The Important Bird Areas Monitoring Project

Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are essential and suitable habitats for the conservation of breeding, wintering and/or migrating birds of the world. Sites are designated as IBAs if they hold globally threatened birds, restricted-range species, biome -restricted species and congregations of significant numbers of terrestrial and waterbirds. In Zimbabwe twenty sites have been designated as IBAs. These are:

The European Commission has provided funds to monitor IBAs found in protected areas mainly Parks and Wildlife Estates and Forest Estates. These areas are Nyanga Mountains, Chimanimani Mountains, Save-Runde junction, Matobo Hills, Robert Macllwaine Recreational Park, Hwange National Park, Chizarira National Park, Batoka Gorge, Middle Zambezi Valley, Chirinda forest and Stapleford forest. The purpose of monitoring IBAs is to improve the documentation process of national biodiversity data and information. More importantly, is to be able to detect environmental threats and act in good time as well as assess the effectiveness of conservation actions. BirdLife Zimbabwe is working with existing biodiversity monitoring institutions and individuals in the implementation of the project. Major stakeholders are the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Forestry Commission and Allied Timber Holdings Pvt Ltd. Training workshops in IBA monitoring for members of staff from the aforementioned institutions have been part of the major work in 2008.

Red Data Book Project
A task force was formed in 2007 to spearhead and strategise the development and publication of a Red Data List for Zimbabwean birds. IUCN Red Data Books and Red Lists are important in guiding conservation activities of governments, NGOs and scientific institutions. They are a globally accepted approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species. A national Red Data List would follow the IUCN criteria, with a focus on birds in Zimbabwe. A Red Data List is the first step in terms of conservation actions. It assists in the assigning of priorities in terms conservation actions, as there are never sufficient resources to address all the threats. The system helps conservation managers in the most effective action to take. The task force is working with BLZ members to gather as much information as possible on the current status of Zimbabwe’s birds.

Waterfowl counts

The months of January and July are dedicated to waterbird counts every year. This is done under the auspices of the the African Waterfowl Census (AfWC), which in turn is part of the International Waterfowl Census (IWC). Technical support is provided by Wetlands International. Waterfowl counts are carried out by the staff and members of BLZ in different parts of the country. A relatively large number of sites are visited regularly as they provide interesting birding opportunities. Places visited in the past include David Whitehead Ponds, Lake Chivero and Manyame, Mbazhe Pan Bird Sanctuary, Manjinji Pan, Tambahata Pan, Aiselby Ponds and the hundreds of water pans in Hwange National Park. Water bird counts have been carried for a long time by volunteers, and places like Lake Chivero and Lake Manyame are considered to be one of the best studied wetlands in Zimbabwe due to the long history of waterbird records. Recently a project entitled ‘Wings over Wetlands’ under the Wetlands International banner provided support to update information on migratory waterbirds and sites where they occur.

Mbazhe Pan Sanctuary Eco-tourism Project
BirdLife Zimbabwe embarked on wetland protection and ecotourism development project at Mbazhe Pan Bird Sanctuary in 2008. Mbazhe Pan is a Bird Sanctuary that supports large congregations of water birds. There are records of bird counts from as early as 1963. From recent surveys, the area has been noted to support globally threatened species such as the Wattled Crane, and other species that are protected under the Zimbabwe Parks and Wild Life Act. This project seeks to promote conservation of the bird and their wetland habitat by the local communities, and improve human livelihoods through ecotourism development. BLZ is working closely with Nkayi Folk Development Foundation, a community-based organisation. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was carried out in February 2008 and the local communities were consulted. Implementation of the project has started with local communities helping to clear trees from the road between Nkayi Centre and Mbazhe Pan Bird Sanctuary.

