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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Forestry Commission has partnered with a number of private players operating in its concession areas around the country, in an effort to promote sustainable forest and wildlife conservation.

The partnerships will also help capacitate the Forestry Commission to deal with the issue of illegal settlements in its areas of jurisdiction as well as curb wildlife and wood poaching through Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (Campfire) programmes.

It will enhance research for sustainable use of resources thereby feeding into the Government development programmes towards realisation of the goal of not leaving any citizen behind in line with the vision for an upper middle income economy by 2030.

The partnerships will also help the resource-constrained Forestry Commission to resuscitate some of its properties countrywide.

The Forestry Commission has about 800 000ha of land in Matabeleland North alone where photographic safaris, timber harvesting and hunting activities are taking place.

In Binga and Hwange districts, Forestry Commission has entered into partnerships with Wildlife Encounter, Shearwater Adventures, Wild is Life, Ivory Lodge, Motsamai Lodge and Sable Sands among others.

Most of them have 25-year leases.

Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu is on a three-day tour of the Forestry Commission facilities in Hwange and Binga districts.

Yesterday the Minister, who is accompanied by Forestry Commission management and board as well as other departments under his Ministry visited Motsamai Safari Lodge, Ekhaya, Wildlife Encounter, Shearwater Adventures and Wild is Life where he expressed satisfaction with their contribution to sustainable conservation.

“We are here to appreciate the partnerships that the Forestry Commission is getting into with some partners primarily to try and promote sustainable conservation of our forests and wildlife and also to make sure it (Forestry Commission) is able to sustain itself.

“With what we have seen, we are happy with the partnerships that have come through and investments by individuals. We believe this is helping in diversifying the product within the greater Victoria Falls,” said Minister Ndlovu.

Government has come up with a Victoria Falls-Hwange-Binga Special Economic Zone whose idea is to stimulate development, with establishment of Masue Town, Batoka Town and Binga expansion the biggest projects involved.

Government wants to make Victoria Falls its conference capital and is courting investors for a cocktail of projects including a top-notch convention centre which will have state-of-the-art facilities including five-star hotels, medical and sporting facilities as well as a Zimbabwe Defence Forces camp.

Minister Ndlovu said the Forestry Commission’s partnerships have a potential to draw tourists who will be the country’s ambassadors.

He said this will also help address the challenge of illegal settlements sprouting in protected areas.

“There are beautiful stories in these partnerships which people will take back to their countries when they visit.

There is greater scope for partnerships for Forestry Commission and they do have partnerships across the country but we came to this side because I think we are not realising our full potential. There are areas where we have a lot in terms of illegal settlements,” he said.

Forestry Commission General Manager Mr Abednico Marufu said there are nine sites that they want partnerships on.

He said the worst affected by illegal settlers are along Mbembesi and Gwayi rivers in Matabeleland North and Gokwe in Midlands.

“We are happy with the partnerships as they are helping us with forest, water and fire management. We can’t do this alone hence we need more partners to fight poaching of timber and wildlife and I assure you that Forestry

Commission will not be the same after three years with these partnerships.

“The issue of illegal settlers is a big challenge as they are causing damage along rivers especially along Mbembesi and Gwayi as well as in Gokwe and also in commercial timber plantations such as Cashel Valley where they are causing massive degradation.

We are happy with support from the Minister and President Mnangagwa which shows us that there is political will. Something is happening and soon the issue of illegal settlers will be a thing of the past,” said Mr Marufu.-@ncubeleon