” The traveller responded, “Oh, you wouldn’t believe it. I have met the most awful people! People who are selfish and unkind to strangers. People who don’t care for themselves or one another. I’ve met foolish young people I could learn nothing from, and old people whose lack of hope depresses everyone they meet.” As the traveller spoke, a look of sadness grew in the wise man’s eyes. “Yes,” he said. “I know exactly the kind of people you speak of. And I’m sorry to tell you that if you go into my village, those are exactly the kind of people you’ll meet.”
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Conservation through Collective Action
“I knew it!” the traveller scoffed. “It’s always the same.” He kicked the dirt under his feet and stormed off down the road, without ever bothering to stop in the village. A few hours later, another traveller came upon the wise man. “Kind sir,” he said, “I have travelled far. I have seen many things and met many people. Can you tell me what kind of people I will meet here?” The wise man replied, “Yes, I’d be happy to tell you. But first, tell me what kind of people you’ve met in your travels so far.” The traveller responded, “Oh, you wouldn’t believe it. I have met the most amazing people! People who are kind and generous to strangers; people who care for one another like family. I’ve met young people with a wisdom beyond their years, and I’ve met older people with a youthful passion for life that brings joy to everyone they meet. And I have learned much from all of them.” This time, as the traveller spoke, the wise man smiled brightly. “Yes,” he said. “I know exactly the kind of people you speak of. And I’m happy to tell you, if you go into my village, those are exactly the kind of people you’ll meet.” “Come then,” said the traveller, “and introduce me to them.”
The protection of the Zambezi Valley provides all the ingredients of a great adventure story. Bravery, peril, overwhelming odds, shared endeavours and triumphs! But this story also has gratitude at its core; it recognises all those who have dedicated their lives to protect, grow and transform the Zambezi Valley. It binds us through our collective action and creates the breakthroughs we’re all aiming for – those that come from optimism, sheer grit and dogged determination. Join us.
The Zambezi Network thanks the following for the use of their beautiful images: Graham Cochrane, Simon Smith, Jazzy Middleton, Craig Martin, Tim Marks, Milo Harrup, Steven Chikosi, Children in the Wilderness. And for input and assistance with the initial development phase of the Network, we are grateful to the following entities:
info@zambezinetwork.org
@ZambeziConservationNetwork
www.zambezinetwork.org
@zambezi-conservation-network
