• To provide for the establishment, control and management of National Parks,
• For the conservation and enhancement of wildlife ecosystems, biodiversity, and of objects of aesthetic, pre-historic, historical, geological, archaeological and scientific interest in National Parks,
• For the promotion of opportunities for the equitable and sustainable use of special qualities of National Parks,
• To provide for the establishment, control and management of Game Management Areas,
• To provide for sustainable use of wildlife and the effective management of wildlife habitat in Game Management Areas,
• To enhance the benefits of Game Management Areas both local communities and to wildlife,
• To involve local communities in the management of Game Management Areas,
• To provide for the development and implementation of management plans,
• To provide for the regulation of game ranching,
• To provide for the licensing of hunting and control of the processing, sale, import and export of wild animals and trophies,
• To provide for the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Water Fowl Habitat, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Lusaka Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora.

Within the structures of ZAWA, the following generic and species / area specific policies or strategies are being implemented.

•  Policy on national parks and wildlife in Zambia
  
  The policy on the national parks and wildlife in Zambia illustrates government’s recognition of the integral part wildlife plays in the sustainable development of the country. It accepts responsibility for conserving wildlife, including those species that may sometimes be in conflict with human interests, and ensures that these assets are never squandered for any short-term human gain or any purpose that does not conform to the principle of environmentally sustainable development.
  
  It is also recognised that many lesser species can be conserved only by protecting the entire ecosystems in which they occur; that certain rare or endangered species may require special measures for their protection including legal protection whenever they occur; and that species that have detrimental effects on legitimate human interests or on the integrity of ecosystems may need to be controlled under particular circumstances.

Crocodile conservation and management strategies

The Zambian Government recognises that the Crocodile is a valuable natural resource with immense ecological and economic value. To enhance its economic value Zambia campaigned for the down-listing of the Crocodile from appendix I to II of CITES. Government has over the years realised that the ecological and economic value of the Crocodile is undermined by numerous complex factors. To correct the situation the conservation of the Crocodile, shall, therefore be guided by the principle of sustainable utilisation and the philosophy of adaptive-research and management. To be cost-effective Government shall direct conservation efforts to Crocodile conservation areas with medium-to-high population densities.

Various strategies are addressing the following amongst others:

• Monitoring of Crocodile Populations and Sustainable Utilisation
• Problem Animal Control (i.e. Human-Crocodile conflicts)
• Improving benefits to local communities from Crocodile Utilisation
• Provide Attractive Investment Opportunities in the Crocodile Industry
• Streamline Special License Procedures on the Special License on Egg Collection and Harvesting of Breeding Specimens
• Improved Biological and Socio-economic Data on the Crocodile
• Hunting of the Crocodile in the Wild
• Adaptive Research and Extension
• Crocodiles on Private Property
• Crocodiles on Private Property

Elephant management strategies

The strategies recognize the elephant’s economic potential at local and national levels in terms of creation of employment and income generation, through consumptive and non-consumptive uses. It should be noted therefore, that in this context, elephants have an incomparable economic potential than all the other species of wildlife currently being utilized in Zambia (save for the black rhino). It also has the potential to out compete several other land use options, given a level playing field.

In order for Government to realize maximum economic potential from the elephant, it is critical that species protection through effective management and cooperation with local communities are enhanced. This requires a succinct policy and subsidiary legislation to support management strategies. This initiative, therefore, constitutes the first effort to develop specific guidelines on how elephant will be managed in Zambia and is being issued for four main reasons as follows:

•  That the Government of the Republic of Zambia considers elephant as an economic asset in terms of non-consumptive and consumptive tourism, but has not been given due prominence in the past so that it can compete with other land use options,
• Proper management of the species is critical so that it realizes its full potential to generate significant income for the nation and local community in particular
• Proper ivory management system will enable government to dispose of the ivory stockpile to raise forex for the nation and income for ZAWA and local communities who often lose their crops to elephants
•  As a keystone species in the environment and critical to the maintenance of biodiversity

The summation of the above issues and problems have raised national debate and present new challenges that must be addressed continuously.

Strategies on Wildlife estates and other Novel use of the wildlife

The strategies have been prepared based on the Policy for National Parks and Wildlife Service in which Private Wildlife Estates have been recognised as key to conservation and utilization of wildlife resources. The strategies aim regulating the establishment and operations of the Private Wildlife Sector in the country.

