Gorongosa is a National Park located in the Great Rift Valley of beautiful Mozambique and has had a lifespan of many ups and downs. Gorongosa means “place of danger” and this is quite fitting taking into consideration the Civil war that lasted sixteen years only bringing peace in 1991. This movement by residents to over through Portuguese government and become an independent nation not only caused the loss of over a million lives but also saw the slaughter of animals for food and ivory to buy ammunition in attempt to survive the harsh war. The Rain Forrest surrounding Mount Gorongosa became a zone of close-range combat with tank battles and air raids that caused a great loss in natural habitat.
Gorongosa however is seen today as one of the largest restoration projects having come a long way from the nineties and is fighting its way back up with the help of the local government, philanthropist Greg Carr and many other financial contributors.
The main drivers of charge in restoring Gorongosa to its former glory is above mentioned philanthropist Greg Carr who is unmarried and without children originally from Idaho who has devoted his life and money to the park. He has recently gone into a twenty year contract with Mozambique Ministry of Tourism to manage and develop the park. He has invested more than twenty million dollars in revitalizing the park and he expects to spend at least as much before the park will no longer need him. This he sees as the ultimate success peak of his life.
Carr’s team is currently improving every aspect of the park they can get their hands on. From breeding the many animal species that were previously lost, to gathering donations of animals over populated at other reserves in Mozambique and South Africa including wildebeest, buffalo, elephants, hippos and many more. He is also trying to restore the plant species, the infrastructure on the park and developing the neighboring farms. On top of all this there are scholarships for the local children and empowering training sessions for both male and female residents. The opening of a clinic and medical centre was also a top priority.
Nature simple cannot be left to replenish itself after the disastrous effects imprinted on the land after the civil war. Between 1972 and 2001 the number of cape buffalo counted in the park fell from thirteen thousand to just fifteen, the wildebeest count fell from sixty-four hundred to one and instead of thirty-three hundred zebras there were twelve left. Of hyenas, black and white rhinos, and wild dogs there was none left. This caused bigger wild life like lions, who could defend themselves against humans to ultimately die of starvation.
The loss of big game species in the park had huge environmental consequences. Where zebra herds no longer grazed, grass and shrubs thickened and lightning-strike wildfires became a great threat. With no elephants in the area knocking over trees to feed on the branches some forest’s densities increased rapidly and the reduction of game and the population of carcasses caused the loss of scavengers in the area. This shows us again how every species of plants and animals are crucial the success of the whole ecosystem.
In 2010 the park marked a milestone: The Mozambique government corrected an error made in its creation, expanding the parks boundaries to include Mount Gorongosa which is a source of life sustaining rivers to the park. Now that the mountain is part of the parks designated land the park has the authority to secure the forest perimeter. Not that the forest will never be truly secure until those trying to destroy it are given other alternatives. The park is also very aware of poaching activities that still persist in the area. The park however is today seen as the safes animal refuge in Mozambique. Out of 500 hundred elephants located in the park only two were lost to poachers in 2014. Pedro Muagura director of conservation said; ” That’s two too many.”
Nature is resilient and will always try and rise above the damage done by humanity but this restoration project would never have been possible without the initial interest and help of Greg Carr. Following his partnership with local government and the quick progress made and evident when looking at the park many other businesses, nonprofit organizations, museums and universities, media originations and volunteers have offered a hand in the restoration of the park.
The four main areas of focus in restoring the park are tourism, conservation, science and community. Within these sections of solution actions absolutely stem from collaborative processes of research, stakeholder engagement and public participation. Monumental success stories are never achieved by only one person contributing to a worthy cause. It may have started with one or two individual but from there many more have been inspired to lend a hand.
Your next thought will probably be but what can I as an ordinary member of the public not even living in Mozambique do to help? Well there are quite a few contributions any of us can actively participate in and that would start by visiting the park on your next family holiday and sharing the story of the park with other through your photos, videos and posts on social media. This increases the tourism of the park and not only boosts the revenue of the park but directly contributes to the conservation project and further empowers the local community. If in a willing and financial position you could also donate to any of the running projects on ground of Gorongosa. This ensures the protection of this beautiful landscape for many future generations to come and experience.
When referring to Gorongosa and the ‘New Human Condition’ which refers to how we choose to identify, respond to and cope with the consequences and responsibilities of environmental concerns. We can assume that there was much denial in the damage done in the area of Gorongosa after the civil war as no person or group ever willingly want to accept they blame of a huge occurrence of almost completely ruining the once amazing nature reserve of Gorongosa. However the great loss to the Mozambique tourism industry and the scale of damage done to the ecosystem and environment soon inspired people to action. The alarm had already gone off to the local government that something had to be done they however did not really have the means of doing so with the current economic state.
This is where Greg Carr American superman and philanthropist flew in to save the day. The governing forces gladly gave Carr free range to do what was necessary as they themselves would never be able to restore the park on their own. The worthiness of this cause and the great impact the project has had on the environment and the local community has driven many more into action.
In addition to this we can asses if the drivers of change relate to the ‘Great Acceleration’ of human technologies, power and consumption in the last 70 years has operated as a key driver of global change? Yes I believe so as the extinction of many species has become a worrying matter. The further change in weather patterns due to the alteration of carbon and nitrogen cycles and a generation of atmospheric greenhouse gases that will impact life on Earth for centuries to come.
It was politics and human greed and ego that started this whole cycle of demolition and today political, cultural, institutional and societal factors drive they change that is needed in Mozambique. This is a project that played on my heart strings at first sight but there are many other sections of the world that has been tainted with human self satisfying nature that needs to be discovered by the right people and restored to its former glory. We need to remember the we humans as a species was given the Earth as a home just like plant and animal species were placed here in whatever theory of evolution you have been persuaded to believe. We need to share this planet on equal terms regardless who is at the top of the food chain. Planet Earth is not our first or favorite option to make our home, but our ONLY option. Thus we should regard all that is around us with much more care, love and appreciation.
Sources consulted
Gourevitch, P. 2009. The Monkey and The Fish. [O]. Available on www.thenewyorker.com/gorongosa/restorationproject. Accessed on 27 March 2016.
Holm, P et al. 2015. Humanities for the Environment – A manifesto for research and action. Humanities 4:977-992.
Watt, S. 2015. On Safari in Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park. [O]. Available on www.independent.com/gorongosa-national.park. Accessed on: 27 March 2016.
Wilson, E O. 2013. Rebirth of Gorongosa. [O]. Available on www.nationalgeographic.com/rebirthofgorongosa. Accessed on 27 March 2016.
Photo Credits: Zhan-Mishal Viviers (Pilansberg, 2014).
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