PROJECTS

Advocacy and Planning

ZAMBEZI VALLEY HOLISTIC MANAGEMENT PLANNING

A 10-year Management Planning process (2023 - 2033) is currently underway for the mid-Zambezi Valley complex (see map above) which includes the Mana Pools/Sapi/Chewore and the wider Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve. This is being undertaken by the Zambezi Valley Biodiversity Project, funded by UNDF and GEF. The Zambezi Society is an active stakeholder in this process, having previously (in 2020) assisted Zimbabwe’s Man and Biosphere committee with reporting to UNESCO on first ten years of the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve.

We advocate for holistic, long-term, management planning for the whole Zambezi Valley in order to retain its unique wilderness values.

CONSERVING & PROMOTING WILDERNESS VALUES AND INFLUENCING BEHAVIOUR IN WILD AREAS

The Zambezi Society’s mission to Conserve the Zambezi’s wildernesses and promote the recognition of their values lies at the forefront of our participation in any stakeholder engagement process. Through Public Awareness Campaigns, we encourage responsible and sensitive behaviour and practices by all visitors and operators in the Zambezi Valley’s National Parks and wild areas. Our RESPECT THE WILD series of informative posters and leaflets and CODES OF CONDUCT for visitor behaviour in sensitive wildlife environments like Mana Pools and Chitake Spring are available for download as Educational Materials on this website.

MONITORING TOURISM & DEVELOPMENTAL IMPACTS

The Zambezi Society acts as an independent watchdog , monitoring any developments (e.g. mining proposals, tourism projects which could have a detrimental impact on the biodiversity or wilderness values of the Zambezi Valley. We actively take part in any Environmental Impact Assessment processes, mobilising support by reaching out to our local, regional and international support base through Social Media and other outlets. We make constructive suggestions to mitigate damaging impacts, and, if necessary, will strongly oppose developments that we consider unsuitable.

Educational Materials

Featured

THE BULLETIN - DECEMBER 2024

December 2024: The Zambezi Society’s end of year news for 2024 reports on a useful dialogue session hosted with conservation colleagues to share ideas about what's needed to effectively sustain support for Zambezi Valley conservation into the future. We highlight some promising developments for the future management of some of the Valley's protected areas, but also many challenges, including some worrying development controversies in and around the Victoria Falls. We report on our fieldwork assisting ZimParks with vehicle support for anti-poaching deployments and reactions in the Zambezi Valley, and supporting WildCru’s predator survey work in the Sengwa, Chirisa and Chizarira areas. We continue to provide practical solutions to communities in and around Kariba and Mana Pools with Human-Wildlife Co-Existence (HWC), and are expanding our innovative HWC Virtual Reality programme to schoolchildren. We also pay tribute to two dedicated conservation colleagues who lost their lives in tragic circumstances.

VICTORIA FALLS CONTROVERSIES - NOV 2024

Nov 2024: Recent concerns about burgeoning development pressure in and around the Victoria Falls point to a worrying lack of will to co-ordinate the planning for the whole area. The Victoria Falls and their surrounds are not only a local and regional tourism jewel, they are a Natural Wonder and World Heritage Site of priceless intrinsic value to the whole world. They need to be safeguarded through careful zoning and enforcement of boundaries. Several planning processes are underway to ensure this, but the current situation is fraught with complexities. Various players with different ambitions are all competing for a share in what is seen as a lucrative pot of gold. Confusion over zones and boundaries is providing loopholes for controversial new developments and activities to take place within areas which are highly ecologically sensitive. Some of these have already attracted legal opposition. Zimbabweans need to have the courage to prioritise the global intrinsic value of Victoria Falls over its local economic value.

AN INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE FOCUSED ON THE ZAMBEZI VALLEY- OCT 2024

Oct 2024: The formation of trusts and agreements with ZimParks for the co-management of the Matusadona National Park (with African Parks) and, more recently, the Greater Mana Pools Ecosystem (with the Peace Parks Foundation) represent major positive steps for the future conservation of the Zambezi Valley landscape.

In October 2024, The Zambezi Society convened an interactive dialogue session in Harare to focus on the trends and changes taking place within the Zambezi Valley, and to explore interactively what is needed to effectively sustain conservation support for the area into the future. We provide a summary of what took place at this meeting and list the priorities for action decided upon by those who attended.

THE BULLETIN - JAN-APRIL 2024

Jan - April 2024: The Zambezi Society is focusing and strengthening our efforts to help communities with practical solutions and awareness about Human-Wildlife Co-Existence, along the southern boundary of the Charara Safari Area and within Kariba Town itself. We're printing new awareness materials and plan to extend our Virtual Reality programme in schools to other parts of the Zambezi Valley. We continue to assist ZimParks with anti-poaching around Kariba and in Mana Pools, where the new trans-boundary co-management agreement with the Peace Parks Foundation brings hope for new partnership opportunities. We've also got some more carnivore survey research work lined up with WildCru this year, and we welcome Zambia's decision to withdraw the licence for the controversial Kangaluwi Copper Mine in the Zambezi Valley opposite Mana Pools and Sapi. This is a great win for conservation!