VOLUME 83
By Talia Meikle Key Takeaways * For 25 years, VFAPU has protected wildlife in and around Victoria Falls, where people and animals share the same urban landscape. * Its work combines patrols, technology, trained dogs, intelligence networks and community cooperation to disrupt poaching. * Bushmeat, snaring, deforestation and wildlife trafficking remain serious threats,
VOLUME 75
How do you bring a wilderness back from the brink? In the Matobo Hills of Zimbabwe, the Johnson brothers and the local community are proving that passion and partnership are more powerful than a million-dollar budget. From intensive anti-poaching to the installation of vital water points, see how
VOLUME 72
By Dr Daniel Stiles A recent publication by Lindsey et al. reviewed evidence for lion population changes, targeted illegal killing and body parts trafficking incidents in parts of Africa. Although the article admits that “no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study", it nevertheless concludes that “Lions
VOLUME 69
The Save Valley Conservancy, situated in the southeast lowveld of Zimbabwe, was established in 1992 during the worst regional drought in a century. At the time, the land comprised several individual cattle ranches. The drought bankrupted many of these ranchers, forcing them to sell their land. The Duckworth family, in
VOLUME 63
By Zig Mackintosh Key Takeaways: * African Conservation is caught in the crossfire of competing worldviews. * Western values center around preservation. * Animal rights groups believe that animals are sentient beings that deserve rights comparable to those of humans. * The “conservation through utilization” principle advocates assigning economic value to wildlife. * Rural African
VOLUME 61
By Hank's Voice Hunting season is year-round, with no limits. The online and press version, that is, wherein very vocal, hateful people, brimming with bloodlust, hunt those on hunting safaris in Africa. These online predators typically hunt in packs, often reaching frenzied levels, in lynch mob, psychologically
VOLUME 61
The Wilberforce Ranch in the Matobo Hills of Southern Zimbabwe, Africa is a model example of how private enterprise and community involvement can mutually benefit from wildlife conservation. However, a crucial piece of tactics and technology is the fence line separating the cattle and wildlife sections. Keeping domestic cattle out
VOLUME 60
By Prof Brian Child Economic efficiency results from clearly defined property rights and exchange in free markets and is independent of who owns the resources. Nonetheless, Coase (1960) and others acknowledge that the question of who owns the resources is also important. Ignoring these distributional issues gives free market economics
VOLUME 57
An extraordinary partnership in the ancient granite landscape of the Matobo Hills of Western Zimbabwe is proving that private enterprise and community can thrive when wildlife is used sustainably. When the Johnson brothers, Guav and Courteney, partnered with the communal land residents who had long struggled with poverty and limited
VOLUME 57
Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is an approach to conservation that recognizes the economic value of ecosystem services and creates financial incentives for their protection. PES involves transactions where a beneficiary or user of an ecosystem service makes payments to individuals or communities whose land management decisions affect the provision
VOLUME 55
The breathtaking scenery of the Matobo Hills in South-western Zimbabwe, Africa, with its multitude of massive round granite domes with gigantic boulders of various sizes balanced on top, creating what looks like natural art, has been sculpted over millions of years by sun, wind and water. The hills, known
VOLUME 55
By the 1950s, Nile crocodiles in Zimbabwe were nearly extinct. Commercial hunters had killed most of them for their valuable skins. The crocodiles were easy targets because they lived in predictable locations, hunters could spot them easily at night with spotlights, and each kill was worth a lot of money.