the Makona ranger base in Hwange National Park: a keystone for protecting critical wildlife habitat

Written by Azzedine Downes, IFAW President and CEO and Dr. Fulton U. Mangwanya, Director-General of Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks)

What began with a handshake at the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) headquarters roughly three years ago between two unlikely partners has now transformed into a long-term partnership that has played a key role in the protection and conservation of Zimbabwe’s iconic natural resources.

Marking a significant milestone in the partnership between IFAW and ZimParks, the Makona ranger base in Zimbabwe’s largest protected area—Hwange National Park—is now fully operational.

Hwange National Park is home to 150 species of mammals and designated as an important bird area with 400 distinct species and a population of elephants that is estimated to be around 45,000 individuals. It is also a core part of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). The establishment of the ranger base brings the partnership one major step closer to achieving its core mission: to protect the rich biodiversity of the area, conserve and enhance ecological processes, and secure key critical habitats while providing solutions that enhance ranger welfare holistically across an area spanning 14,651km2 acres.

improving ranger and community welfare

The concept of enhancing ranger welfare is fundamental to ensuring the long-term success of the initiative. Rangers must be fully dedicated to the objective at hand, as its breadth and scope are not for the faint of heart. Leaving their families for months at a time, the work of a ranger demands a level of personal sacrifice that is often too easily overlooked. Hence, the inauguration of the Makona ranger base serves needs that go beyond the functional and provides a foundational home and conducive working environment for a team who have chosen to undertake a way of life dedicated to the preservation of wildlife and the natural environment. The base now includes ranger houses, an office complex, recreational center, and an enhanced radio communications system. The impact of all these investments has been significant, resulting in zero incidents of elephant poaching in IFAW-supported areas including Makona over the last three years. Complementing this enormous success, the IFAW-ZimParks partnership is also investing in the development of sustainable tourism, providing key upgrades to campsites and lodges, and improving park visibility and viability through the construction of a new multi-purpose entrance gate and ancillary facilities.

As is the case with most effective partnerships, the one between IFAW and ZimParks is built upon trust, transparency, and friendship. As the President and CEO of IFAW and as the Director General of ZimParks, we are thrilled to celebrate this achievement together. It is a testament to a mutual, long-term commitment to the protection and preservation of biodiversity, grounded in a partnership to deliver transformational change for people, wildlife, and the natural environment.

From our experience, the most successful conservation efforts are those which consider human connection—this is essential for enhancing the stewardship of natural resources across landscapes, regardless of size or culture. These are some of the reasons why we recently upgraded the Dete Old Age Home, a well-known institution located on the periphery of Hwange National Park with the capacity to care for 40 senior citizens. The community facility was made age-friendly through upgrades that included wheelchair access, representing just a few of the tangible results of conservation efforts which get transferred to the benefit of marginal local communities and institutions. Other projects in the area include the installation of boreholes that provide easy access to potable water, directly improving community gardens that enhance nutritional health, and improved food security for local communities.

environmental stewardship

Another critical result worth highlighting has been the Environmental Stewardship Program, an effort targeting schools in the outlying area of the park to build future environmental champions. To enhance ‘conservation on the go’, the partnership has introduced a Pioneer Wildlife Ambulance in Zimbabwe, enhancing in situ care of both injured and sick animals while also undertaking efforts around disease surveillance. Not only do the rangers now have the vehicles they need to reach animals in need of assistance, but also the enhanced patrolling capabilities that allow them to cover a far greater swath of the landscape than ever before. Alongside the actual vehicles themselves, the roads have been upgraded to improve mobility, allowing the vehicles to traverse more effectively and with lesser damage. Water supply for animals was also enhanced, providing a critical lifeline for wildlife as well as the surrounding human communities—minimizing the competition resulting from a limited water supply which is so often the source of human-wildlife conflict.

All of these results are essentially building blocks that serve as ideas that can be scaled up to fit the needs of other national parks across the landscape including Zambezi, Victoria Falls, and Kazuma Pan, all strategically located and critical for wildlife dispersal within the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). The milestones (and more to come) achieved under this partnership are fundamental to the success of the Room to Roam initiative which seeks to secure connected spaces and safe passage for elephants and other wildlife, ultimately fostering harmonious coexistence with people. Each milestone has served as an additional keystone for the foundation of our long-term partnership agreement of 25 years—and counting.

Though the first steps of practically any endeavor are usually the hardest, those taken by our respective organizations throughout this mutual partnership have been immensely fulfilling—for wildlife, for the local communities, and for the promise to a more prosperous future where the greatest beneficiary will no doubt be nature itself.