Carmine bee-eater numbers under threat

FOR four months out of the year the banks of the Zambezi River teem with flashes of colour that surpass the limits of human imagination.

This is the time of year when carmine bee-eaters invade the area famous as their breeding ground. World renowned as a spectacle for bird watchers and nature lovers, the display regularly attracts tourists from around the world in their thousands.Unfortunately, countervailing forces are at work that jeopardise the future of the species in the region and the tourism industry that relies partly on it for sustenance. Local resort owners report that due to the inexplicable high demand for the birds’ feathers they are being culled en masse. The birds themselves are small, offering little in the way of meat, but their exquisite dark pink plumage is much sought after amongst Chinese businessmen in Lusaka, Zambia, The Namibian is informed.According to Danny Sparg, the owner of Kalizo Lodge in the Caprivi Region, the feathers have no known use other than their aesthetic appeal but can fetch a good price in Lusaka and possibly in China. People in the Caprivi Region have therefore taken to netting colonies they find in river banks indiscriminately and unsustainably for profit.Kalizo Lodge itself is situated near one of the largest colonies in the area where the problem is worst. Once notified of the problem two years ago the Ministry of Environment and Tourism engaged in discussions with local authorities and stakeholders, eventually declaring the area a conservancy. Doing so allowed for the protection of the breeding grounds where a guard is posted to prevent damage not only from poachers but also from cattle drives and other man-induced hazards.The measure has so far been successful but is limited to the area within the conservancy. Although breeding grounds outside the conservancy have not traditionally been hit as hard by poaching they may become targets too, given the inaccessibility of the original site.Given the importance of tourism and environmental sustainability in the region these sorts of activities can have far-reaching and highly detrimental consequences. In order for the next breeding season, beginning on approximately August 22, to not suffer the same fate further steps will need to be taken by local and national authorities in the preceding months.