Search

This study investigates climate change adaptation and mitigation interventions within the framework of green economy for sustainable development and poverty eradication in the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve, Zimbabwe. The study adopted a mixed methods approach, mainly drawing data from field observations, focus group discussions (FGDs) drawing representatives from a household survey and key informant interviews. Primary data were collected in April and August 2015 from FGDs whose participants were derived from household heads who had previously participated in a broader climate change study. Key informant interviews were also held with traditional leaders, local experts and managers in the wildlife sectors. This was supplemented with data from secondary sources. Findings from the study indicate that stakeholders in the biosphere reserve implement green economy and climate change-related programmes and projects. Results also indicate that the biodiversity- and/or wildlife-related laws and policies developed prior to 2010 do not directly mention the term green economy and climate change yet these indirectly address the green economy agenda. However, recent soft law documents (post 2010) such as the Zimbabwe’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2013–2020) and local councils’ strategic plans prioritise climate change adaptation, mitigation and green economy-related issues. Although the wildlife sector has green economy-related initiatives in place, there exists a gap in terms of mainstreaming the green economy concept in biodiversity-related policies.

In this paper, we aim to explore community livelihoods and conservation issues surrounding natural resources that are utilised by resettled farmers within the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve, Zimbabwe. Data collection was done in two phases. During the first phase undertaken in 2011, we administered household interviews, held focus group discussions (FGDs) and conducted in-depth interviews. The second phase, conducted in 2015, used FGDs and key informant interviews to gather data on changes in livelihoods and natural resources. Findings indicated limited options of social, human and financial capital. However, diverse livelihoods strategies are pursued in order to minimize the risk of biodiversity degradation. Structural factors that can contribute to cause biodiversity degradation include the failure of the CAMPFIRE Programme; natural resources governance flaws; contests over space and power, and weak policing by institutions devoted to the protection of natural resources. In conclusion, the authors observe how the institutions involved in the management of the protected natural area fail to promote the participation of the local community in the decision-making processes, thus limiting the potential benefits of the designation of the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve.

This study analysed the status of ecotourism and related developments in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA) with some specific examples drawn from Zimbabwe. The objectives of the study were to: (i) explore the evolution of wildlife conservation and ecotourism related enterprise development by local communities, and (ii) determine factors influencing local community-owned wildlife conservation and ecotourism related enterprises in the GLTFCA. The study was based on two data collection methods, i.e., documentary review of academic literature and reports, and key informant interviews with 30 selected stakeholders from Chipinge and Chiredzi districts conducted between January and June 2018. The findings showed that there is some progress related to initiatives to help improve community-based wildlife conservation and cross border ecotourism. However, some challenges attributed to lack of market linkages and networks, macro-economic challenges faced by Zimbabwe which escalated since the year 2000 and limited institutional capacity of community-based institutions are negatively affecting the achievement of the desired targets. It is recommended that participatory planning and enhanced involvement of the local communities in wildlife conservation and ecotourism related enterprises be prioritized.

Understanding local community perceptions on impacts, causes, and responses to climate change is vital for promotion of community resilience towards climate change. This study explored local ecological knowledge (LEK) held by local communities on climate change trends and impacts in the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve (MZBR), Zimbabwe. The objectives of the study were to (i) investigate local community perceptions on trends and causes of climate change, (ii) identify biophysical impacts of climate change at the local level, and (iii) explore the ecosystem-based adaptation strategies towards climate change. The study used a mixed methods approach where a household questionnaire survey (n=320), key informant interviews (n=12), and focus group discussions (n=8) were used to collect data between April 2015 and October 2016. Results from the study show that local communities have observed decreasing rainfall and increasing temperatures as key indicators of climate change. Local communities observed water scarcity, changes in vegetation phenology, livestock and wildlife mortalities, and food shortages due to drought as the major impacts on their livelihoods. LEK can contribute to adaptive management strategies that enhance resilience of socioecological systems (SES) in the face of climate change by providing information on the status and use of biophysical components of the environment and by highlighting potential local adaptation strategies that can sustain key livelihood practices.

This paper seeks to delve deeper and assess ecotourism and wildlife conservation-related enterprises development by local communities within the Zimbabwean component of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA). Transfrontier Conservation was embraced by scientists, policy-makers and other stakeholders in Chiredzi and Chipinge Districts in the southeast Lowveld of Zimbabwe, among other reasons for improved wildlife conservation and community-based cross-border ecotourism development. The study sought to understand factors hampering local communities owned ecotourism and wildlife conservation-related enterprise development. To understand the evolution of ecotourism and wildlife conservation-related enterprise development by local communities in Southern Africa especially within the GLTFCA and to also assess the potential of local community Ecotourism and wildlife conservation-related enterprises development. Various documents such as books, journals, web documents, electronic sources, reports, financial statement and policy documents were reviewed. To buttress the study, 30 purposeful sampled key informants were also interviewed in Chipinge and Chiredzi Districts from January to June 2018 in order to solicit for firsthand data that are very useful for triangulation. The study is important for the further development of district, national and international policies. The study findings showed that Transfrontier conservation have not achieved its objectives towards improved cross-border ecotourism and wildlife conservation-related enterprise development. Hopes by the local community especially on the Zimbabwean side for inclusion ecotourism and conservation-related enterprises chains have not been realized. Most local communities’ members within TFCAs are still living under abject poverty. More still needs to be done towards socio-economic development in the area under study. The study has realized that the transfrontier treaty was operationalized at a higher level thus head of state and ministerial forgetting about the local level. Local institutions are not fully empowered and have clear policy guidelines. Findings from this study will help better plan, structure and execute ecotourism and wildlife conservation-related enterprises involving communities. The success of these initiatives will increase the size of benefits trickling to individual households in line among other objectives which led to the establishment of the Transfrontier Conservation Areas.

