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MEMBERS CONSULTATION: OCTOBER 2010
MANA POOLS WORLD HERITAGE SITE:
ZIMPARKS AUTHORITY PROPOSES NEW TOURISM DEVELOPMENTS
Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) has asked The
Zambezi Society and other stakeholders to ratify its proposals for the following:
The map below shows existing tourism development camps, lodges and sites along the Zambezi River within Mana Pools in Zimbabwe and also on the opposite (Zambian) bank of the river, as well as the four proposed riverside development locations which are marked (very approximately) with red symbols. Ruckomechi Research Station (the site of an inland development proposal) lies adjacent to the Ruckomechi River in the south-eastern section of the Mana Pools National Park and is off this map.
These development proposals have been announced after preparation of a 10-year Management Plan for Mana Pools, which included negotiations with all the stakeholders, including the Society itself, and are not included in the Plan. Completed some 18 months ago, this Plan remains unsigned by Zimbabwe's Minister of Environment. However, at a meeting held on 20th September 2010, the ZPWMA informed stakeholders that if the above proposals are ratified, the Mana Pools Management Plan will be signed by the Minister and no further developments will be allowed to take place in the Park for a 10-year period.
In the Plan, Guiding Principles for Tourism are stated as follows:
During the management planning process, stakeholders agreed that further developments along the Zambezi River frontage at Mana Pools would be likely to increase tourism pressure to a level which could damage the very fragile ecosystem of the Mana Pools alluvial terraces known as the "floodplain" and diminish the wilderness and wildlife experience currently enjoyed by visitors to the Park. The Plan recommended, therefore, that there should be no further developments in the Zambezi riverside/floodplain zone of the Park and that only small (12-bed) semi-permanent developments should be encouraged at identified sites inland.
No mention of these four new proposed sites was made by the Authority or any of the developers during several stakeholder consultations for the Management Plan. Indeed, although the possibility of one new riverside tourism site was discussed during stakeholder meetings, it was subsequently firmly rejected by the Authority's own planning department on the grounds that there were "already too many developments along the Zambezi River in Mana Pools".
We are informed by the Parks Authority that one of these proposed riverside development sites is a Joint Venture initiative between The Zimbabwe Parks Authority and Wilderness Safaris (an existing Mana Pools Tour Operator). STOP PRESS: Wilderness Safaris have since withdrawn their proposed JV pending a revisit and widening of the planning process for the area as described below). The Authority would not name the proposed recipients of the other sites, but made it clear that the tenders have already been awarded. We await details. We are also told that the sites will be leased for a maximum 25-year period (renewable every 5 years) and a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be required for each development before construction commences.
The Zambezi Society has written to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority informing them that we cannot respond to their request until we have consulted with our members. We have further stated:
"...We would ...suggest that it is now necessary to re-examine the Park Plan in light of the potential impacts these new proposals might have on the environment of Mana Pools National Park and on the tourism experience of visitors to the Park.
In fact, we would go further to state that the Mana Pools Management Planning process should now be revisited as part of a wider, more comprehensive planning process for the entire Mana Pools/Sapi/Chewore complex which constitutes the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We believe that this would provide for more flexibility and creativity in developing future, long-term, sustainable tourism solutions and opportunities along the Zambezi River and throughout the World Heritage Site. With the permission of the Parks Authority, The Zambezi Society would be happy to seek funding sources for such an exercise, which would include a provision for reinforcing the planning capacity of the Authority."
The Zambezi Society urges its members and associates to respond to this CONSULTATION by sending us your comments/opinions on these development proposals.
PLEASE RESPOND TO US BY E-MAIL to zambezi@mweb.co.zw
INFORMED COMMENTS/OPINIONS CAN BE POSTED ON THE INTERNET VIA THE FACEBOOK GROUPS THE ZAMBEZI SOCIETY and/or SAVE MANA POOLS
