Fast Track Land Reform and Wildlife Welfare in South-Eastern Zimbabwe

In the early 2000s, Zimbabwe embarked on a broad-based Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP). The socio-economic and environmental impacts of this programme are well documented. However, there is limited scholarly attention on aspects such as wildlife welfare. This chapter seeks to close this gap that has practical and policy implications by (i) examining the impact of the FTLRP on wildlife welfare (both flora and fauna) in south-eastern Zimbabwe and (ii) proposing interventions by which wildlife welfare can be achieved during land redistribution. The chapter is based on a review of secondary literature obtained in both grey and academic literature using the terms ‘fast land reform programme’, ‘biodiversity’, ‘south-eastern Zimbabwe’, and ‘Wildlife’ as key terms. The chapter also draws from previous empirical studies conducted by the author in south-eastern Zimbabwe over the years. The chapter shows that there was no proper planning to ensure the welfare of wildlife under the FTLRP. The programme resulted in opportunistic poaching, haphazard harvesting of natural resources, and vandalism of protected areas, thus disregarding wildlife welfare. There is need for context-specific approaches such as wildlife-based land reform to ensure the welfare of wildlife in agro-ecological dry areas such as the south-eastern lowveld.