About us
We are a non-partisan, non-profit, volunteer group of concerned scientists, conservationists and citizens set up in response to the continued deterioration of Zimbabwe's rich wildlife and environmental heritage.
Mission
To establish a birds-eye view of the environmental changes in Zimbabwe since the year 2000, to investigate their causes and to lobby authorities and donors to take appropriate measures to curb further environmental degradation.
Establishment
We have heard varied reports about what is happening on conservancies and in national parks in Zimbabwe. These reports give an idea of the nature of various problems facing the wildlife and environment at this time, but they do not analyse their scope or extent. Reports vary, depending on the time, place or the people involved. Restrictions on the press and lack of access to newly settled areas mean that most incidents go unreported, making it difficult for anyone to know exactly what is going on.
In order to have an informed debate, we need to establish some facts by collecting reports from a range of sources and slowly compiling them. In this way we might get a birds-eye view of the situation. We appreciate that it is impossible to remove oneself from the intense political feelings in the country right now, but in the interests of conserving our wildlife heritage for the future we need a heavy dose of reality and pragmatism in these discussions.
Our objectives will be achieved by:
- Slowly compiling news stories, academic papers, reports and opinions from about what has been happening to Zimbabwean wildlife and habitats over the last 4 years. These will be made freely accessible on the Internet. The reports will be compiled by an editor and emailed to all interested parties on a monthly basis.
- All incoming material will be synthesized in a one-page report to be released every two months.
- Eminent conservationists and scientists will be invited to write periodic opinion pieces on any relevant topic that they choose in order to stimulate debate on the email list.
- Hopefully, participation will increase to include people from many different sectors.
- We appreciate that considering the scale of the human tragedy in Zimbabwe, these issues may seem insignificant, but hopefully this group will get people to start thinking about conservation again and this may lead to progress…whatever that might be.
Comments and Reports
Please email us with your comments or reports: zimconservation[at]gmail.com