November 2010

Changing Victoria Falls

By Hermine

The Victoria Falls and surrounding area and specifically the bridge, unchanged for 90 years, is slowly changing its appearance and scenery.

Now we have bungee jumping from the middle of the bridge which had to change a piece of the bridge structure to accommodate their base. Next we got the gorge swing from the top of the gorge, Zambian side, to the bridge. Cables across the river, disturbing the beautiful view from the bridge to the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe and to the river itself. And now the latest addition by Shearwater Ltd from Zimbabwe: A restaurant overlooking the gorge.

Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has been accused of granting a permit to establish the restaurant in disregard of the impact on the famous rainforest. There are concerns that the development will greatly affect the natural habitat around the falls.

Stakeholders in the tourism industry from Livingstone and Victoria Falls say that the same development is threatening the status of the Victoria Falls as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which could deal a devastating blow to tourism on both sides of the Zambezi.

Environment Africa received concerned enquiries on the matter from: Tour operators in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Hoteliers, Booking Agents in South Africa, Environmentalists in Zambia and Zimbabwe, Residents in Victoria Falls, the Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association.

In the past several other potential investors have been refused permission to set up shop in the area on the grounds that they would spoil it. The curio venders and companies that have been calling Environment Africa are concerned about the impact this is going to have on the conservation status and the livelihoods of more that 100 poor curio vendors and their families who were earning a living by selling outside the rainforest.

An EMA official in Victoria Falls confirmed that people are up in arms over the development: “They feel it was not properly done. Among them are people who applied for the site previously but were rejected.”

October 2010

Global warming threat to Zambia

By Hermine

Just a few months ago a workshop on global warming causes in Zambia was held by the United Nations Environmental Department at the Wasawange Lodge in Livingstone. Another workshop was held in Siavonga last month, this time organized by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

In both conferences it was confirmed that the main contributor of climate change in Zambia is deforestation: Charcoal burning, forest clearing for farming and housing development, building of roads etc. The MTENR is warning that we can expect more floods as well as more draughts in other parts of Zambia. Zambia’s key sectors such as agriculture and food security, wildlife, forestry, water, energy and human health stand to be adversely affected by climate induced changes.

While we wait for the government to take their appropriate action, please let us do individually whatever we can to avoid climate change disaster.

• Stop cutting trees and start planting! Tree cutting is even illegal on council and government property (outside your plot boundary). Trees give us shade, food, fertilize the soil, stop soil erosion, produce oxygen, purify the air, add value and beauty to your property.

• Do you have to drive your car everywhere? Short distances which you can cover by bike or foot, please park your car and reduce air pollution from your cars exhaust gases.

• Plastic bags are big polluters. Plastics are non-degradable. You can’t burn them because of the highly poisonous smoke produced (dioxin which promotes cancer) and wherever you bury them you will still find them in 50 years to come. The careless throwing away of all kind of plastics on the roads, in the bush, in the river etc. caused Zambia to get 'plastics are the national flower of Zambia” by tourists. Please use re-usable shopping bags.

• Organic farming: Fertilizer runoff from farms is polluting our rivers and drinking water. Have we all forgotten how our parents and grandparents were farming before chemical fertilizers were introduced? Organic farm produce is healthy and environment friendly and cheaper to produce. Please ask for and promote organic farming produce.

• 80 % of global warming worldwide originates from meat production. Meat and dairy farming is the sole producer of methane, a gas which is 72 times more harmful to our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Half of the world’s grain production such as maize, wheat etc is used for animal feed. 83 % of the worlds soy production is for animal feed. 90 % of the world’s seawater fish is used for stock feed, only 10 % is for human consumption.

  While at present worldwide are 1 billion people starving, every 6 seconds a child dies of hunger, the grain produced for animal feed could feed 2 billion people.

  Health-risks of meat-consumption:

  A meat-free diet has no health-risk while on the other hand many of our so-called modern diseases are contributed to our extensive meat consumption: Swine flu, bird flu, diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, overweight/obesity, high blood pressure, most forms of cancer, infertility, mad cow disease, tuberculosis and many more. An EU sponsored research showed that meat-consumption in your childhood makes you prone to cancer in your adulthood.

The Rotary Club of Livingstone in conjunction with Limulunga Plant Nursery will be distributing trees for planting free of charge by the onset of the rain season. To receive free trees please contact Mss. Hermine on Cell 0977-54 57 54 or 32 35 39.