Global conservation target tipped for success in Zimbabwe
As first appeared in Community Podium News in Zimbabwe, here. Written by Calvin Manika.
February 13 2023
At last year’s UN global biodiversity conference, 190 countries agreed to safeguard 30 percent of their marine and terrestrial resources by 2030
At present Zimbabwe has 232 protected areas -- state and private – covering 106,838 square kilometres. Image by Tatenda Mapigoti.
The worldwide 30 by 30 (30x30) initiative for governments to designate 30% of the earth’s land and ocean as protected areas by 2030 is attainable in Zimbabwe, experts have said.
Preserving biodiversity, which is imperilled by habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and climate change, are at the heart of the initiative which seeks to conserve 30% of terrestrial and marine habitat.
A rapid increase in deforestation, pollution and poaching resulting in biodiversity loss, has seen wildlife conservationists in Zimbabwe calling for the creation of more space for wildlife.
“As a country we have been trying to do what is right in nature conservation. Through awareness campaigns and initiatives such as private conservancies. The government’s drive to involve everyone is commendable. We need to maintain that and surpass the 30 x 30 target,” said Gerald Moyo, a local wildlife conservancy owner.
In building a network of protected places that preserve biodiversity, wildlife conservation experts say corridors continue to be one of the finest conservation measures. There are wildlife corridors in Matabeleland North areas namely, Lupane, Gwayi, Matetsi, Victoria Falls, and Hwange.
“This protection can be attained by establishing a network of protected places, which offer connection, a vital component. Protected spaces and connectivity are complementary initiatives that constitute the best route for reaching 30 x 30 goals, not just for the current environmental conditions but also for the future,” Moyo added.
“The recent human/wildlife conflict in my area is linked to an increase in population of animals like bush pigs and impalas. Sometimes the animals end up in the fields of nearby villages. We can not risk them being poached by locals. I think the animals need a lot of space which I am going to create and also protect biodiversity loss,” said Ishmael Mumpande, a conservancy owner in Gwayi.
Mumpande intends to convert 2 hectares of land that he had reserved for farming at his 10-hectare conservancy for wildlife breeding. He says the decision was necessitated by the pressure caused by the increase of wildlife population in his conservancy.
At the United Nations’ biodiversity summit in Montreal, Canada, in December of last year, more than 190 nations agreed to a comprehensive accord to safeguard nature. The accord sets 23 goals, including a commitment to safeguard 30% of land and oceans by 2030 to reverse the biodiversity disaster. Currently, just 17% of land and 10% of the waters are regarded as protected. This has been praised by activists as a “huge milestone” for protecting delicate, complex ecosystems that are essential to human life.
Up to 1 million land and marine species could go extinct as a result of human activity, according to a ground-breaking assessment released in 2019 by the UN’s expert nature panel. Deforestation, pollution, and other wildlife crimes are human activities that have a negative impact on the environment.
The Kunming-Montreal global biodiversity framework included a commitment to safeguard almost one third of land, freshwater, and oceans by 2030, as well as an agreement to reform $500 billion in environmentally detrimental subsidies and enhance biodiversity funding to developing nations.
According to Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International, “the agreement constitutes a significant milestone for the conservation of our natural world, and biodiversity has never been so high on the political and economic agenda.”
In 2021, nine organisations joined together to pledge $5 billion over the next 10 years to support the creation, expansion, management and monitoring of protected and conserved areas of land, inland water and sea, working with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, civil society and governments.
Zimparks is encouraging citizens to start businesses as part of the country’s wildlife-based land reform, according to an announcement made by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority’s spokesperson Tinashe Farawo in January 2023.
“The requirements are not many. We do an assessment and produce an assessment report where we look at the security of the place, we also look at the availability of water and food. Those are the main things. One needs to be a farmer or a prospective farmer and pays some transfer fees in terms of translocations,” said Farawo.
Scientists have repeatedly warned that the status of nature is precarious and under attack from invasive species, habitat loss, pollution, overuse, and climate change. All living beings are gravely threatened by the continued and rapid loss of natural areas around the planet. The vast majority of scientific research, however, demonstrates that protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and ocean will not only help slow down biodiversity loss and stop extinctions, but will also help store carbon, avert future pandemics, and promote economic growth.
“Farmers can venture into wildlife business, it is lucrative but mostly helps us to look after the animals in terms of conservation and diversify the risk. It protects our biodiversity. As the authority we only regulate,” added Farawo.
The Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) replaces the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and associated Aichi Targets agreed on by parties in 2010, which were meant to guide international efforts on biodiversity conservation. Experts say those targets were largely missed, and the GBF itself came 2 years late, given that it was originally due for 2020.
According to research, 1 million animal and plant species are currently in danger of going extinct, many of them within the next few decades, making this the highest extinction rate in human history.
“The Aichi Target 11, which sought to safeguard 17% of land and 10% of coastal and marine habitats, was less ambitious than the 30×30 target. Due to concerns that many protected areas lack connectivity, do not always safeguard the most important areas for biodiversity, and are not equally and effectively managed, Aichi Target 11 was partially successful in terms of numbers but less so in terms of quality,” said Fadzai Chirozva, a conservationist.
Zimbabwe is acknowledged as one of the most tenacious proponents of the sustainable usage ideology in Africa. Zimbabwe’s wildlife management techniques, both in the Parks and Wildlife Estate (PWLE) and the communal/private land sector, are growing in contrast to the reality that the world’s biodiversity is decreasing daily. According to wildlife researcher Michael D. Kock, more than 30% of the nation’s land mass is presently used by wildlife in some capacity.
“Only a few nations in the world can compare to this tendency. Despite the country’s growing human population and issues with land ownership, there are more elephants than ever before among other animal species. The black rhinoceros is a glaring exception to this. It’s probable that the state of the black rhinoceros would be substantially different now if cutting-edge wildlife management techniques had been used to the protection of this species years ago,” said Kock.
According to Kock, Zimbabwe has a number of forward-thinking and creative conservation programs, such as the Intensive Protection Zones (IPZs) for rhinoceros, the conservancy idea, and rigorous evaluations of multi-species (cattle and/or wildlife) production systems.
“Within these projects, wild animal sales and sport shooting are bringing in a sizable sum of money for both the commercial sector and communal wildlife programs. The use of electric fences to control troublesome animals is one of the other cutting-edge research projects,” added Kock.
However some delegates were concerned that the Kumming-Montreal plan could place too much emphasis on numbers rather on biodiversity outcomes, while others are worried about how 30×30 would be executed fairly and equitably. The accord has also come under fire for lacking specific commitments to cut back on consumption and production, two major contributors to the loss of biodiversity.
While addressing the Science Media Centre in London, Imma Oliveras Menor, a senior researcher at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, warned that the implementation can be hampered by slow implementation and failure to mobilise the promised resources.
“The agreement is not legally binding. Countries have agreed to a monitoring framework to evaluate progress but “there are no binding commitments making the whole mechanism look weak,” said Menor.
This article is reproduced here as part of the African Conservation Journalism Programme, funded in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe by USAID’s VukaNow: Activity. Implemented by the international conservation organisation Space for Giants, it aims to expand the reach of conservation and environmental journalism in Africa, and bring more African voices into the international conservation debate. Written articles from the Mozambican and Angolan cohorts are translated from Portuguese. Broadcast stories remain in the original language.
