Protecting sites

ZAMBEZI societr,'a local NGO, is administering a pilot research project tofind ways of conserving sites in theZambezi basin which are under threatand are not protected within thenational parks estate. The society'spartners in the project includeBiodiversity Foundation for Africa,who will identify the vulnerable sitesand find ways of conserving their bio-diversity by enlisting help fromlocal communities.

The first phase of the research project has identified over 80 sites ofbotanical interest, 30 of which wereidentified by a study undertaken by theNational Herbarium in 1991. Amongthem, 10 are considered to be of national conservation importance. These siteswere chosen for their rarity, high plantspecies diversity, wide variety of habitatsand relatively unspoilt condition.

Several important sites such as the'sidaga' grasslands in the Gokwe communal land in western Zimbabwe, arefast disappearing due to increasing settlements and cultivation. The sites alsohave plant species that have been seldom recorded elsewhere. So are the Dandecommunal land northeast of Zimbabwe which are inhabited by the nyalaantelope and the rare red squirrel.