Fresh push to halt deforestation in Matusadona National Park
THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority in partnership with African Parks have introduced the use of gas by workers in Matusadona National Park and surrounding communities in a bid to curb deforestation in the park.
Deputy park manager Daniel Sithole yesterday told NewsDay that the development was meant to curb deforestation in the park, hence conserving natural resources.
“We are giving gas to all our staff. The idea is that we preach not to cut down trees. So 10 to 15kg of gas is given to families monthly. This will assist them in reducing rampant cutting down of trees for firewood from within and have an undisturbed ecosystem,” Sithole said.
“The firewood or those logs house micro animals, they are habitats of some organisms and when removed some will die because they contribute to the ecosystem.”
Matusadona National Park got its name from the rolling Matusadona Hills that form part of its water-rich landscape. Flanked by Lake Kariba in the north and two perennial rivers, Ume and Sanyati, this remote, rugged park presents enormous potential for wildlife and tourism.
Proclaimed a National Park in 1975, Matusadona was once a conservation stronghold for African elephant and black rhino and a much soughtafter tourism destination. However, human pressure and over-utilisation of resources impacted the park severely.
In 2019, the Parks Authority invited African Parks to assume management of Matusadona National Park — the first in Zimbabwe to fall under the African Parks mandate — and a 20-year agreement was signed with the vision to revitalise the park for wildlife and communities.