Wildlife of Zimbabwe

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An aerial view of the Victoria Falls

The wildlife of

kopje. The prominent wild fauna includes African buffalo, African bush elephant, black rhinoceros, southern giraffe, African leopard, lion, plains zebra, and several antelope species.[1][2]

The Wildlife Conservation Act of 1960 decreased the loss of wildlife in Zimbabwe. In the 1990s, Zimbabwe became a leader in Africa of wildlife conservation and management. In 2006 the country reported generating US$300 million yearly from its wildlife in protected areas, rural and community run wildlife management areas, and in private game ranches and reserves. The 12-member Parks and Wildlife Board is responsible for this activity and deciding on policy issues under the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management.[1][3]

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority under the board has the onerous task of overseeing the activities related to ten national parks,[4] nine recreational parks,[5] four botanical gardens,[6] four safari areas,[7] and three sanctuaries.[8] These areas are collectively called the Wildlife Estate which covers an area about 47,000 km2 (18,000 sq mi), which is equivalent to 12.5% of the total land area of the country.[1]

However, reports by National Geographic News indicate a disturbing trend of decimation of wildlife[9] as a result of a "national economic meltdown" leading to overexploitation of the wildlife resources to meet the finances of the nation.[10]

Legal codes

The Wildlife Conservation Authority initially protected and preserved wildlife in Zimbabwe as "king's game", which was subsequently changed to total state control. However, this created difficulties to the local population who were entirely dependent on the forests for their survival, as they were excluded from using indigenous wildlife resources and also gradually excluded from almost one-half of the country's land base. This seriously affected the sustainable exploitation of the wildlife resources as local people resorted to illegal poaching. However, in the 1960s the economic awareness created a policy shift in managing the wildlife in the country when the Wildlife Conservation Act was introduced. This was followed by the Parks and Wildlife Act of 1975, which enabled the land owners "the right to manage wildlife for their own benefit, thus providing an economic rationale to reinforce the scientific, aesthetic and moral justifications for wildlife conservation".[1] The Parks and Wildlife Act of 1975 has been amended and consolidated in 1982 in which certain animals to be protected have been listed. Hunting of animals has been prohibited except under special permit issued by the minister for scientific or educational purposes or for captive breeding of falcons, live export, and re-stocking, wildlife management or defence of property. Provision also includes taking of indigenous plants, hunting of animals and regulation of fishing. Detailed regulations have been issued to the act.[11]

Wildlife estate

The Wildlife Estate includes eleven national parks: the

Chimanimani National Park (including the Eland Sanctuary), Chizarira National Park, the Gonarezhou National Park, the Hwange National Park, the Kazuma Pan National Park, the Mana Pools National Park, the Matusadona National Park, the Matobo National Park, the Nyanga National Park, and Victoria Falls National Park and Zambezi National Parks.[4]

Chimanimani National Park

View of the national park area from behind Chimanimani village stores

spotted leopard, apart from butterflies, birds, snakes and shy cats.[4][12]

Chizarira National Park

Angolan pitta and the Taita falcon.[4][13]

Gonarezhou National Park

Wildlife camp in the Gonarezhou National Park

turquoise killifish.[4][14][15]

Hwange National Park

Elephants at Longone Pan, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

The

Kalahari desert, a region with little water and very sparse, xerophile vegetation. While the park abounds in elephant population (one of the largest in the world), it also hosts 100 mammal species, including 19 large herbivores and 8 large carnivores and 400 bird species; Zimbabwe's specially protected animals are all found here. Gemsbok, brown hyena and African wild dogs occur in fairly large numbers (the population of African wild dogs is stated to be of one of the largest surviving groups in Africa now). The very large elephant population has been a matter of concern since, during drought years, they are a burden on the ecological balance of the region. Elephant culling has been done to restrict the population of elephants to 13,000 (less than 1 per km2); against the recommended population of 35,000 – 40,000 animals (0.6 per km2) for the country as a whole. Apart from culling the other suggested option to keep the elephant population under check is sterilization.[4][16][17] Conservationists covering this area have also expressed concern at the large "deforestation, poaching and unsustainable resource exploitation" that is occurring in this national park attributed to political and economic instability.[18]

