Crocodile Industry Hopeful Despite Gloomy Environment
By John Cassim Zimbabwe’s crocodile industry is pinning its hopes on various legislative reviews, including the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill, for survival. The industry currently faces numerous challenges such as a punitive 30% forex retention, exorbitant water charges, a depressed skin market, pollution from mining activities, and the effects of climate change. This was revealed by Jimmyson Kazangarare, the outgoing Chairperson […]
IFAW and ZimParks Bolster Wildlife Conservation with New Ranger Housing
Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Evelyn Ndlovu, officially commissioning two houses in Matetsi Unit 5 John Cassim In a show of continued support and commitment to wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe, through the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has commissioned two new ranger houses at Matetsi […]
Gandiwa Rejects Claims That African Countries Are Falling Behind On Biodiversity Goals
Professor Patience Gandiwa – Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) Director of International Conservation Affairs John Cassim Professor Patience Gandiwa, a renowned Zimbabwean conservationist and ecologist with extensive experience in wildlife conservation and transboundary conservation initiatives, has dismissed claims that countries yet to submit their National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plans (NBSAPs), aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, lack […]
Protecting Cameroon’s Last Kordofan Giraffes
In Northern Cameroon, a rare giraffe subspecies still survives, the Kordofan giraffe. Over the last few years, they have been disappearing but here in Cameroon, the Kordofan giraffes live in one of its last remaining habitat, The Faro National park. These giraffes do more than stand out, they help keep the ecosystem healthy, an ecosystem […]
SADC TFCA Calls For a Collective Voice at CITES
John Cassim Southern African countries have been urged to speak with one voice regarding the lifting of the ivory trade ban on countries like Zimbabwe. Officials attending the Southern African Development Community – Transfrontier Conservation Area (SADC-TFCA) conference have made this call ahead of the CoP20, which will be held in November 2025 in Samarkand, […]
The Ivory Paradox: Zimbabwe Says Trade Ban Harms Conservation
John Cassim Zimbabwe has called for the lifting of the ivory trade ban, arguing that trading its existing stockpiles will raise much-needed funds to continue wildlife conservation efforts and help combat illegal wildlife trafficking. Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister, Evelyn Ndlovu, made this call during the CITES COP-20 Stakeholder Consultation meeting held in Bulawayo this […]
Congolese Ivory Trafficker Arrested in Lusaka With loads of Tusks
Six men including a Congolese suspected to be the Ivory trafficking kingpin, paraded after a raid that led to their arrest in Lusaka Zambia. John Cassim Zambia’s Ministry of Tourism, through its Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), has nabbed a Congolese suspected to be the ivory trafficking kingpin in the country. Five accomplices […]
Kapenta Industry in Crisis: Economic Pressures Lead to Unsustainable Fishing
A crate of Kapenta on a scale, a few minutes after offloading on the shores of Lake Kariba, a full crate weighs between 50kg and 60kg but when dried the weight is just a third of this mass.Credit: ConserveZim – John Cassim John Cassim The Kapenta fishing industry on Lake Kariba faces a critical decline, […]
Zimbabwe Launches National Action Plan Phase Two to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
John Cassim The Zimbabwean government launched its second National Action Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP 2.0) 2024–2028 on Thursday. This launch comes amid reports that drug resistance complications caused 15,800 deaths in Zimbabwe in 2019. Globally, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) currently causes an estimated 700,000 deaths annually, exceeding deaths from cancer and many other non-communicable diseases. […]
The Future of Fisheries in Zimbabwe: Examining Ambitious Targets
John Cassim Zimbabweans are often apathetic, fearful, and critical, a mindset stemming from past disappointments with heavily promoted but ultimately failed government programs. The Jatropha farming initiative, launched in 2006, serves as a prime example. The multimillion-dollar processing plant in Mt Hampden, once touted as the first of its kind in Africa, became a white […]