The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is concerned that Zambia and Zimbabwe have allegedly failed to follow laid down recommendations on the management of the Victoria Falls as a world heritage site.

 

UNESCO Commissioner Felistus Chiyanda said Monday in Livingstone, the capital of Southern province of Zambia, that the two countries have failed to effectively implement agreed protocols relating to the management of the 30 km radius of the Victoria Falls, which located in Livingstone.

 

Chiyanda said the two countries have particularly, failed to control the new tourism developments around the 30 km radius.

 

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting on the management of the world heritage site she warned the two countries to reverse the trend by ensuring that no more developments are put up in the restricted world heritage site radius or risk having the status given to the falls withdrawn by the UN agency.

 

She said in the event of withdrawing the status, Zambia risks losing the improved tourism inflow, hence the need to institute and implement measures that would ensure effective management of the site.

 

Chiyanda reminded the government departments involved in managing the world heritage site of the obligation to safeguard the site against encroachment and that they should be mindful of the repercussions for allowing any more developments around the agreed world heritage boundaries.

 

''We have a lot of encroachers, noise pollution, and poachers involved in contravening the guidelines on how best to manage the world heritage site, this should come to an end,'' she said.

 

She said that UNESCO was prepared to mount a vigorous campaign internationally against Zambia or Zimbabwe as no-go areas for tourists, if they fail to maintain the Victoria Falls site.

 

''It means there will be serious campaigns to discourage foreign tourists from visiting Zambia as a tourism destination because the one site that the world body thought could attract more people was mismanaged, there is no ways after failing with one site will UNESCO consider other areas we have applied as world sites to be approved,'' she said.

 

UNESCO chairperson for cultural sub-Committee Mulenga Kapwepwe emphasized the need for the two countries to regard the Victoria Falls as a significant site for the global community.

 

At the meeting she said at the moment, Zambia and Zimbabwe are merely managing the site on behalf of the world and any form of violations would be taken into account to the disadvantage of the two countries.

 

''We are currently in the intensive care unit as Zambia on this subject , since 2002, we have failed to implement, let alone come up with what UNESCO a world body that funds a lot of our programs wants on Victoria Falls, we stand to lose our status and in the process the income that we so badly want,'' Kapwepwe said.

 

Meanwhile despite the overwhelming rejection of Zambian residents from all walks of life in the area of the world famous Victoria Falls the construction of two hotels and a golf course in Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, part of which is the falls is still going on.

 

Citizens for a better Environment (CBE) Executive Director Peter Sinkamba said recently that erecting the two hotels and golf course in the park will not only affect passage of elephants from Botswana and Zimbabwe, but other animals in the game park.

 

"There is a danger that these animals would find another corridor, which may not be Zambia and this could ruin Zambian tourism," he said.

 

Tourism in Livingstone with entire infrastructure, would be dead without animals and that this should be everyone's concern, he said.

 

Sinkamba urged the government to find another area to allow for the building of the hotels.

 

This is the second time UNESCO warned the two countries over the falls this year. In April UNESCO warned that the falls may be downgraded and lose its world heritage status due to environmental pollution.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2006)