Wattled Crane Conservation in Driefontein Grasslands Driefontein Grasslands, located in central Zimbabwe, is the key breeding area for Wattled Cranes Bugeranus carunculatus in the country. This site is an Important Bird Area and the only remaining largest Wattled Crane habitat in the country, supporting more than three quarters of Zimbabwe’s Wattled Crane population. BirdLife Zimbabwe has been monitoring Wattled Cranes in the Driefontein Grasslands since 1999. The Wattled Crane is classified as Globally Threatened but listed as Vulnerable under the IUCN Threat Criteria. The species is threatened by loss of its wetland habitat in all the range states due to agriculture and other human activities. In Zimbabwe, the wetlands are under increasing threat from subsistence agricultural activities and this is a direct result of the fast-track land reform exercise undertaken in 2000, which saw subsistence farmers being resettled on what used to be commercial cattle ranches. This land use change brought about new conservation challenges as human settlements and agricultural fields reduced the breeding and foraging area for the birds. Some breeding pairs have not been sighted at known breeding sites in recent surveys and it is still to be established whether they have relocated to other areas within the Driefontein Grasslands. The challenge is to integrate agricultural activities into conservation programmes to minimise conflict and habitat loss particularly in the newly occupied sites. The project also seeks to expand the involvement of local communities and other stakeholders to address these conservation problems. In an effort to ensure long-term survival of Wattled Cranes in the area, BirdLife Zimbabwe has engaged local communities and linked Wattled Crane conservation to human livelihoods. Two local community conservation support groups (Site Support Groups) have been formed and these undertake conservation activities and help monitor cranes and wetland resources.

Monavale Vlei Biodiversity Project
Monavale Vlei is one of the few wetlands still existing within Zimbabwe's capital city Harare and its surroundings. It is a unique, seasonally and partially flooded wetland with surrounding hilly outcrops. Its qualities and capacity to support a diversity of species including threatened birds were being negatively by urban development and extensive informal cultivation, dumping of waste and poaching. In response to this, the Conservation Society of Monavale (COSMO) and BirdLife Zimbabwe (BLZ) with the assistance of Environment Africa have taken effective action to prevent activities that could cause further environmental damage to the Vlei. To guarantee ultimate conservation of the Vlei area legislative protection through gazetting was considered absolutely vital, and work has already started to achieve this goal. An Environmental Management Plan for the area was produced in 2007. This plan is being implemented by COSMO, a Site Support Group of BirdLife Zimbabwe.

Environmental Education and Awareness

Ten years ago when our Bird Awareness Programme began, the Education Committee decided that the central theme would be studying birds in the local patch of each school, using the birds as ambassadors to biodiversity. Our programme has been strengthened by a growing interest among the public and officials in biodiversity. The appropriate and attractive books and newsletters we have produced, which focus on local birds and other inhabitants of the natural world, have also sustained this programme. The department has found it satisfying and exciting to broaden our horizons and work with a wide range of stakeholders in the Murowa Diamonds/BLZ Project. It has been pleasing to note the interest shown by schools, local and mining communities in our programmes. The project was given a boost by the staging of an upmarket weekend, the Rio Tinto Murowa Bird Watch Event. Besides the already mentioned stakeholders, specialists in identification of birds from the BirdLife Zimbabwe membership took part in this bird walk at the mine and its surrounds.

Partnerships and BirdLife Zimbabwe Education Programmes
The project owes much to partnerships such as the Rio Tinto/BirdLife International funding partnership and the management team of Murowa Diamonds. The Manager of this Murowa Programme Mrs. L Maasdorp has had the honour of being invited to speak at the World Bird Conference in September 2008 at Buenos Aires on “Inspiring corporates and their communities through biodiversity awareness”.

Another valuable partnership is between BLZ and NABU – the German BLI partner, who has given great support to our schools’ newsletters over the years and contributed to the procuring of a better vehicle for the Education Projects.

Conservation work § The Murowa Bird Project and Headman and villagers are undertaking gully reclamation work § Greening of grounds at Murowa Schools § Establishment of nutrition (Permaculture) garden at Gundekunde and tree nursery at Chinembeure Secondary School at Murowa § Improving the habitat at Aberfoyle for the Anchieta’s Tchagra carried out by Eastern Highlands Tea Estates Management at Aberfoyle § Southern Ground-hornbill – research on people’s attitude towards the bird to formulate appropriate conservation measures

Commemorations and Bird Watch Events and Camps
A good way of promoting appreciation and the value of birds is through organising events for stakeholders. Attending a big event makes for enjoyment for social interaction and reinforces the importance of birds to the participants.