Key Outputs

• Wildlife corridors secured, and habitat degradation halted
• Discourse on habitat and biodiversity protection promoted, benefitting landscape and site level activities
• Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) mitigation strategies implemented in Mbire District.
• Cross-sectoral engagement on Human-Wildlife Conflict supported.
• Diversified, environmentally sustainable, climate smart and nature-based livelihood solutions for communities in proximity to and inside protected areas introduced.
• 2 Financial inclusion and income generating strategies for households bordering and inside protected areas strengthened.
• Gender transformative and equitable benefit sharing models for community conservancies promoted.

Target Groups

Target Group 1

Communities living within and along the boundaries of protected areas (6000 households)

These include households residing inside wildlife-protected zones (Wards 1 and 11) and those on the margins (Wards 3, 4, 6). These communities often carry the heaviest burdens of HWC, facing daily encounters with wildlife that threaten their livelihoods. Without sustainable income sources, some members depend on environmentally harmful natural resource extraction (illegal gold mining, poaching), accelerating environmental degradation. Limited direct benefits from conservation efforts foster negative perceptions of protected areas and resistance to conservation interventions. This action will enhance human-wildlife coexistence, by increasing community awareness of the benefits of conservation areas and wildlife corridors and deploying and implementing nonlethal mitigation strategies, while ensuring their participation in land-use planning. They will benefit from strengthened institutional capacity of responsible authorities, and conservation actors (TG5) to mitigate HWC.

This action includes two community-based organizations (CCAZ & WCA) ensuring communities are receptive to the proposed action.

Target Group 2

School children (2,300 individuals)

The action will prioritize youth, targeting 2,300 students (60% being female students) across 10 schools, who are at high-risk for HWC during commutes and are key to foster a culture of conservation. Activities include youth ranger and conservation clubs, equipping children with knowledge of animal behaviours and habitat protection. The action will also support school level events such as debates, dramas, and public discussions to disseminate HWC and conservation information.

Target Group 3

Crop and Livestock Producers (1200 households)

Most TG1 households practice subsistence farming, mainly small grains, and livestock rearing with limited commercialisation. The cultivation of crops favoured by wildlife and producers’ encroachment into wildlife areas has intensified HWC. Streambank cultivation further destroys riparian zones and threatens wildlife and farmers. The project will promote climatesmart food and market systems that allow producers to safely grow crops and generate income. Producers will benefit from training on agroecological methods and water access, as well as entrepreneurship training targeting commodity associations and Internal Savings and Lending Schemes (ISALS), market facilitation for NTFPs and access to finance.

Target Group 4

Environmental Sub-Committees (ESCs) and Community Share Ownership Trusts (CSOTs)

ESCs and CSOTs drive ward-level conservation efforts, previously supported by GEF6, Utariri and ZRBF. ESCs are constituted under the Rural District Councils Act [Chapter 29:13] to promote environmental conservation, oversee the development of the council area using natural resources, and ensure the protection of the environment. These are established at the ward level, and their powers are restricted within the ward administrative boundaries. There are three community-managed wildlife conservancies (CWCs) in Mbire however, which traverse these administrative boundaries, and their oversight is mandated to legally registered Trusts, whose membership includes representation from all the ESCs of the included wards. These Trusts (CSOTs) are not formally recognized as custodians of wildlife under the Parks and Wildlife Act [Chapter 20:14] as the current legal framework designates Rural District Councils (RDCs) as the only ‘Appropriate Authority’ with statutory custodial powers over wildlife on communal land, thus CSOTs operate as subcommittees of the RDC. CSOTs and ESCs are pending ratification from the Parks and Wildlife Management Amendment Bill, 2024. Regardless of legal timelines, ESCs and CSOTs need further support to increase effective community participation. The project will continue strengthening their institutional capacity and integrating them into RDC and RA structures, so that they can deliver their mandates.

