Chipo’s gift for wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe!

Chipo Munsaka is playing her part in sustainable wildlife management in Zimbabwe. This young lady shares that her name translates to “a gift” in her native language. With a bright smile, the young woman from Zimbabwe emphasizes, “A gift for conserving wildlife.” This beautifully encapsulates her dedication and efforts in tackling the escalating issues surrounding human-wildlife conflict.

Chipo serves as a Resource Monitor in northern Zimbabwe, working with the Mucheni Community Conservancy, which is being developed with the assistance of the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme. This initiative not only focuses on wildlife conservation but also promotes tree planting and educates the community on the importance of environmental preservation. Chipo expresses that her role has broadened her perspective, as she actively engages in “teaching the community how to coexist with their wildlife and the trees that surround them.” Over the past three decades, numerous wildlife populations in Zimbabwe have faced significant declines due to ongoing droughts, habitat destruction, poaching, and the illegal trade of wildlife products. Additionally, the persistent issue of human-wildlife conflict, such as elephants damaging crops or lions and hyenas attacking livestock, continues to pose serious challenges for rural communities.

The SWM Programme primarily addresses these challenges by empowering community conservancies, which enhance land use planning and the effectiveness of wildlife corridors. This approach aims to minimize conflicts and generate advantages for communities living alongside wildlife.

Managed by local communities, these conservancies create safe habitats and corridors for wildlife through initiatives focused on habitat preservation and anti-poaching measures. They also encourage community-driven management of natural resources, ensuring land rights and equitable benefit distribution. Additionally, they equip communities with the skills necessary to explore new income opportunities through ecotourism, wildlife-related businesses, and sustainable resource harvesting.

Funded by the European Union, with additional support from the French Facility for Global Environment and the French Development Agency, the SWM Programme is executed by a collaboration of organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD). Its overarching goal is to enhance wildlife conservation and food security across 15 countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

The Mucheni Community Conservancy plays a vital role in the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation area, which spans five nations: Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. This initiative is carried out in Zimbabwe by CIRAD, in collaboration with both national and local authorities.

Chipo, along with her fellow Resource Monitors, has become a key player in the training component of this initiative after completing her studies at the Munshandike College of Wildlife Management. They are equipping local communities with creative and practical strategies to mitigate wildlife conflicts, such as constructing chilli fences and chilli bricks to deter elephants. Within the Mucheni Community Conservancy, awareness and understanding of wildlife management have surged, thanks to the proactive efforts of Chipo and her team in addressing human-wildlife conflict incidents. They have also introduced an engaging participatory mapping game that encourages local communities to collaboratively identify and devise solutions for wildlife-related challenges.

Chipo works to promote human-wildlife conflict mitigation measures such as using special enclosures called “mobile bomas”, which are made of canvas or polyester to help keep livestock safe from predators. She and her fellow monitors are also helping restock the area with wildlife and reduce the threats from poaching.

Since 2022, recorded incidents of poaching, encroachment and illegal clearing in forested areas in the Mucheni Conservancy have dropped by 46 percent.

As well as helping her community, Chipo’s income from her work as a Resource Monitor has also benefited her own family. “I am paying school fees for my younger brother. I am using the money that I am getting from my job as a Resource Monitor. The money allowed me to buy goats and a female cow. I gave her a name that is ‘gift’ similar to my name.”

She also says many other women in the community have seen her as a role model for her engagement in a male-dominated field. Chipo is amongst eight female resource monitors supported by the Programme.

“Chipo has demonstrated to us women in this community that it is feasible to participate in male-dominated professions like resource monitoring,” says fellow monitor, Rejoice Ncube.

So whether from a professional or a personal perspective, Chipo’s work offers a positive example of interaction with wildlife and a source of inspiration within the community that surrounds her.

Source: The FAO News and Media Office, Rome

– global bihari bureau