HWANGE – A Chinese-owned firm, Sunny Yi Feng, has drawn sharp criticism from environmentalists and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) after making use of for permission to prospect for coal inside Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest wildlife sanctuary.
The firm’s software, printed within the Government Gazette on February 14, 2025, particularly targets the Sinamatella Black Rhino Intensive Conservation Zone, a crucial habitat for the endangered black rhino.
ZimParks has strongly condemned the appliance, urging the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to reject it.
In a press assertion, ZimParks cited the extreme ecological penalties of permitting mining actions throughout the park.
The authority highlighted the potential for elevated species extinction, significantly for the black rhino, which is listed beneath the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) Appendix 1.
“Needless to say that the proposed mining mission will really improve the chance of species extinction and prospects of inhabitants restoration will likely be negatively affected.
“The proposed mining mission poses a major menace, worsening the degradation of land, a crucial concern for ZimParks, which has a mandate to make sure that a minimum of 30% of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and ecosystems are restored by 2030.
“While now we have made substantial progress in reviving wildlife populations throughout the nation, the introduction of mining actions on this very important space would undermine ecological situations important for wildlife survival and replica.
“This compromise will hinder our ongoing efforts to keep up and restore wholesome populations of wildlife.
“Approving mining in this zone would not only contradict ZimParks’ conservation mandate but also tarnish Zimbabwe’s reputation regionally and internationally as a world leader in sustainable conservation.”
ZimParks additionally raised considerations in regards to the affect on tourism, a serious income generator for Zimbabwe, stating that mining operations would negatively have an effect on customer experiences and disrupt wildlife motion.
The authority additional famous that the Sinamatella space is residence to the Bumbusi ruins, a web site of historic and cultural significance to native communities.
ZimParks identified that Hwange National Park hosts Africa’s second-largest elephant inhabitants and that mining may intrude with groundwater movement, threatening very important water sources for wildlife and doubtlessly exacerbating human-wildlife battle.
The authority’s dedication to safeguarding crucial wildlife habitats and sustaining Zimbabwe’s popularity as a frontrunner in sustainable conservation.
The authority has referred to as on the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to “cancel the application for an exclusive prospection of mining activities in Hwange National Park, specifically targeting the Sinamatella Black Rhino Intensive Protection Zone and never to entertain such applications in future.”
