Germans take control of Gonarezhou

By Andrew Kunambura

Government has surrendered management of the Gonarezhou National Park to a German based-firm, Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), after failing to contain rampant poaching which was threatening to wipe out the game park’s teeming wildlife, the Financial Gazette can exclusively report.

The arrangement was reportedly consummated in November last year, as a result of a partnership between government and FZS which has been running since 2007.

The new arrangement has, however, unsettled communities surrounding the wildlife sanctuary, who feel that they are being shut out of the park’s conservation efforts.

Information obtained by the Financial Gazette indicates that government has temporarily handed over the park’s management to FZS after realising that the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZIMPARKS) was being overwhelmed by poachers, some of whom were using sophisticated equipment such as helicopters, machine guns and poison to kill game in unsustainably large numbers.

ZIMPARKS has previously reported cases of deadly armed battles, not only in Gonarezhou but across the country, between poachers and its rangers, some of which have resulted in casualties on both sides.

ZIMPARKS statistics indicate that 20 elephants were killed by poachers inside the park last year. Eleven of the elephants were shot, while nine succumbed to cyanide poisoning and robbed the country of about US$2 million in potential revenue. Each animal had an estimated value of US$100 000. Another 10 were killed between June and July of 2015.

Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate, Prince Mupazviriho, declined to comment on the matter and referred questions to ZIMPARKS.

“Talk to ZIMPARKS, they should tell you everything you need to know. We delegated all the issues to them,” he said.

ZIMPARKS acting public relations manager, Nyasha Simukai, confirmed the agreement, but said ZIMPARKS was still active in Gonarezhou.

He said the agreement was arrived at after realising that the previous deal in which FZS was just giving donations without being actively involved in the management of the game reserve was unsustainable.

“In 2007 Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management approached Frankfurt Zoological Society to assist with funding to set up an Intensive Black Rhino Protection Zone in Chipinda Pools of Gonarezhou National Park. During negotiations and through mutual agreement by the two potential partners, the rhino conservation project was upgraded to a partnership arrangement covering management of the whole national park.

“The agreement signed by the parties did not provide a model that allowed for the delivery of effective and efficient management of Gonarezhou and the building of financial sustainability of Gonarezhou. It did not manage to fully unlock the real potential of Gonarezhou. The parties, therefore, decided to come up with a model that would encourage sustainability of the park through the development of additional revenue streams and further investment. It was agreed to form a conservation trust with ZIMPARKS and FZS being the founders. The board of trustees have equal representation of members seconded from both parties, three from Frankfurt Zoological Society and three from Parks and Wildlife Management Authority,” said Simukai.

He added that day to day operations were under a committee consisting of employees seconded from both ZIMPARKS and FZS.

“All funds received by the Trust are used for Gonarezhou and any excess may be given to other parks as agreed by the (ZIMPARKS and FZS) board of trustees,” he said.

FZS has injected US$19 million into conservation since 2011 to finance the rehabilitation of the park’s perimeter fence and bringing in anti-poaching technologies such as detector drones, surveillance cameras and Global Positioning System equipment as well as patrol vehicles to curb poaching. Financial Gazette