This study assessed the population density and structure of marula (Sclerocarya birrea) in the Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) and adjacent areas, southeast Zimbabwe. Data were collected from 15 belt transects using a stratified random sampling technique (with study sites located in the northwestern Gonarezhou National Park, adjacent communal and resettlement areas) in November 2014. The study results showed that marula tree and shrub densities were highest in the Gonarezhou National Park compared to the communal and resettlement areas. The diameter size class generally showed a reverse J shape in all the land use categories implying that there was a high regeneration and low recruitment into mature marula trees. Anthropogenic uses and herbivory may likely have influenced the density and population structure of marula in the study area. Thus, continuous monitoring and adaptive management is essential in ensuring that marula species is not locally extirpated in areas of high use or damage.

The Rio+20 outcomes document, the Future We Want, enshrines green economy as one of the platforms to attain sustainable development and calls for measures that seek to address climate change and biodiversity management. This paper audits climate change policies from selected east and southern African countries to determine the extent to which climate change legislation mainstreams biodiversity and wildlife management. A scan of international, continental, regional and national climate change policies was conducted to assess whether they include biodiversity and/or wildlife management issues. The key finding is that many climate change policy–related documents, particularly the National Adaptation Programme of Actions (NAPAs), address threats to biodiversity and wildlife resources. However, international policies like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol do not address the matter under deliberation. Regional climate change policies such as the East African Community, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and African Union address biodiversity and/or wildlife issues whilst the Southern African Development Community region does not have a stand-alone policy for climate change. Progressive countries like Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia have recently put in place detailed NAPAs which are mainstream responsive strategies intended to address climate change adaptation in the wildlife sector.Keywords: mainstreaming, biodiversity, wildlife, climate change policy, east and southern Africa

The global hydrologic regime has been intensively altered through activities such as dam construction, water abstraction, and inter-basin transfers. This paper uses the Range of Variability Approach (RVA) and daily stream flow records from nine gauging stations to characterize stream-flow post dam construction in the Manyame catchment, Zimbabwe. We identify which variables continue to be altered, upstream and at different distances downstream, to distinguish sections with the highest potential for ecological disruption and to understand how hydrological alterations dissipate downstream of dams. Our results indicate that different sections of the same river have different stream-flow characteristics post dam construction. The most adverse effects of dams were on downstream stretches of the river which were characterized by low flows, extreme low flows and an increased number of zero-flow days. These differences reflect the operation rules of the Manyame catchment dams. While the change in stream-flow characteristics is apparent in the 0–10 km range, it is slightly felt in the 11–20 km range and totally disappears at distances >20 km downstream of dams. These changes in stream characteristics, and that damming is only restricted to the upper third of the catchment, make the hydrologic fragmentations in the catchment minor. However, the continued hydrologic alterations post dam construction raise important concerns about the interactions of hydrology with other factors like sediment deposition upstream of dams and climate change. We recommend that catchment managers target enhancing the natural flow variability of the river instead of meeting target flows.Keywords: damming, range of variability approach, stream-flow characteristics

Post-release monitoring of wildlife is essential to the success of ecological restoration initiatives. Translocation of wildlife to new ecosystems is associated with changes in diet profiles of individuals and ultimately animal performance, since productivity of rangelands varies in time and space. The population decline and local extinction of buffalo and other species in Umfurudzi Park, Zimbabwe, in the late 1980s led to temporary suspension of hunting activities. Recently, efforts have been made to resuscitate Umfurudzi Park through wildlife reintroductions and active ecosystem management. We assessed the diet profile and diet quality of the African buffalo ( Syncerus caffer) between 2011 and 2012. A total of 42 grass species constituted the diet spectrum of buffalo. Heteropogon contortus, Eragrostis racemosa, Steroechlaena tenuifolia and Themeda triandra contributed significantly to the buffalo diet during the four seasons of the study period. Although a wide spectrum of grass species was selected in the wet season, the diversity of grass species selected was not significantly different among the seasons. Grass species crude protein deteriorated from 4.5% in the wet season to 3.5% in the dry season. Crude protein and phosphorus levels in buffalo faecal samples were within the recommended nutrient scale for southern Africa large herbivores. We conclude that feed availability and quality may not be limiting the persistence of the reintroduced buffalo. There is a need to closely monitor grass availability, dietary shifts, and forage quality over time, as well as resource partitioning with other feeding guilds.