The ravages of climate change are increasingly palpable and the fauna and flora of our planet is in check. Increasingly. Certain species are facing extinction if humans do not do something. Their numbers are declining and this time it is not exclusively about poaching and the illegal trade of species. Drought or depopulation, among other impacts of climate change, are taking their toll on them.
Reconstruction in the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe
This is where the “Rewild Zambezi Project” comes into play, a massive initiative to relocate animals to an area in the Zambezi River Valley with the aim of rebuilding wildlife populations. The open-air wildlife reserve, or Noah’s Ark, will transport more than 2,500 wildlife: around 400 elephants, 2,000 impalas, 70 giraffes, 50 buffalo, 50 wildebeest, 50 zebras, 50 antelope, 10 lions and a herd of 10 Wild dogs are among the animals to be moved from Zimbabwe’s Save Valley Conservancy to three conservation areas in the north – Sapi, Matusadonha and Chizarira – in one of the largest live animal capture and translocation exercises in southern Africa.
The project is part of The Great Plains Foundation , a conservation and community charity started by Great Plains and National Geographic Explorers-At-Large founders Dereck and Beverly Joubert.
All of these animals will go to the Sapi Reserve located in the heart of the UNESCO world heritage site, which includes Mana Pools and the Great Plain’s newest camp, Tembo Plains. Plans will focus on restoring, rebuilding and protecting this essential ecosystem.
How will the animals move?
Taking into account the large number of species and all kinds of sizes , the transfer will be somewhat special. There will not be a real ark, but cranes and trailers that will transport sedated elephants and all those animals that are large, such as buffalo or giraffes. Those that are most likely to be transported, such as wild dogs or antelopes, will be herded by rangers in metal cages through a convoy of trucks that will take them on a long journey of 700 km to their new home in Africa.
A milestone
It is the first time in 60 years that Zimbabwe has embarked on such a massive internal movement of wildlife. But the lack of water with the consequent prolonged droughts, have forced, among other things, to take this initiative to prevent a disaster from occurring.
Throughout its history, between 1958 and 1964, when the country was Rhodesia governed by a white minority, more than 5,000 animals were moved in what was called “Operation Noah” motivated by the construction of a huge hydroelectric dam in the Zambezi River that created one of the largest artificial lakes in the world, Lake Kariba.
An initial investment of 5.5 million dollars raises the shipment of elephants and iconic species such as lions, buffalo, impalas, and many more. Once released into the Sapi Reserve (with wildebeest and giraffe in other regions of Zimbabwe), the animals will be free to roam this UNESCO heritage biosphere reserve.
Referencia: H2020-EU.1.1. – EXCELLENT SCIENCE – European Research Council (ERC) Rewilding the Anthropocene. Human-Animal Assemblages in the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.CE DOI10.3030/101020976
