Gonarezhou National Park

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Gonarezhou National Park

IUCN Category II - National Park

Chilojo Cliffs in the northern part of Gonarezhou National Park

Chilojo Cliffs in the northern part of Gonarezhou National Park

location Masvingo , Zimbabwe
surface 5053 km²
WDPA ID 1104
Geographical location 21 ° 40 ′  S , 31 ° 40 ′  E Coordinates: 21 ° 40 ′ 0 ″  S , 31 ° 40 ′ 0 ″  E
Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe)
Gonarezhou National Park
Setup date 1968 / NP 1975
administration Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority

The Gonarezhou National Park (English Gonarezhou National Park ) is the second largest national park in Zimbabwe after the Hwange National Park . Together with the Kruger National Park in South Africa and the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, as well as some smaller protected areas , it forms the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which extends across countries . Gonarezhou means place of many elephants .

location

Gonarezhou National Park is located in the southeast of the country in Masvingo Province on the border with Mozambique. The rivers Mwenezi in the southwest and Sava in the northeast form natural boundaries of the national park.

history

The Gonarezhou National Park was created in 1975 from a protected area established in 1968. The Gonarezhou Game Reserve had existed in the area of ​​today's park since 1934. During the civil war in Zimbabwe , the park was closed to visitors and did not reopen until 1994. Due to the civil war in neighboring Mozambique , which continued even after the reopening, and the few visitors, the park was never really expanded for tourism . With the beginning of the violent land reform by the former President Robert Mugabe in 1999, up to a third of the park was occupied by the surrounding Chitsa population and destroyed by settlements, agricultural use and poaching. Since 2004 the government has been trying to relocate the illegal settlers and to work on the implementation of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park project that was decided the year before . Due to the ongoing unrest, high inflation and a lack of tourists, the country lacks sufficient financial means.

landscape

For the most part, the national park is less than 400 meters above sea level in the so-called Lowveld . In the southern part, the railway line from Rutenga to Maputo , Mozambique, cuts through the park. In the northern part, the Runde River cuts through the park before it flows into the Save River shortly before the Mozambican border . This is where Zimbabwe's lowest point is located at 162 meters above sea level. Compared to the African highlands, the temperatures in the Lowveld are higher and there is less rain.

Rivers in the park

Most of the smaller rivers in the park only carry water during or after the rainy season . The two large rivers Runde and Save are water-bearing all year round. In dry years, the water level of the Mwenezi is strongly influenced by dams and water withdrawals in the upper course of the river.

Rock cliffs

In the north, magnificent landscapes with sandstone cliffs such as the Chilojo Cliffs have formed along the rivers .

vegetation

In the park, grass savannahs, scrubland and forests (including baobab and mountain acacia ) alternate. In the past few decades, the vegetation has changed in large parts of the park. Forest and thicket were pushed back. Bush savannahs and grasslands spread out.

Wildlife

Despite its problems, the national park is known for its diverse wildlife. It is particularly known for its large bird life. Many species of antelope live in the park, including the nyala antelope and the musk ibex . The animals that make up the Big Five include elephant , buffalo , lion and leopard .

Both the white rhinoceros and the black rhinoceros have long since disappeared from the park. A first attempt between 1969 and 1971 to reintroduce black rhinos in the area of ​​today's national park failed. In the 1990s, the last rhino was hunted by poachers. Another attempt should now be started.

In 1992 a catastrophic drought led to the disappearance of the Lichtenstein antelope . Hundreds of elephants had to be relocated to other protected areas.

The wildlife in the park is suffering greatly from the ongoing poaching. For the African elephant in particular , the situation in the park is likely to worsen after the ivory trade was eased on July 15, 2008.

See also : List of Animal Species in Gonarezhou National Park

Rock art

In the national park, rock carvings of white rhinos have been found in two places in the northern area . However, the age of the rock carvings is only estimated to be 500 to 700 years.

Infrastructure / tourism

For a long time there was virtually no tourist infrastructure in Gonarezhou National Park. The roads were in a very bad condition. Accommodation (lodges) did not exist at all. There were only a few designated tent sites with minimal facilities in the park.

Only in 2006 were the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority built a camp and three lodges and repaired 170 kilometers of roads.

Park entrances

The park can be reached via two entrances. The region around the rivers Runde and Save can be reached via the road from Chiredzi towards Harare . A gravel road branches off 18 kilometers behind Chiredzi. There are still 34 kilometers from the road to the park. The approach to the southern region branches off the road between Masvingo and Beitbridge about 20 kilometers south of Rutenga . It is another 105 kilometers from the main road to the park.

Roads in the national park

Most of the park can only be visited with an off-road vehicle . Many roads are still in bad shape even now.

Accommodations

  • Lodges
    • Swimuwini rest camp
  • Tent sites
    • Mabalauta Camping site
    • Chipinda Pools Camp
  • Campsites with minimal equipment
    • Nyahungwe
    • Madumbini
    • Bopomela
    • Lisoda
    • Gota
    • Chitove
    • Chamaluvati
    • Chilojo
  • Lodges outside the national park
    • Mahenye Safari Lodge (adjacent)
    • Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge (adjacent)
    • Senuko Safari Lodge (adjacent)

Others

There are no shops in the park.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Peace Parks Foundation: Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park . on www.greatlimpopo.org (English)
  2. ^ Zimbabwe Independent June 25, 2004: Poaching threatens megapark project
  3. ^ Financial Gazette, January 22, 2004
  4. ^ The Herald (Harare) January 21, 2008: Zimbabwe: Plans to Resettle Chitsa People At Advanced Stage
  5. ↑ a b Kevin M. Dunham, Feasibility Study for the Development of a Rhino IPZ in Gonarezhou, May 2005 (SADC Regional Program for Rhino Conservation)
  6. ↑ Clifford Tafangenyasha, Tree loss in the Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe) between 1970 and 1983, Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 49, Issue 3, March 1997, pages 355-366
  7. ^ Zimbabwe Independent, June 25, 2004: Poaching threatens megapark project
  8. ^ Press release from Pro Wildlife
  9. ^ Fr. Balsam, Rock painting in southern Rhodesia, Hartebeest 6, 1974, 8-13
  10. ^ The Herald (Harare), October 27, 2006: Parks Authority Completes Road, Builds 3 Lodges

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