[{"bbox": [143, 153, 1164, 392], "category": "Text", "text": "The landscape also forms part of the proposed Lower- Zambezi-Mana Pools (LOZAMAP) Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) composed of the Mid- Zambezi National Park (LZNP, 4,092 km²) in Zambia, and MPNP in northern Zimbabwe (2,196 km²) as well as part of the proposed Zimbabwe-Mozambique-Zambia (ZIMOZA) TFCA to the east. The Zambezi River is central to the Mid Zambezi landscape that shares natural resources and wildlife corridors with Zambia and Mozambique. This heightens the importance of adopting an integrated landscape approach and synchronising national conservation priorities for effective cross-border coordination and collaboration though the action will concern only the Zimbabwean side of this landscape. There will be a focus on law enforcement and joint patrolling of the area, together with actions to foster tourism and overall capacities from ZimParks."}, {"bbox": [86, 433, 340, 463], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [97, 480, 1163, 666], "category": "Text", "text": "Zimbabwe's richness in terms of biodiversity faces several challenges to its sustainability and adequate development, the main problem being the **accelerated competition for land and natural resources** between humans and wildlife. Protected areas are not large enough on their own to fully sustain populations of wide-ranging wildlife species or to allow ecological and evolutionary processes to adequately buffer against extreme weather events, demographic pressure, and anthropogenic environmental impact and climate change. The large Trans-Frontier Conservation Areas (TCFAs) that have been initiated cut across mixed-land-use landscapes with a view to deepening genetic pools and increase international cooperation in sustainable green economic development and wildlife trade."}, {"bbox": [97, 691, 1163, 1196], "category": "Text", "text": "Zimbabwe's biodiversity, together with its stunning natural landscapes, make a key tourism drawcard. In 2019 tourism accounted for 6.3% of GDP (only 1.7% from protected areas) and 3.7% of national employment. The main tourist attraction in the country for foreign visitors is the natural parks and an essential source of income, employment and foreign exchange. Tourism receipts declined by some 70% in 2020 coinciding with the SARS-CoV-2 virus Covid-19 Pandemic. Trophy hunting makes an important contribution to conservation in Zimbabwe, mainly in state conservancies, safari areas, CAMPFIRE (a national programme that helps rural communities manage natural resources for their own local development, mainly through hunting) areas and communal lands and wildlife ranches. However, off-take has been declining since year 2000 and related revenues by 30% over the 5-year period 2015 to 2020. Areas allocated for hunting are moving to non-consumptive tourism (e.g. photographic tourism) and CAMPFIRE structure is dysfunctional. However, communities are not fully benefitting from this important sector. There are **growing clashes between rural populations and wildlife** exemplified by the increase in human-wildlife conflicts: in addition to the destruction of crops and death of livestock, the dead, maimed or injured in rural areas are creating a negative perception of coexistence with wildlife. Rural communities are not finding benefits in biodiversity protection and it is essential to break this pernicious dynamics. In case of poaching, evidence suggests that most poachers are men: in most studies, men comprise more than 90% of persons involved in illegal wildlife trade offences. In resource-based communities, women participate in illegal wildlife trade in several ways, often by folding it into their traditional roles as small traders and market sellers. There is a potential to combat illegal wildlife trade in developing cohorts of women, in their diversity, to act as field agents and conservation champions in national parks and protected areas⁸."}, {"bbox": [97, 1221, 1163, 1487], "category": "Text", "text": "Increasing human populations around protected areas and increased demand for resources are a problem for the proper functioning of **wildlife corridors** connecting distant landscapes. Ecological corridors are essential for conservation and also for reducing pressures on specific sites. A key approach is therefore to strategically set up effective conservation corridors to isolated wildlife populations, habitats, and ecosystems as drivers of sustainable livelihoods and green economic growth. This requires an integrated approach to address broad-ranging interests that arise in opening up animal migration biological corridors within the context of climate change and the management of water catchments, wildlife conservation, and sustainable community development. Advancing gender equality is central of the integrated approach, along with an emphasis on inclusive, participatory landscape planning in partnership with local communities. Both women and men make key contributions across commodity value chains, agricultural landscapes, and forest sectors as farmers, workers, processors and entrepreneurs. Their roles differ according to the"}, {"bbox": [86, 1573, 1143, 1646], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁸ Li, W. and Seager, J. 2023. In wildlife conservation, gender equality brings win-win returns. Development and a Changing Climate. World Bank Blogs online. Accessed through https://blogs.worldbank.org/climatechange/wildlife-conservation-gender-equality-brings-win-win-returns"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1682, 1142, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 8 of 31"}]