The Zambian Government believes that private sector participation in wildlife management can contribute significantly in wildlife conservation and utilization, especially for threatened and endangered species.

The Government will, therefore, promote and support the development of game ranching industry to broaden the wildlife resource base in consultation with the local community as well as the private sector as it is an important source for revenue, employment and meat products.

ZAWA has also established guidelines and a stage-by-stage process for the establishment of a Game Ranch:

•  An application is submitted as an expression of interest in establishing a Game Ranch. The proposed site should not be less than 10 km from the Game Management Area boundary or 15 km from a National Park boundary
•  ZAWA undertakes an ecological survey or suitability assessment at the applicant’s cost
•  If the applicant has title to the land, and the ecological survey report is positive, ZAWA generates a letter to the applicant outlining the sequence of events and developmental phases
•  After an inspection and the verification of the physical developments have been carried out for compliance ZAWA counts all the resident fauna on the ranch
•  Based on the faunal survey conducted, a bill is prepared by ZAWA for the game rancher to purchase the animals resident on the ranch
•  After the game rancher has paid for the animals on the property, ZAWA issues a Certificate of Ownership; permit to keep animals in captivity and a provisional letter of authorization to operate the ranch
• The provisional letter of authority allows the investor to operate the business while awaiting the final authorization from ZAWA
• Final authority from the Board of Directors may be granted in due course.

Fire management strategies

Fire strategies have been prepared based on the Policy for National Parks and Wildlife in which fire has been recognized as a valuable tool in the management of wildlife habitats in Zambia’s Protected Areas. The fire strategies seek to ensure that fire management programmes are incorporated into General Management Plans or Land-Use Plans of Protected Areas under the jurisdiction of the Zambia Wildlife Authority.

ZAWA will endeavour to manage wildland fire programmes based on scientific information to achieve best habitat management practices and minimize damage to wildlife ecosystems within the framework of each Protected Area. These strategies should therefore stimulate fire management related-research activities in order to try and understand the effects of fire on the structural and functional dynamics of ecosystems in the Protected Areas for better management of wildlife habitat.

Fire monitoring systems will be developed and implemented to monitor the impact of different fire regimes on wildlife habitats based on available technology to evaluate and improve on wildlife habitat management

ZAWA collaborate with other stakeholders in the development and implementation of fire management programmes so that clear and consistent information about the role of fire, and the consequences of various fire management strategies are disseminated. To this effect, ZAWA will try as much as possible to incorporate fire-related information, including scientific knowledge, risk assessments, social and economic concerns in General Management Plans or Land-Use Plans.

Conventions and Agreements

To promote biodiversity management and international co-operation in natural resources management, Zambia is a signatory to some international conventions such as the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Ramsar Convention (Convention on Wetlands of International Importance). Zambia is now in the process of ratifying the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

Zambia has ratified the following Conventions / Agreements for which ZAWA is actively involved.

Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)

Zambia has been party to CITES since in 1980. In enhancing ZAWA performance on CITES matters, the ZAWA Board approved the creation of a National CITES Secretariat (NACS), composed of various scientific and law enforcement agencies.

Some of the milestones in implementing CITES are the granting of 300 specimens of the wild taken crocodiles for both safari hunting and problem animal control and advocacy for elephant sport hunting in the areas of Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa for purposes of conservation and socio-economic requirements of the local communities in the two areas.


Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

CBD in Zambia is spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources. ZAWA implements the convention through the identified focal point within ZAWA.

Ramsar Convention

There are two ramsar sites in Zambia embraced by the Ramsar Convention. Realising the importance of the management of wetlands in Zambia, strategies on conservation of biodiversity ecosystem management and wise use of wetland resource has was developed.

Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)

The CMS recognises that states must be the protectors of migratory species that live within or pass through their national jurisdictions, and aims at conserving terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their ranges.

Zambia has been participating in the Convention in an observer capacity and has part of the range states utilised by more than 400 species listed which include the African elephant.

Alongside CMS, the African – Eurasian Waterbird Agreement is also being considered as an important element of the CMS looking at migratory water birds in particular.