Mozambique: Gorongosa National Park to Expand

[Hoas]

Maputo — Gorongosa National Park, in the central Mozambican province of Sofala is about to expand with the likely conversion of an adjacent game park into an area of total protection.

According to a report in the Maputo daily "Noticias", the management of the Gorongosa Park has signed an agreement with the Portuguese Entreposto group which runs the game park, known as "Coutada 12".

This former hunting area covers 200,000 hectares. Under the agreement, the Gorongosa Park and Entreposto will undertake joint work of ecological assessment, surveys with the local population and an analysis of the tourism potential of Coutada 12.

This will culminate with a proposal to the government for the incorporation of Coutada 12 into the Gorongosa National Park. Only the government has the power to change the boundaries of protected areas,



The Gorongosa park administrator, Mateus Mutemba, recalled that all that has been done over the past decade to revive and restock Gorongosa, after its wildlife was decimated during the war of destabilization, could be replicated in Coutada 12. This would mean involving the local population in conservation efforts, providing jobs for local people, undertaking scientific research, and developing tourism.

Greg Carr, the United States philanthropist who has been one of the driving forces behind the recovery of Gorongosa, stressed the importance of providing wild life with a protected corridor through Coutada 12.

"We don't want to imprison wild life in the Gorongosa Park", said Carr. "We don't want to be like other parks in Africa whose area is continually shrinking".

Pedro Palhinha, the chairperson of the Entreposto group, recalled that, before becoming a protected area, what is now the Gorongosa National Park had been a hunting reserve owned by Entreposto's predecessor, the Companhia de Mocambique (Mozambique Company). He said it was "an honour to be associated with this new phase of the Gorongosa Park".

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201612040236.html

 

[CAustin]

Hope this is a good thing and that it will lead to more hunting opportunities as well as economic development in the area.

 

[spike.t]

dont think its going to be for hunting...

"According to a report in the Maputo daily "Noticias", the management of the Gorongosa Park has signed an agreement with the Portuguese Entreposto group which runs the game park, known as "Coutada 12".

This former hunting area covers 200,000 hectares. Under the agreement, the Gorongosa Park and Entreposto will undertake joint work of ecological assessment, surveys with the local population and an analysis of the tourism potential of Coutada 12."

 

[siml]

@CAustin , this is the worst thing that can happen!!!!! In these remote areas, eoc tourism can't come close to the money that is generated by hunting. I think Mr G Carr has bitten off a little too much. From what I have heard through the grapevine "not fact" is he wants the reserve to stretch from Gorongosa all the way to the coast, this would mean the end to coutada 11, 14, which are the best buffalo hunting areas in Mozambique. If it hadn't been for hunting these areas wouldn't exist. Hopefully someone with more facts can comment.

 

[spike.t]

@CAustin , this is the worst thing that can happen!!!!!

usually is when one of these gets involved and doesnt matter where they come from either.... "United States philanthropist".....

 

[CAustin]

So @TMS and @spike.t , you guys are thinking the area being added to the park would no longer be hunted at all???

 

[spike.t]

So @TMS and @spike.t , you guys are thinking the area being added to the park would no longer be hunted at all???

dont know that much about moz, but i think zambeze delta safaris used to hunt coutada 12 along with 11 , but now it seems they only have coutada 11. so yup i would say most "philanthropists" doing what this one is doing arent exactly into hunting........and as simon said its the hunting operators through serious hard and expensive anti poaching and looking after these coutadas that have brought the game back, and allowed it to breed up to numbers that werent imaginable when they first took on these areas. same as what has occurred in other african countries where the hunting operators who looked after the areas and got them back to having abundant animal life have had the photo operators edge their way in and end up causing shit with the authorities about the hunting people upsetting their clients, and then getting sole use of the areas.......

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There is a strange irony in all of this. Whether we are hunters, anti-hunting, or neutral on the subject, if we exist today the reality is that we are descendants of an ancestor who was a highly successful hunter. Only the strong survived. Whilst many modern humans have lost it, thank heavens, for the sake of conservation, the hunting gene is still strong in some of us. Despite cries of foul play by those critical of the profession or sport, the facts and figures speak for themselves. The most successful comeback of wildlife in the past two decades has been funded by hunters and hunting revenue. The success story can be found in the Zambeze Delta. Zambeze Delta Safaris operating in Coutada 11, has arguably the most successful modern day anti-poaching unit to be found anywhere. In an attempt to learn from the Delta and the contributing factors of its success, Craig Boddington and Conrad Evarts, along with the Zambeze Delta Anti-Poaching Team, are planning the production of a six part television show. They want to tell the story of the often unsung heroes of conservation which is this anti-poaching unit. The documentary will demonstrate how they operate, their methods and the incredible comeback of wildlife in the Zambeze Delta. There will be a strong emphasis on how hunters like you and I have made this possible. Please take four minutes to watch the clip below.
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Anti-poaching by Craig Boddington
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[D.Unger]

Coutada 12 could not be more protected than it is under the control Mark Haldane/ ZDS. I've hunted Coutada 12 and can say first hand the area is flourishing with game, and the only reason is the hunters dollars put into the anti-poaching. To take it out of the control of ZDS is an enormous step back, absolute stupidity.

 

[siml]

Charlie, there will definitely be no more hunting. Jose Martiens was the person who originally started the hard work to build 12 into a hunting block. I hunted for Jose many years back and he would tell me the stories of how hard and how much sweat he put into getting 12 up and operating. ZDS has really done a great job.