Target Group 5

Responsible Authorities (RAs)

Governance of land use, conservation and management in Mbire is multilayered. Relevant Central Government Agencies are the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife (Environmental Management Agency, Forestry Commission, & Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife and Management Authority (ZimParks)), Ministry of Agriculture, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water And Rural Development (ARDAS, Department of Veterinary Services), Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development and Ministry of Youth Empowerment and Development and Vocational Training, which have expressed strong support for a cross-sectoral approach to enhance landscape-level interventions. Local

Government responsibility for local affairs is held by the Mbire Rural District Council (RDC), who also drafts the Mbire Land Use Plan. At community and ward level, administrative units are led by councillors through development committees. ZimParks holds the mandate to manage wildlife and conservation, with delegated duties to Mbire RDC. ZimParks has signed a co-management agreement for the Chewore Safari area bordering Ward 2 and 11 with Chewore Conservation Trust (CCT), which is part of larger framework including Matusadona (MCT- Kariba), and Greater Mana (GM – Hurungwe), ensuring connectivity across KAZA, LOZA, MAP and ZIMOZA TFCAs. Mbire also host private safari operators, which hold legal rights to reap benefits from wildlife tourism and hunting. The action will strengthen collaboration amongst the above parties and communities ensuring inclusive decision making and implementation of the Mbire Land Use Plan and coordination on HWC mitigation.

Target Group 6

Wildlife and Ecosystems

Conservation areas in Mbire provide habitat for large populations of elephants, buffalo, antelopes, zebras, lions, leopards, and cheetahs. The district also has meandering streams and rivers inhabited by hippos and crocodiles. The presence of forests in areas like Kanyemba, Angwa, Masoka, Mushongahande, and Chitsungo further supports wildlife habitats. Human population growth in Mbire has seen new areas being opened for farming and for settlements, disrupting wildlife habitats and corridors.

The action secures wildlife areas and corridors through clear demarcation and enhanced law enforcement capacity, as well as mitigated HWC, overall limiting disruption of wildlife and ecosystems.

Expected Impacts of the Project to the Beneficiaries

At a Technical level:

The project will improve the technical capacity for natural resource management through the operationalization of the Mbire Land Use Plan working with responsible authorities (TG5) such as ZimParks and the RDC to have the knowledge and tools to protect conservation areas, secure wildlife corridors, and reduce Human-Wildlife Conflict. Additionally, the action will enhance the technical capacity of communities living within or adjacent to conservation areas (TG1) on climate-smart agriculture, such as agroecological farming practices (PAMUSHA model) and NTFPs. The establishment of boreholes and irrigation systems will benefit households and livestock, reducing human-wildlife conflict significantly Lastly, the action impacts the technical level of organized groups, such as farmer groups and CSOTs to further institutionalize and build their capacities to partake in advancing resilient livelihoods, protect their ecosystems and reap the benefits of the natural resources surrounding them.

At an Economic level:

As the action is advancing semi-commercial agricultural practices for communities in Mbire (TG3), supported farmers are expected to improve their yields and incomes through climate smart approaches. By facilitating SYB and SIYB trainings and support to related enterprises, entrepreneurs are going to improve their income security. Furthermore, at community conservancy level, the project anticipates a growing portfolio of assets and revenue generating enterprises. Mechanisms of benefit sharing by CSOTs are expected to be more transparent and better linked to the existing CAMPFIRE model. Training collectors on sustainable NTFP harvesting and utilising the ZRBF Bridging Fund established NTFP Aggregation and Processing Centre, will enable communities to benefit from their natural resources.

At a Social level:

The action will contribute to social cohesion by ensuring co-ownership of natural resource management and eco system conservation. It ensures that community structures are involved in the planning, implementation and governance of their natural resources. These efforts are underscored by the establishment of Environmental Subcommittees and CSOTS (TG4). The action puts a particular emphasis on empowering women and youth. Gender transformative approaches, such as GALS, are integrated throughout the activities and Junior Ranger programs at school level will foster a culture of conservation across generations. The equipping and training of wildlife scouts will assist to expand patrol coverage and build relations between communities, conservancies and responsible authorities.

At Policy level:

The project will significantly transform policy around collaborative interdistrict, national and TFCAs (ZIMOZA) wildlife management. Mbire RDC has already embarked on an integrated land use plan and district Masterplan which will contribute to greater connectivity and security of wildlife habitats in the district. The project will further align such district levels with national frameworks (e.g., Climate Change Bill, Park and Wildlife Amendment Bill) and neighbouring TFCAs and strengthen collaboration across sectors, utilizing a landscape approach. Documenting lessons from Mbire will further contribute to inform future actions and policies on sustainable natural resource management. Lastly, the action will support the drafting of by-laws that empower communities to take ownership in conservation and ensure that they can thrive economically within their landscapes.