Kazuma Pan National Park

tsessebe, eland and reedbuck. The oribi, a small antelope, an endemic species, is rarely sighted in the depressions where a large variety of water birds such as storks, crowned cranes, stilts, cormorants, ducks and kingfishers are also seen making it an attractive bird-watching site.[19]

Mana Pools National Park

Zambezi River in the Mana Pools National Park

The

banded snake-eagle and Livingstone's flycatcher.[4][20][21]

Matusadona National Park

Matusadona National Park, a game reserve in 1963, was declared a national park in 1975 covering an area of 1,400 km2 (540 sq mi). It is bounded on the south by the Omay communal, on the north by Lake Kariba, on the east by the Sanyati River and its gorge, and on the west by the Ume River. It has three ecological zones namely, the lake and shoreline grassland forming the first zone, the Zambezi Valley floor made up of a mass of thick jesse and mopane woodland (with sparse grass cover) as the second zone and; the Escarpment area of Julbernadia and Brachystegia woodlands constituting the third zone.

Black rhino, elephants and buffalo inhabit the park. Other species include

cheetah, roan and pangolin.[22]

Matobo National Park

Left: white rhino mother and juvenile in Matopos National Park. Right: A camp site for safaris within the park

The Matobo National Park is part of the UNESCO Matubo Hills, became a national park covering an area of 44,500 hectares (110,000 acres) which was established in 1953. It has an exclusive "Intensive Protection Zone" to protect the large population of black and white rhinoceros. The name Matobo means "bald heads" and was selected by the Matabeleland king Mzilikazi whose grave lies in the Matobo Hills close to the park.

Matobo Hills includes a range of domes, spires and balancing rock formations created erosion and weathering within a granite

springhare, common duiker, crocodiles, baboons and monkeys. The park is also rich in bird life, including black eagle, African fish eagle, martial eagle, secretarybird, pied crow, Egyptian goose, francolin, and weavers. Fish species in the park include bass, bottle fish, bream, catfish and Melanochromis robustus. The park has a number of dams such as the Maleme Dam, the Mthselele Dam, the Toghwana Dam, the Mesilume Dam, which are all communal camp sites.[23]

Nyanga National Park

Male waterbuck in the Udu area of the park

The Nyanga National Park in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe located at about 268 kilometres (167 mi) from Harare (connected by a black topped road) is made up of rolling green hills terrain with perennial rivers which spread through the 47,000 hectares (120,000 acres) park. The park lies between 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) and 2,593 metres (8,507 ft) elevation and has salubrious mountain climate. It is rich in flora and fauna. The faunal species seen in the park are the waterbuck, wildebeest, kudu, zebra, impala, sables and eland. The rivers in the park have fresh water fish such as the Nyanga trout. The visitor attractions in the park are: The Mount Nyangani (2593 m), the Nyangombe Falls, Mutarazi Falls, Pungwe Gorge & Falls, Nyamuziwa Falls, Nyangwe & Chawomera Forts and the Trout Hatchery near Purdon Dam.[24]

Victoria Falls and Zambezi National Park

The

baobab tree near the Falls which is 16 m in diameter and 20 metres (66 ft) tall. The notable wildlife in the parks consists of elephants, lions, buffalos, leopards and white rhinoceros apart from herds of sable antelope, eland, zebra, giraffe, kudu, waterbuck and impala. The Zambezi River is rich in fish fauna such as bream and fighting tigerfish.[25]

Vegetation

The vegetation or flora type is generally uniform in Zimbabwe. Bushveld or thorny acacia savanna and miombo or dry open woodland dominate the central and western plateau. In the south and southeast, which are dry lowlands, thorny scrub and baobabs are extensive.

aloes, wildflowers, profusion of jacarandas, and succulent tropical flowers and palms are some of the plant species commonly seen in the country.[26]

The dominant woody species noted in the Northwest Matebeleland, the Sebungwe region, in the Zambezi River Valley and in Gonarezhou National Park are: C. mopane, B. plurijuga, Guibourtia coleosperma, Pterocarpus angolensis and Acacia species, Julbernadia globiflora, Brachystegia boehmii, Erythrophleum africanum, P. angolensis, B. africana, Kirkia acuminata, Adansonia digitata, Screrocarya birrea, B. massaiensis, D. condylocarpon, T. sericea and Combretum species. Brachystegia allenii, J. globiflora, C. apiculatum, Terminali stuhlmannii, and Acacia tortlis, Grewia spp., Terminalia prunioides, S. birrea, Commiphora spp., A. nigrescence, A. digitata, and T. sericea.[27]

