It is 150 kilometres (93 mi) from the Mutare town. It is approachable only by trekking along hill tracks. The virgin forest cover is dense of the moist evergreen type. There are also views of the Pork Pie mountain range and the Bridal Veil Falls, which plunges 50 metres (160 ft) down into a base about 10 m wide. It is a mountainous terrain with peak heights of 2,436 metres (7,992 ft) and is the source of many streams and springs enriching the environment of the park with natural falls such as in the Bridal Veil Falls in the Eland Sanctuary. Chimanimani National Park View of the national park area from behind Chimanimani village storesĬhimanimani National Park borders Mozambique in the southernmost area of the Eastern Highlands. The Wildlife Estate includes eleven national parks: the Chimanimani National Park (including the Eland Sanctuary), Chizarira National Park, the Gonarezhou National Park, the Hwange National Park, the Kazuma Pan National Park, the Mana Pools National Park, the Matusadona National Park, the Matobo National Park, the Nyanga National Park, and Victoria Falls National Park and Zambezi National Parks. Detailed regulations have been issued to the Act. Provision also includes taking of indigenous plants, hunting of animals and regulation of fishing. Taking off animals has been prohibited except under special permit issued by the minister for scientific or educational purposes or for captive breeding of falcons, live export, and re-stocking, wildlife management or defence of property. This was followed by the Parks and Wildlife Act of 1975, which enabled the land owners "the right to manage wildlife for their own benefit, thus providing an economic rationale to reinforce the scientific, aesthetic and moral justifications for wildlife conservation." The Parks and Wildlife Act of 1975 has been amended and consolidated in 1982 in which certain animals to be protected have been listed. However, in the 1960 the economic awareness created a policy shift in managing the wild life in the country when the Wildlife Conservation Act was introduced. This seriously affected the sustainable exploitation of the wildlife resources as local people resorted to illegal poaching. However, this created difficulties to the local population who were entirely dependent on the forests for their survival, as they were excluded from using indigenous wildlife resources and also gradually excluded from almost one-half of the country's land base. The Wildlife Conservation Authority initially protected and preserved wildlife in Zimbabwe as "king's game", which was changed to total state control subsequently. However, reports of National Geographic News indicate a disturbing trend of decimation of wildlife in Zimbabwe as result of “national economic meltdown” leading to overexploitation of the wildlife resources to meet the finances of the nation. These areas are collectively called the Wildlife Estate which covers an area about 47,000 km 2 (18,000 sq mi), which is equivalent to 12.5% of the total land area of the country. The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority under the Board has the onerous task of overseeing the activities related to 10 national parks, nine recreational parks, four botanical gardens, four safari areas, and three sanctuaries. The Parks and Wildlife Board consisting of 12 members is responsible for this activity and deciding on policy issues under the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management. In the 1990s, it became one of the leading countries in Africa in wildlife conservation and management with a reported income generation US$300 million per year from the protected areas of the state, rural community run wildlife management areas and private game ranches and reserves. The introduction of the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1960 resulted in checking the loss of wildlife in Zimbabwe, since the 1960s. The prominent wild fauna includes African buffalo, African bush elephant, black rhinoceros, southern giraffe, African leopard, lion, plains zebra, and several antelope species. The wildlife of Zimbabwe occurs foremost in remote or rugged terrain, in national parks and private wildlife ranches, in miombo woodlands and thorny acacia or kopje. Native fauna and flora of Zimbabwe An aerial view of the Victoria Falls
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