Zambia rejects golf course construction in Victoria Fall area
Zambia has approved the construction of two hotels in Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park but rejected a proposed golf course in the Victoria Falls area, the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ) said here on Wednesday.
In a statement, ECZ senior communications officer Justin Mukosa said that the proposed construction of a golf course and 450 villas in the park had been rejected because the park was too small to accommodate such facilities without disturbing the ecological balance.
The ECZ has further directed that the two hotels must be located on the northern part of the Maramba River as proposed by Legacy Holdings Zambia Limited because the southern part of the Maramba River was an ecologically sensitive area which supported wildlife and was a major animal corridor linking the park to the wildlife areas in Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Mukosa said the construction of the two hotels would be subject to specified conditions including no fencing of any kind around the premises to allow free movement of wildlife.
He said there shall also be no introduction of exotic plants in the area without written authority from the Environmental Council of Zambia.
Mukosa said among other conditions the buildings on site shall not exceed the tree tops and shall not be visible from afar adding that all structures shall be painted in colours not so conspicuous as to be out of natural blend with the surrounding environment.
Mukosa said ECZ is committed to promoting sustainable enterprises and development in the country in an environmentally sound manner and practice taking into consideration without compromising the needs of future generation.
Hot debates are going on in Zambia on the construction of two hotels and a golf course in the Victoria Falls area of the country.
Legacy Holdings Zambia has threatened to take the proposed 260- million-U.S. dollar-project away if it could not develop on the designated area.
The Zambia Wildlife Authority awarded Legacy a tourism concession agreement of a 220 hectare long lease to construct a golf estate containing two hotels, an 18 hole golf course, marina and 450 chalets in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, part of which is the Victoria Falls.
However, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is concerned that Zambia and Zimbabwe had allegedly failed to follow recommendations on the management of the Victoria Falls as a world heritage site.
UNESCO commissioner Felistus Chiyanda said recently that the two countries failed to control the new tourism developments around the 30 km radius which was agreed in protocols relating to the management of the Victoria Falls.
Chiyanda warned the two countries to reverse the trend by ensuring that no more developments were put up in the restricted world heritage site radius or risk having the status given to the falls withdrawn by the UN agency.
Citizens for a better Environment executive director Peter
Sinkamba said that erecting the two hotels and golf course in the park would affect not only passage of elephants from Botswana and Zimbabwe, but also other animals in the game park.
"There is a danger that these animals would find another corridor, which may not be Zambia and this could ruin Zambian tourism," he said.
Tourism in Livingstone with entire infrastructure would be dead without animals and that this should be everyone's concern, he said.
Sinkamba urged the government to find another area to allow for the building of the hotels.
Elephants are mainly found in the falls area during the dry season when they cross over from Zimbabwe searching for food.
Those supporting the project also argued that it would create jobs, peripheral opportunity and service delivery.
Zambian side of Victoria Falls and the adjacent bank of Zambezi is called the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. Victoria Falls is one of the seven wonders of the modern world and a world heritage site UNESCO declared in 1989 because of its scientific and tourism value
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