Rhino Management Strategy for Zimbabwe 2020 –2024.

The long term vision of the Rhino Management Strategy for Zimbabwe 2020 –2024 is to increase Zimbabwe’s black and white rhino populations to levels of at least 2,000 individuals of each species through meta-population management in suitable habitats throughout the country. The five primary components of the national Rhino Strategy remain unchanged from the previous Framework (2011-2016): 1) Effective protection and law enforcement - Ensuring the effective protection of all sub-populations of both species, if necessary consolidating vulnerable sub-populations into more secure areas if a given population cannot be effectively protected with available resources. Activities include: Maintaining antipoaching units with adequately trained, equipped and indemnified staff; improving investigation and prosecution of crimes to the level that most poachers arrested. 2) Biological management and monitoring - Implementing effective biological and ecological management and monitoring of each rhino population and their respective habitats to achieve optimum population growth rates. Activities include: Mantianing Rhino population monitoring, assessing inbreeding levels; restocking black rhinos. 3) Socio-economic sustainability - Facilitating the development of social and economic policies and activities that serve to enhance and incentivize rhino conservation and its sustainability. Activities include: Facilitating sales of privately purchased rhinos from areas that require a return; enhancing incentives for rhino conservation through public-private- community partnerships; Expanding environmental education programmes. 4) Building conservation capacity - Ensuring that sufficient and appropriately trained human resources, equipment and financing are mobilized, available, and deployed efficiently. Activities include: Keeping appropriately trained staff in rhino areas in the longer term; keeping appropriate trained staff, etc. 5) Coordination, collaboration and programme management - Ensuring effective coordination and collaboration nationally, regionally and internationally to achieve these strategic objectives, including accountability monitoring and evaluation. Activities include: Participating in business of relevant regional bodies; Convening a national rhino conservation coordinating committee, etc.