Flora
Gloriosa rothschildiana
, the national flower of Zimbabwe

Some of the floral; species of Zimbabwe are:

Flame lily (genus Gloriosa). It grows profusely throughout the country and hence is designated as the national flower of Zimbabwe. It is a climbing lily which reaches heights of 8 ft and has bright red and yellow petals.[31]

Fauna

Mammals

Main article: List of mammals of Zimbabwe

The mammal species reported in the entire wildlife of Zimbabwe (in national parks and reserves) including carnivores, bats, rodents and reptiles in that order are:

pouched mouse (Saccostomus campestris) and twig snake (Thelotornis kirtlandii).[32]

Aqua fauna

Aqua fauna species reported are the Kafue pike characin (Hepsetus cuvieri) and African bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus).[32] Fish species particularly noted in the Mana Pools National Park are tigerfish, bream, vundu, nkupi, chessa, cornish jack, lungfish, foo goo fish.[21]

Birds

Main article: List of birds of Zimbabwe
Emblem of the traditional bateleur eagle, the national bird of Zimbabwe

The bird life in Zimbabwe consists of 685 species which included 10 globally threatened species and two introduced species.[33] The species found are of several families namely; one of

Passeridae, 24 of Ploceidae, 25 of Estrildidae and nine of Viduidae.[33]

Some the prominent bird species reported by the website of University of Michigan Museum of Zoology are;

bateleur eagle is the only member of the genus Terathopius and probably the origin of the Zimbabwe Bird
, the national emblem of Zimbabwe.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Wildlife management in Zimbabwe: The Campfire programme". Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  2. ^ "Zimbabwe Wildlife". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  3. ^ Baldus, Rolf D.; Child, Grahm (2006). Rebuilding the Wildlife Sector in a New Zimbabwe: A Pre-Feasibility Study and Proposals for Action by Donors and NGOs. African Indaba. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Park Overview". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  5. ^ "Recreation Parks". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  6. ^ "Botanical Gardens". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Safari Areas". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  8. ^ "Sanctuaries". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  9. PMID 26819838
    .
  10. National Geographic News. Archived from the original
    on September 21, 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  11. ISBN 978-2-88032-091-1
    . Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  12. ^ "Chimanimani National Park". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  13. ^ "Chizarira National Park". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  14. ^ "Gonarezhou National Park". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  15. ^ "Gonarezhou National Park". Zambezi.com. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  16. ^ "Hwange National Park". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  17. ^ "The elephant population problem in Zimbabwe: Can there be any alternative to culling?". /elephantpopulationcontrol.library. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  18. ^ "Zimbabwe: Human Conflict/Environmental Consequences". pulitzercenter.org. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  19. ^ "Kazuma Pan National Park". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  20. ^ "Mana Pools National Park". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  21. ^ a b "Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas". Unesco.org. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  22. ^ "Matusadona National Park". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  23. ^ "Matobo National Park". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  24. ^ "Nyanga National Park". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  25. ^ "Victoria Falls and Zambezi National Parks". Officialwebsite of Zimbabwe Parks. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  26. ^ "Plants". Lonely PLanet. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  27. ^ "Effects of Changes In Elephant Densities On the Environment and Other Species—How Much Do We Know?" (PDF). WWF Regional Programme Office. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
  28. ^ "Conyza sumatrensis (Retz.) E. Walker". zimbabweflora.co. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  29. ^ "Hesperantha coccinea". PlantZAfrica.com. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  30. ^ "Strychnos spinosa". PlantZAfrica.com. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  31. ^ "Flame lily". National Flowers. 4 April 2010. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  32. ^ a b c University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. "Information". Animal Diversity web. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
  33. ^ a b "Avibase – Bird Checklists of the World:Zimbabwe". Avibase – Bird Checklists of the World. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  34. ^ "Birds". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 7 May 2011.

External links

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