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Reverse biodiversity loss by 2010
The Government of Zimbabwe has maintained
the size of protected areas since 1990 at
46 504 sq km, which is 12 per cent of the
national surface area, as shown in Figure 4.54.
Zimbabwe is home to charismatic mega fauna
such as the elephant, leopard, black rhinoceros,
and giraffe. During the 1980s, Zimbabwe lost
over 1 500 rhinos due to heavy poaching,
but enhanced conservation measures have
increased the population to an estimated
current figure of 800, making Zimbabwe
an important stronghold for this critically
endangered species (SADC and SARDC 2008).
Through the intensified conservation
programmes, including the Communal Areas
Management Programme for Indigenous
Resources (CAMPFIRE), the number of
threatened species was reduced from 38 in
2000 to 32 in 2004 (Figure 4.55). CAMPFIRE
is a community-based natural resource
management programme in which Rural
District Councils, on behalf of communities
on communal land, are granted the authority
to market wildlife in their district to safari
operators who then sell hunting and
photographic safaris to mostly foreign sport
hunters and eco-tourists.
Figure 4.54
Source: SADC and SARDC 2008
Protected areas share of total land area
in Zimbabwe
0
12%
5
0
10
15
20
25
30
40
35
45
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Number of species
Number of threatened species
in Zimbabwe
Source: IUCN 2003, 2007, 2009
Figure 4.55
The black rhino is one of Zimbabwe’s critically endangered species.
© A_I_S/iStockphoto.com