ENVIRONMENT, Water and Climate minister Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday revealed that Zimbabwe is in delicate discussions with the United States government over the ban of trophy exports in April this year.
Paidamoyo Muzulu Senior Reporter
Kasukuwere said the country would sent a Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) delegation to Capitol Hill in Washington to meet a congressional panel over the matter next week.
“The negotiations are being done with the United States Congress. ZimParks director-general [Edson Chidziya] will lead a team to Washington to meet a congressional panel next week about the ban on trophy exports,” he said.
“The visit will come as Zimbabwe tries to increase its tourism revenue receipts from US hunters who were the majority of visitors during the hunting season.” The minister made the remarks on the sidelines of announcing a new ZimParks board.
The new eight-member board will be chaired by former Forestry Commission acting general manager Alvin Ncube.
Other board members are Professor of Archaeology Gilbert Pwiti, lawyer Nellie Janyika and a former Campfire official Wilson Mutinhima.
The other members are Tichafa Mundangepfupfu, a former permanent secretary in the Environment and Tourism ministry, Zanu PF director of commissariat Retired Air Vice-Marshal Henry Muchena, Chidziya and a yet-to-be named director in the ministry.
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Kasukuwere said he expected the board, among other things, to see to the transition of the ownership of the Save Valley Conservancy which was recently turned into a national park by the government.
“You have come at a time when the Save Valley Conservancy is now under Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and as such, my expectation is to see smooth integration of this area into mainstream Parks Estates,” he said.
Kasukuwere said the board should lobby the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) to allow the country to resume trading in its huge ivory stockpile.
“Zimbabwe has around 70 tonnes of ivory and five tonnes of rhino horn which we cannot trade because of our international obligations to Cites. This is one area where I expect the board to lobby the world so that we could get some revenue from these stocks and be able to support our conservation efforts,” he said.
ZimParks cover at least 16% of the country’s total land area. They have acted as the main attraction to tourists who usually visit to watch or hunt the big five — elephant, rhino, buffalo, lion and leopard — which are common in the country’s parks.
