Tourism and Environment

NGO seeks to curb mass poisoning of vultures in game parks

Published

2 years ago

September 19, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A leading African conservation organisation is exploring ways to utilise technology to curb the poisoning of vultures in Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou National Park and Limpopo National Park in Mozambique.

The two game reserves are said to be the most affected by the poisoning of vultures.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), which is dedicated to conserving threatened species and ecosystems in southern and East Africa says it will use vultures as their “Eye In The Sky” to raise alerts about poisoning incidents.

Data would be transmitted from GPS-tracked vultures and sent to monitors, which will enable a more rapid response to potentially deadly incidents.

“The issue is exacerbated by the poisoning of vultures as sentinel species in association with the ivory trade, and other poaching practices, as well as targeting these birds for belief-use trade in their body parts, ” said Andre Botha, the Vultures for Africa programme manager at EWT.

“Vultures are targeted as their visible presence with large numbers descending from the skies and perching near to, or feeding on poached wildlife, alerts law enforcement staff to poaching or poisoning events.

“Their remarkable sentinel function has led to the extensive persecution of vultures across the continent.”

Gareth Tate, Birds of Prey programme manager at the EWT, said the technology will result in quicker reaction to poisoning incidents.

“In essence, when a vulture is killed on a poisoning scene, the immobility triggers an alert within minutes of death, allowing us to pinpoint the sites where vultures have died and respond rapidly and decontaminate the scenes to prevent further loss of vultures and other animals that would otherwise go undetected, or be detected too late,” Tate said.

“It is sad that vultures have to die to detect some of these events, but by sending an early alert signal to us they save the lives of countless other wildlife and allow us to rescue animals that have survived these poisoning events.”

Deborah Kahatano, chief of party for USAID’s VukaNow Activity, which is supporting the EWT innovation, said one of their core objectives was to increase the application of effective tools, technologies, and approaches that mitigate wildlife crime, while also working closely with communities to address these issues.

“The vision for this work is to expand the network of GPS-tracked vultures throughout poisoning hotspots across Africa and incorporate multiple partners and landscapes to uptake the Eye in the Sky poisoning detection system, while continuing to focus on additional proactive conservation measures to address the major indiscriminate threat of poisoning,” Kahatano said.

“This includes undertaking community work and targeted workshops with traditional medicine practitioners to raise awareness around the use of poisons to harvest vulture body parts and its risks to human health, and facilitating improved judiciary and law enforcement response, leading to more arrests being made.”

The first Saturday in September marks International Vulture Awareness Day, which intended to highlight the conservation of vultures that face a range of threats.- The Standard

Hwange

Hwange residents petition parliament over coal mining health risks

Published

3 weeks ago

December 11, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Greater Whange Residents Trust has presented a petition to the Parliament of Zimbabwe, drawing attention to the health risks associated with coal mining in Hwange.

The trust, which advocates for the welfare and interests of people in Hwange, highlights the need for urgent action to protect residents from the harmful effects of coal dust pollution.

According to the trust, the Pneumonoconiosis Act (Chapter 15:08), which was enacted to protect workers in dusty occupations, does not provide adequate protection for ordinary residents who are also affected by coal dust pollution.

The trust argues that the Act is “exclusionary” and was not designed to benefit ordinary residents, who are not eligible for regular medical checks to determine the impact of coal dust on their health.

Below is the full petition that was submitted to Parliament:

DRAW the attention of the House to the following:

1. The Constitution mandates the Parliament of Zimbabwe to make laws, carry out executive oversight and discharge a representative role, as well as protect the Constitution and democratic governance in Zimbabwe.

2. Section 117(2) of the Constitution, inter alia, mandates Parliament to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of Zimbabwe.

3. Section 8 of the Constitution sets out the objectives to guide all institutions and agencies of the State in the formulation and implementation of policies that will lead to the establishment, enhancement and promotion of a sustainable, just, free and democratic society in which people enjoy prosperous, happy and fulfilling lives.

4. Greater Whange Residents Trust is a Hwange-basedTrust which advocates for the welfare and interests of people in Hwange.

5. The town of Hwange is home to over 50 000 residents. These include men, women and children that are not employed as miners.

6. Coal mining is a key industry in that town and impacts on both the residents and the environment of Hwange town and beyond. Hwange is also surrounded by land which falls under the National Parks.

7. The Pneumonoconiosis Act (Chapter 15:08) came into operation on 1 August 1971. The Act remains in force. The long title of the Act gives as its objects the following: An Act to provide for the control and administration of persons employed in dusty occupations; and to provide for matters incidental to or connected with the foregoing. (emphasis added).

8. The Act was designed to respond to health issues affecting those employed in dusty occupations. Naturally,it is ill-equipped to respond to issues of stakeholders beyond this categorisation as stated by the lawmaker.

9. Mining in Hwange consists of both open cast and underground mining operations. Coal mining creates dust and dusty conditions that affect not just those employed by the coal mines. It affects communities that live on and around the mines.

10. Section 56 of the Constitution provides that all persons are equal before the law and have a right to equal protection and benefit of the law.

11. Your petitioners submit that ordinary residents of Hwange that are not employed in the coal mines are not benefiting from the provisions of the Act as currently framed. For instance, those directly employed in coal mines are eligible for regular medical checks under the Act to determine the impact of coal dust on their health, particularly the heart and kidneys. Ordinary residents are not beneficiaries of such tests. The Act was not designed for their benefit. It was exclusionary from the start.

