Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls

• Project to construct a dam across the gorge (issue resolved); 
• Unplanned tourism development;
• Uncontrolled urban development leading to significant human population increase and pollution (water, air and visual);
• Reduced water flows over the falls due to drought and/or upstream hydropower production.

As requested by the Committee at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006), the World Heritage Centre and IUCN conducted a monitoring mission to the property in November 2006 in cooperation with both States Parties in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The mission found that continuing developmental pressures within and adjacent to the property are adversely impacting on its values and integrity, mainly as a result of failure to implement recommendations made in the past Committee decisions for effective management.

In the reports submitted in January 2007, both States Parties identified the lack of Joint Management Framework and Joint Management Plan, as well as the lack of implementation of the recommendations of the 2002 Bi-national workshop as the main management obstacles for conservation of the property. The State Party reports and the 2006 monitoring mission confirmed that unplanned tourism development continues to affect the integrity of the property. This has also been the topic of several recent media reports.

Key issues identified by the monitoring mission and State Party reports include:

a) Unplanned tourism development

The report by the State Party of Zimbabwe has identified tourism development as a factor which affects to to the loss of wilderness and aesthetic value on the property. The report of Zambia also identified development pressures to include, specifically, the plan for a hotel and country club, and the highflier balloon in the North East of the property, 3km from the falls.

The mission raised serious concerns with Zambia about the Mosi-oa-Tunya Hotel and Country Club Estate project. The project is anticipated to not only destroy the riparian vegetation, but also interfere with the catchment function and wild animal movement, and contribute to the pollution load of the river, thus, adversely impacting on the outstanding universal value and integrity of the property. According to media reports in December 2006, Zambia has reconsidered the project due to concerns of negative impact on the property. The World Heritage Centre and IUCN continue to have concerns about the project and would welcome further information from the State Party as to its current status.

b) Visitor carrying capacity of the property:

Both State Party reports confirm that visitor numbers are growing and note that increasing visitor numbers is part of their policy. The World Heritage Centre and IUCN observed during the mission that high visitor rates are causing noise pollution from helicopters, microlight aircraft, and boats. In addition, aquatic wildlife is constantly disturbed by riparian activities.

The mission also noted that the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe is currently expanding the Victoria Falls Airport and the authorities anticipate increased visitor numbers, particularly with the 2010 Football World Cup in South Africa. Also, the Zambian government has prioritized tourism as a key economic growth sector, as is evident from the proposed hotel and golf complex project. The expected increase in visitors necessitates the rapid establishment of a Joint Ministerial Committee so that the State Parties can incorporate management of carrying-capacity in the Joint Management Framework and Plan.

c) Ecological priorities for the Joint Management Plan:

Both the States Parties reports and the monitoring mission highlighted additional factors affecting the property that need to be addressed by the Joint Management Plan.

These include:

(i) Risk to flood-reliant riparian vegetation from low flow caused by drought and low flow that is linked to climate change and upstream water abstraction;

(ii) Fragmentation of the habitat as a result of fencing, development, deforestation and grazing, leading to increased human-wildlife conflicts, in particular by blocking elephant corridors;

(iii) Invasive plant species which are putting indigenous plant biodiversity and herbivore carrying capacity at risk. In Zambia, Lantana camara has colonised the cliff faces and palm grove;

(iv) Risk to fish biodiversity from invasive fish species;

(v) Deforestation from illegal timber extraction;

(vi) Water pollution as a result of riverbank development and increased raw sewage discharge.

d) Obstacles to management:

Zambia has identified a need to review the current legislation to provide adequate protection and management for the property because there is currently no framework at the national level which focuses on World Heritage issues. It has also identified the limited management framework as preventing monitoring and requests additional assistance to review the boundaries and to aid management of the property.

e) Progress by the States Parties and next steps

The two States Parties have joined the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area that promotes integrated river basin management. Bilateral meetings and joint operations at site level are being periodically carried out.

The Zambian State Party expects to form a national Committee on World Heritage issues by March 2007. It is also using the 1996 Strategic Environmental Assessment guidelines in the control of developments in the property and has signed a MOU between National Heritage Conservation Commission and Zambia Wildlife Authority to harmonize conservation and development imperatives in the property.

The Joint monitoring mission concludes that a series of urgent actions should be undertaken, particularly the “Development of a Joint / Integrated Management Plan for the World Heritage property”. The State party of Zimbabwe (with support from Zambia) had submitted an International assistance request to the World Heritage Centre, for an amount of USD 30,000, to implement this recommendation. The request was approved by the Chairperson in January 2007. The World Heritage Centre and IUCN sent an international consultant to liaise and support the State parties in the preparation of the Joint Integrated Management Plan for the property. The Draft management plan is expected to be finalized by May 2007, before the 31st session of the Committee.