WILDLIFE management policies are being strengthened and new legislation put in place to ensure sustainable elephant conservation amid rising populations and increasing human-wildlife conflicts in areas surrounding major national parks.
Speaking at the Elephant Management Conference in Harare last Friday, acting Permanent Secretary for Environment, Climate and Wildlife Mr Tanyaradzwa Mundonga said Government is finalising the revised wildlife policy and the Parks and Wildlife Amendment Act, which will guide the country's conservation strategy under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
The conference, themed, "The Elephant in the Room", was organised by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) and the Frankfurt Zoological Society, in partnership with the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust.
"Gonarezhou, the place of elephants, is a living, breathing laboratory where over 10 000 elephants are a daily reality," Mr Mundonga said.
"The research conducted there on elephant movements, vegetation impact and biodiversity provides the foundational evidence for our discussions and policy responses."
He said the Ministry was prioritising evidence-based decision-making and community participation in conservation efforts.
"This conference should not be an academic exercise. It must inform policy on how elephants extend beyond park boundaries, the challenges they bring to communities, and the need for transboundary conservation corridors," Mr Mundonga said.
The Government is committed to supporting partnerships between with non-governmental organisations, which Mr Mundonga described as "a necessity" for effective wildlife management.
"The success of the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust model shows that collaboration is key. Our expectation is that the outcomes from this workshop will be translated into actionable policy recommendations."
ZimParks director-general, Professor Edson Gandiwa, said elephant conservation was one of the most pressing issues facing protected areas and Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe's second-largest, now hosted one of the densest elephant populations in the region.
"The growing elephant population presents both opportunities and challenges. We must balance ecological health with species protection while safeguarding community livelihoods."
Prof Gandiwa said lessons from Gonarezhou would inform the review of the national elephant management plan to be tabled before the ZimParks board soon.
"We are guided by science in our decision-making. The conservation challenges we face cannot be addressed by one institution and we value the diversity of stakeholders represented here," he said.
The conference brought together Government officials, researchers and conservation partners from Southern Africa to discuss strategies for managing elephant populations, reducing human-wildlife conflict and strengthening transboundary cooperation through the framework of the transfrontier conservation areas.
Zimbabwe is home to over 100 000 elephants, one of the largest populations in Africa with most of them concentrated in the north-west and south-east regions, centring on Hwange and Gonarezhou National Parks.