As an interested party I would like to highlight some of the positive and negative impacts of the Legacy development. Please feel free to pass this on.
1) With the right planning and approach the hotel development could be undertaken with out enormous prejudice to the local environment. We can see a very similar development in Kasane with Mwana lodge.
2) The area downstream of the Maramba has no access for Humans at all. The area upstream is little used due to difficult access and a high crime rate. Therefore the loss of access to the river should not be a major concern. There is no boat launch site in this area.
3) There is justified concern about this being one of only two crossing points for the elephants and this development would block this unless well planned. However would the Elis find a new crossing. I am sure that we have precedence for this somewhere.
4) As can be seen from the attached plot the land away from the river banks is very dry and has no large trees that would need felling.
5) This development would give Livingstone the critical mass which it does not have at the moment thus opening up the area for serious tourism and protecting the Zambian side against a re-emergence of the Zimbabwean side.
6) This development will create a large number of very badly needed jobs in an area with a high unemployment rate.
7) The taxes and levies applied would help to uplift the livingstone area.
8) The advertising produced would have a seriously positive effect on Zambian Tourism.
9) The potential loss of world heritage status needs investigation.
10) There would be a very positive impact on many marginal tourism businesses in the area.
11) There seems to be concern that this development will have a negative effect on the park in general. However as pointed out earlier very few people ever go to this area and there will be no effect what so ever on the Zoological area of the park frequented by tourists.
Over all the positives outway the negatives by some considerable margin. I think you will find that the vast majority of people in the area are pro this development as long as the environmental impact is given the consideration that it deserves.
Richard Sheppard.
MD
AFRICAN HORIZONS LTD
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2 comments:
I agree with most of Richard's points except (1) which I believe to be impossible on the proposed site (There will be almost no local environment left!) and (2) and (11) which imply that human access can be only by tarred roads and boat launch sites. This is the only remaining bit of river bank in its natural state. Any human who wants to can get there - which will not be the case when it is restricted to rich tourists only. It would be nice if the roads were improved and picnic sites reinstated and work done to maintain the natural environment for the enjoyment of local people as well as any tourist who would like to see the natural environmentof the Falls area. This is the job of ZAWA - not selling off the environment.
Richard's other points are all valid but we could have the same development and it would be of the same benefit to Livingstone if it was on another site. The developers have admitted that they have not even considered another site.
Richard, I will defer to Margaret on your points as I don't know the area very well, having only worked in the Zoological Park in '67 when translocating eland there. However, I do understand that we will now have one united Park, which changes everything in terms of its biodiversity status and the benefits it could bring to all - not just the well heeled. Scientifically managed, this Park could maintain a very high carrying capacity for wildlife. Thus it is important that a consortium made up of the Livingstone Council, WECSZ, LTA actively seek a public private partnership with ZAWA in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park's management. This is ZAWA policy for its non-flagship (non-profitable) Parks and we now have a few parks running reasonably well on this basis, but in a few of the flagship Parks we need PPPs as well - particularly for Zambezi and Mosi. The new D-G of ZAWA, Dr Lewis Saiwana, has long been a firm supporter of PPPs and is now actively moving forward on this front. In customary areas, Chiefs have now accepted that there only hope for development lies in the establishment of Trusts in which the private sector and the District Councils, CRBs ... are partners, and where land is not alienated. Thus there is a national movement on the trust partnership front. In Livingstone there exists considerable expertise and enthusiasm for being part of the management and care of Mosi. The Park cannot be left to ZAWA alone to run as they don't have the capacity to manage the Park in the way it should be. It is just too valuable a resource to leave to Government. And they are asking for help; and it is a World Heritage Site - the responsibility of all to care for.
I differ strongly with the view that development must go ahead in the Park and that it is simply a matter of working with the developers to come up with an acceptable amelioration plan. Such an extensive development in the very heart of the Park must not be allowed - rightly having been refused on a number of prior occasions; but it would be most welcome outside the Park.
Ian Manning
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