By Gaongalelwe Dinale and Adele Mackenzie

The tourism industry has raised concerns that an application by a Zimbabwean mining company to prospect for oil and gas in an area covering 13 000 hectares could threaten the delicate eco-system of a Unesco World Heritage Site.

A notice in the Zimbabwean Government Gazette, published on April 28, highlighted that the Zimbabwean-owned Shalom Mining Company had applied for a licence for oil and gas exploration within the boundaries of Mana Pools, a designated World Heritage Site recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.

Mana Pools lies on the Zimbabwe side of the Zambezi River, the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The heritage site covers 676 600 hectares, spanning the Mana Pools National Park, Sappi and Chewore Safari areas.

Tourism Update reported last week that the governments of Zimbabwe and Zambia had signed a Memorandum of Understanding, officially establishing the Lower Zambezi-Mana Pools Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA).

“This agreement reflects their dedication to enhanced cross-border protection, demonstrating international co-operation in the face of global environmental challenges,” read a joint statement from the governments.

While the application has not been granted and a source told Tourism Update she had heard from a high-level government official that this exploration licence would not be given the green-light, this has not been confirmed.

The threat therefore remains very real.

Describing the site, Unesco said: "On the banks of the Zambezi, great cliffs overhang the river and the floodplains. The area is home to a remarkable concentration of wild animals, including elephants, buffalo, leopards and cheetahs."

Operators raise objections

Luxury tented camp operators in the vicinity have voiced their opposition to this proposed development.

African Bush Camps (ABC), a renowned provider of destinations across Zimbabwe, including Nyamatusi Camp in Mana Pools, officially voiced its objections in a written statement to the government about the potential consequences of granting Shalom Mining a permit, citing heightened global warming, biodiversity loss and the risk of losing the Unesco World Heritage status.

”We, African Bush Camps and African Bush Camps Foundation, condemn and oppose, in the strongest sense possible, the application of Shalom Mining to explore for oil and gas in Mana Pools as published in the Zimbabwean Government Gazette. Allowing prospecting in the Mana Pools landscape to go ahead is irresponsible and counterproductive. For the protection of Zimbabwe's heritage and for the benefit of our future generations, we urge you to stop any prospecting in the area, in the whole of the Zambezi Valley, and in any National Park or protected area in Zimbabwe,” ABC wrote.

Several other safari operators in the area have similarly expressed their concerns through the appropriate channels, including Wilderness.

Furthermore, conservationists and tour operators have launched an online petition, demanding an immediate halt to the proposed exploration development and raising objections against it. The petition has, to date, amassed close to 21 000 signatures.