When travelling through Zinave National Park, one might ask how it is possible that pieces of paradise like this still exist. Lush green wetlands teeming with life, glades of baobabs with their finger-like branches reaching up to the sky, the magnificent Save River carving its way through the landscape and wildlife, both big and small, dot the expansive plains.
A paradise in the making
Even more remarkable is that less than half a decade ago, the sights we see today may have seemed like nothing more than a dream. Zinave has gone from being a hunting concession in the 1960s to being declared a protected area in 1972. Shortly thereafter, it suffered years of conflict where the wildlife population was decimated for bush meat to the thriving wilderness haven we see today.
Peace Parks Foundation’s CEO, Werner Myburgh, reflects on how far the park has come in the last few years and celebrates the historic conservation milestones achieved in 2022.
In 2015, Peace Parks Foundation and Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC) entered into a long-term co-management agreement to further develop the park.
Since then, Peace Parks and ANAC have been working together to restore the landscape and build resilient communities for the people living around the park. This is important as Zinave plays an integral part in the ancient wildlife migration route within the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area.
The Building Blocks
Peace Parks and ANAC swiftly got to work in training field rangers from the local communities to help secure the park. The rangers recovered more than 36 000 snares and illegal firearms and ammunition once used for poaching. Many of these were voluntary handed in by the community. After ensuring that the rangers were well-trained and equipped to deal with illegal incursions, the next step was reintroducing wildlife that originally lived in the park.
Over the last five years, over 2500 animals from 12 different species have been translocated into the park. The most recent and historic translocation saw the 13th and 14th species reintroduced – rhino and eland. This is the first time that Zinave has seen rhino in four decades, and the introduction has put Zinave on the map as Mozambique’s only Big 5 national park. This was made possible thanks to Exxaro Resources and partners.
Don’t miss out on watching the full white and black rhino translocation series on Peace Parks TV.
Community In Conservation
Successful conservation cannot exist without the community’s buy-in and support. This is integral to what Peace Parks Foundation does, and Zinave National Park is no exception. Employing rangers from the local communities helps promote employment opportunities, and in turn, these community members turned rangers, become custodians of the land.
A range of community projects in full swing is also working towards building resilient communities in the area. These include climate-smart agriculture programmes, water provision and government structures established to manage the revenue received from the park. In Mozambique, 20% of a national park’s revenue is shared with communities so that they can use the funds to build schools, clinics and other basic services people need to thrive.
Saving Zinave’s Trees
Like many other protected areas in Africa, illegal logging was a major problem in Zinave. People living in poverty around the park are exploited by large corporations and tasked to cut down their trees for export — all for a mere $2 a day in wages.
To prevent the exploitation of people and forests, regular aerial and ground patrols are undertaken by Zinave’s anti-poaching teams. Communities are also consulted on the importance of protecting the planet’s lungs. This has brought illegal logging to a complete stop within the park, but much still needs to be done to protect its buffer zone.
Peace Parks has also partnered with BioCarbon Partners (BCP) to roll out the United Nations Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) programme. This aims to reduce the carbon emissions released when trees are cut as well as decrease forest degradation worldwide.
Although still in its initial phases, the income generated through carbon credits from the REDD+ projects will not only help to keep Zinave’s forests protected but also act as a reminder of how important conservation is to the planet and its people. Forest conservation efforts can only be successful if they involve and benefit the people who have been living off this land for years. Through this programme, the local communities will receive a percentage of the sales, helping to further lift them out of poverty.
We look incredibly excited to see what the next few years in this piece of paradise will hold and look forward to taking you along on the journey with us!