12. Residents that are not employees of coal mines are therefore susceptible to health risks associated with coal mining, without the protection of the law. With the increase in coal and related mining activities, the number of persons that are not subject to the protection of the law thanks to the crafting of the Act has also increased. It is desirable that the Act be reviewed to embrace the protection of all persons that stay or live in environments that are subjected to coal mining dust. It may also be worthwhile for Parliament to consider how the Act could enjoin coal miners to contribute towards the reduction of coal dust, to enhance the health of residents.

13. Your petitioners are aware that section 73 of the Constitution guarantees their right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being, and to have their environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations. In this regard, the State must ensure the progressive realisation of this right by residents of Hwange.

WHEREFORE your petitioners humbly pray as follows:

That the Parliament of Zimbabwe to exercises its constitutional mandate to

1. Inquire into the nature and extent of the threat posed to residents due to the dust pollution;

2. Review the fairness of the Pneumonoconiosis Act [Chapter 15:08] to non-employees of the coal mining industry that reside in coal mining areas; and

3. Make recommendations on the review of the Act given the current situation in coal mining areas.

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Zimparks defends elephant culling: ‘Conservationists are greedy and misinformed’

Published

1 month ago

December 2, 2024

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

In a recent interview with VicFallsLive reporter Nokuthaba Dlamini, Tinashe Farawo of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) addressed the controversy surrounding elephant culling in Zimbabwe.

Farawo responded to criticism from conservationists on social media, who have condemned Zimparks for their handling of problem elephants in communities.

The debate sparked after an incident in Victoria Falls two months ago, where an elephant was killed in the suburbs, and others were killed in Hwange town.

Farawo defended Zimparks’ actions, stating that communities are under distress due to elephants causing unwarranted curfews, disrupting daily life, and even resulting in fatalities.

He criticized conservationists for slamming the idea of shooting to kill problem elephants, accusing them of being “greedy lots” who are more interested in fundraising than providing solutions.

Below are excerpts from the interview, where Farawo shares his perspective on the matter:

We don’t deal with activists, this is activism they are not conservationists, they are just activists

What we do, let me give you an example we have a hunting quota of 500 elephants every year, and this hunting quota has been in place since 1991, we have never exhausted that quota

We have a management quota that is in place there are many things that we can do. Do they know the definition of culling for example?

When we react to distress calls when communities tell us that there are elephants and lions there and we respond and when we respond we do an assessment and when human life is under threat we are left with no option, but to eliminate

In respect of the two incidences one which happened here in Victoria Falls and the other incident which happened in Hwange, you can actually see that the elephants were in the streets in communities and when we go there, we do an assessment.

Communities in Hwange last month were put on an unwanted curfew by the elephants. For two weeks, no one was going to school, no one was leaving his or her homestead

We receive those distress calls and we go there to restore order and the options that we have is either we scare the animals away, but if human life is under threat, we are left with no option.

We are no apologetic, that’s our job, our laws provide for that.

But because they don’t that and they don’t know the definition of culling and because they are activists and if they were conservationists they would understand what l am saying.

They are just raising their own money in the name our elephants, for their benefits.

They are just greedy and they have never given us options or alternatives to say what is it can we can do with the crisis.

We have a lot of biodiversity projects around our parks, do they say anything about it.

Communities lose their lives l, we have never heard them, even a condolence message.

Hwange

Wildlife Conservation: A double-edged sword for Hwange communities

Published

1 month ago

November 28, 2024

VicFallsLive

Hwange woman attacked by a crocodile in Matetsi River. She is footing her own medical bill

BY BRENDA NCUBE

In the heart of Matabeleland North’s Hwange district, wildlife conservation has become a contentious issue.

While the area is renowned for its rich biodiversity and generating substantial revenue, local communities are struggling to reap the benefits.

For communal farmers like Binwell Sibanda, the presence of wild animals has become a constant threat to their livelihoods.

“We rely heavily on farming, but these animals destroy our crops and livestock every year,” Sibanda lamented.

“We expect National Parks and CAMPFIRE (Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources) to control wildlife and not let them roam freely in communal areas.”

Nicholas Tembo, another affected farmer, emphasized the need for compensation for losses incurred due to human-wildlife conflict. “We should be reimbursed for our losses if wildlife destroys our crops or kills livestock,” he said.

The communities are also demanding that park authorities take responsibility in cases of human-wildlife attacks, including paying medical bills, funeral expenses, and supporting victims’ dependents.

Furthermore, the villagers are advocating for a quota for game meat to alleviate hunger and reduce poaching. “The park rangers can cull the animals and share the meat with the community,” Tembo suggested.

However, the communities are frustrated with CAMPFIRE, feeling that the program benefits the association running it rather than the communities themselves.

They are calling for CAMPFIRE to devise programs that channel funds from hunting trophies to benefit the communities, such as rural electrification and drilling boreholes.

The villagers are also seeking a more nuanced approach to addressing poaching, considering the motivations behind it. “If someone is caught poaching or snaring, the law should consider what they plan to do with the animal,” Tembo said.

As the debate surrounding the Parks and Wildlife Amendment Bill (H.B.1, 2024) continues, communities are keep on voicing concerns over compensation for victims of wildlife attacks and seeking clarity on how the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority plans to handle these compensations.

They are also demanding sovereignty over wildlife management, advocating for local authorities to take the lead.

Amidst the thriving tourism activities in the area, it is ironic that communities bordering national parks live in poverty. As Tembo emphasized, “It’s time for us to benefit from wildlife conservation and tourism.”