ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL OF ZAMBIA PRESS RELEASE

ECZ DECISIONS ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REPORTS (EIAs)

The Environmental Council of Zambia would like to inform all
stakeholders, partners and the general public that in accordance with
the Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Act (Cap 204 of the
Laws of Zambia) Regulation 3 (1) of the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) Regulations, Statutory Instrument No. 28 of 1997, it
has reviewed the following submitted Environmental Impact Assessment
reports (EIAs) for the developments outlined below. Based on the
information provided for the developments, site verification
inspection findings and input from authorizing agencies, ECZ has made
the following decision:

Proposed Construction of Mosi-Oa-Tunya Hotel and Country Club
Estate Project in Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park in Livingstone by Legacy
Holdings Zambia Limited.

The site of the proposed Mosi-Oa-Tunya Hotel and Country Club Estate
Project is located about 9Km south of Livingstone Central Business
District along the Mosi-Oa-Tunya road and about 10 Km from the
Victoria Falls. The main entrance to the site is near the Bridge over
the Maramba river, the first notable bridge from Livingstone town
heading towards the Victoria Falls. The site covers a total land area
of 220-hectare site on Lot 14734/M along the Zambezi River in the
Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park upstream of the Victoria Falls in
Livingstone, Zambia.

The development was proposed to include the following facilities:

a) A 5-star hotel called the Mosi-Oa-Tunya Hotel and Country Club with
approximately 280 rooms.

b) A 2nd luxury 5-star hotel called the Queen Victoria Hotel with
approximately 200 rooms will be built as part of phase 2 at the
confluence of the Maramba and Zambezi Rivers in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya
National Park (MoNP).

c) A 450 villa golf estate with an 18-hole golf course across the Maramba River

d) Support facilities at the country club shall include a clinic and
doctor's room for use by the guests, residents and members of staff of
the Mosi-Oa-Tunya Hotel.

e) An International Conference Centre to accommodate at least 1000 delegates.

f) An arts and crafts centre where Zambians will not only manufacture
and sell arts and crafts, but also produce and sell products for use
within the development by guests, i.e., fresh produce, fish, guests
supplies, etc.

ECZ has considered the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report
submitted by Legacy Holdings and notes that the project, if
implemented in full, will have far reaching environmental consequences
and will cause permanent damage to the wildlife habitat and animal
corridor.

ECZ has therefore only approved the construction of the two hotels,
the Mosi-oa-Tunya and the Queen Victoria Hotel which MUST BE LOCATED
ON THE NORTHERN PART OF THE MARAMBA RIVER AND NOT ON THE SOUTHERN PART
OF THE RIVER AS PROPOSED IN THE EIA REPORT. The southern part of the
Maramba river is an ecologically sensitive area which supports
wildlife and is also a major animal corridor linking the park to the
wildlife areas in Botswana and Zimbabwe and should not be disturbed.
Further, this site has gazetted National Heritage sites that could be
lost permanently if any construction is done on the site.

ECZ has however rejected the construction of the Golf Course and the
450 villas. This is in view of the fact that the Park is too small to
accommodate these facilities without disturbing the ecological balance
of the area. The villas proposed to be sold to private persons would
turn the park into a permanent residential area with private dwellings
which is inconsistent with the park operations.

The golf course and the villas would take up huge tracks of land and
this will increase the animal/people conflicts as wildlife will be
restricted in their movements. This will pose great danger to people
who may come in close proximity with wild animals. This area allocated
for development is situated in a critical animal corridor that
provides the only formally protected natural faunal link between the
northern and southern portions of the park and will need to be
preserved to maintain the integrity of the Park

The construction of the two Hotels in the northern part of the Maramba
River will be subject to the following conditions:

i) No fencing of any kind such as the hippo fence and chilli fence for
elephants shall be put in place to allow free movement of wildlife.

ii) There shall be no introduction of exotic plants in the area
without written authorization from the Environmental Council of
Zambia.

iii) The buildings on site shall not exceed the tree tops and shall
not be visible from afar.

iv) All structures shall be painted in colours not so conspicuous as
to be out of natural blend with the surrounding environment.

v) The use of persistent organic pollutants is not allowed.

vi) Legacy Holdings shall improve the ecology of the areas by planting
indigenous plants to safeguard the wildlife and bird sanctuary areas.

vii) Only areas that are meant for construction shall be disturbed to
maintain the natural beauty of the area.

viii) All developments shall be located at a minimum distance of fifty
(50) metres from both the Maramba and the Zambezi Rivers.