Cabinet approves wildlife policy to tackle climate crisis, human-wildlife conflict

The government has officially approved the National Wildlife Policy to establish a wildlife-anchored economy capable of withstanding the escalating impacts of climate change.

The policy replaces the 1992 framework and aligns with best practices to ensure sustainable resource use, increase community participation, strengthen socio-economic benefits, and build resilience to climate change.

In a post-Cabinet briefing, Minister of Information  Zhemu Soda said the policy replaces a decades-old document which no longer reflects the modern challenges of sustainable resource management.

Under this new directive, the state fundamentally recognises wildlife as a public resource, a shift intended to promote equitable benefit-sharing and support the devolution of natural resources to local communities.

“The new Wildlife Policy aims to strengthen the contribution of the wildlife sector to national development through sustainable use of wildlife resources; and to enhance active community participation and thereby socio-economic benefits for present and future generations,” Soda said.

A central focus of the legislation is the enhancement of resilience against climate change through the strategic establishment and maintenance of wildlife corridors.

The corridors are vital for allowing species to migrate safely as environmental conditions shift, while the policy simultaneously integrates fisheries conservation into broader water resource development plans to protect biodiversity.

To ensure these conservation efforts are respected, the government is introducing strict penalties for violations that hamper resource sustainability.

Beyond ecological protection, the policy addresses the socio-economic friction caused by environmental shifts by implementing the approved Human-Wildlife Conflict Relief Fund.

The fund is designed to provide direct assistance to victims of animal encounters, reflecting a broader commitment to community-based natural resource management and ethical conservation practices.

The policy aims to harmonise international best practices with local needs, ensuring that wildlife remains a pillar of national development for both present and future generations by aligning with the Zimbabwe Biodiversity Economy Initiative and the National Development Strategy 2.