Latest update, March 17, 2011
Today:
Project supported by the
Le PAL Nature foundation.
Download the project report in English (15 pages, 1Mo, pdf file).
Download the detailed park map .
Download the Zimbabwe map .
Download the project summary report (Aug. 19, 2010).
Read l'Echo des Mares , journal of the field naturalists in Hwange.
The Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe is in danger. In a collapsed national economy, it is out of resource and the staff faces extreme difficulties to assume its basic tasks of protecting the environment and the fauna from many deadly threats.
Trusts of associations have been created after the 2005 draught to rescue the animals and protect the park biodiversity. Three species of mammals listed as very endangered on the IUCN red list are present in the park:
- Black rhinoceros (CR, critically endangered, a few hundreds left in the world)
- African wild dog (EN, endangered)
- Cheetah (VU, vulnerable)
The park also hosts about 30000 elephants, many herds of buffalos, zebras, giraffes, wildbeasts, hippopotamus, and of numerous species of antelopes (Impala, Roan, Sable, Kudu, Nyala, Waterbuck, Cape eland,...) and also populations of lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, brown hyenas, black backed jackals, otocyons (bat-eared fox), genets (two species), civets, mongooses (five species), etc…
Today, the park wildlife is rich of 107 species of mammals (8 large carnivores, 19 large herbivores) and 433 bird species. The park is classified IBA (Important Bird Area) by BirdLife International. The price to pay for this wealth is the drinking water supply provided to the animals during the dry months from about April to October, by pumping the underground aquifer.
The total drying out of the pans during the dry season 2005 combined with the failure of most pumping systems has been a tragedy in which thousands of animal died of thirst.
Le Pic Vert has decided to rush to the park's aid with a project in which the association would sponsor one pan, and raise some funds to:
Download the complete presentation report describing the project and its context, with numerous illustrations, links, technical evaluation, and bibliographical references.
The funding of the project is being obtained from individual donations from members of Le Pic Vert, of the P¨lanète-Urgence NGO members, as well as from other concerned citizens. Funding applications have also been made to public funding agencies and private foundations helping environment protection initiatives. The Le Pal Nature foundation has already agreed to contribute to the funding of the project.
You can contribute to this effort of international solidarity on the protection of biodiversity in the world, and become with us one of the godfathers of the Baobab pan in the Hwange National Park by contributing with a personnal donation, even modest since each dollar (euro) helps.
- Offer a drink for the day to 40 elephants with a 1 US$ donation
- Ensure the pumping fuel for 24 hours or provide drinking water to 800 elephants by donating 20 US$
Each donation entitles you to an income tax reduction of the 2/3 of the donated amount (Taxpayers in France only).
We don't know how to manage for small amounts money transfers since standard international bank-to-bank transfers are awfully expensive and ruled out in our context. Would you know ??
Association Le Pic Vert, 24 Place de la mairie, 38140 Réaumont
Le Pic Vert is agreed by the French administration authority (arrêté préfectoral n°2008-00282) as environment protection association. The association is member of the Réseaux de Veille Ecologique (ReVE, ecological watch networks) , Patrimoine Naturel (RPN, Natural Heritage) and Education Nature Environnement (RENE, Education Nature Environment) of the FRAPNA Isère federation, complementary educational association agreed by decree n°2004-23 of the Rectorat de Grenoble, 24 juin 2004 (ministry of education authority).
The donations amount collected since the launch f the call on March 16 2010 raises to 760 Euros at the date of the update.
Download the full project report in English.
Latest news from the park and history of the project: (Read l'Echo des Mares, the actors on the field journal)
- January 30, 2010: The progress of the rainy season is worrysome. Rains have been weak and scarce since November. Some pans around Main Camp have already to be pumped (report Dave Dell, FOH).
- February 1st : First contacts of agencies and foundations after the project approval on the Jan 30 yearly general assembly.
- February 23 : First good news, the Le Pal Nature foundation agrees to support the project (provided the funding budget will be fully covered).
- March 5 : Heavy rains have come on February and the pans are full. No pumping required before August likely (report Steve Long, DART). This might bring down the required fuel cost in our budget for 2010.
- March 25 : Tenesol engineering study and offer received.
- March 29 : BPsolar engineering study and offer received.
- 13 avril : Grundfos engineering study and offer received. (Thanks to our friends from Energie Sans Frontières).
- The estimated budget stabilises to 15860€.
- Since early february 19 foundations and funding agencies have been contacted. One has replied positively.
- April 15 avril: First contacts with international foundations.
- May 29: The director of the Le Pal Nature foundation agrees to increase his contribution to the threshold of feasibility of the project, i.e., purchase and shipment of the pumping system. We are on the tracks !
- Early juillet: The solar pump deal competition is resumed with a highly competitive offer from the TENESOL company.
- July: Various summer mess.
- End of july: All uncertainties on the project definition/cost are removed.
- Aug. 2: Request for paying the first instalment of the purchase of the equipment to TENESOL by the project leader (the author of these lines) to the president of the association.
- Since Aug. 2 : Approval procedure by the board under way (much too long). See project summary note report.
- Early September: VAT exemption application submitted to the French fiscal administration. Successful after two weeks. Similar application to the Zimbabwe administration, managed by our partner WEZ (Wildlife Environment Zimbabwe).
- October 22 : Collection of the pump at the Tenesol logistic center in Villefranche-sur-Saône.
- October 25: Delivery of the pump consignment to the Ziegler company for shipment to Harare.
- November 8: Arrival in Johannesburg (South-Africa) of the PV panels shipment from Capetown, on their way to Bulawayo (Zimbabwe). Provisional storage in Joburg at the Holler company storage in stand by for completion of the VAT and duties exemption procedure.
- November 9: VAT exemption granted for the panels.
- Nov 23: VAT and duties exemption granted for the pump. But we must wait for the papers to be in the hands of the clearance people in Harare.
- Jan 17: Papers arrived at last in Harare. Shipment is ordered for both consignments.
- Feb 4: Panels consignment delivery to DART in Victoria Falls. Pump awaiting for a free ride in the storage of the Acol Co (for J. Brebner).
- Feb 21: Panelq transported by Steve, returning for a few weeks leave, to Sinamatella.
- Feb 23: Steve went to the Bumboosie-South pan to check the road, and examine the borehole condition and the place, and find a location for the panels array (see his e-mail in Echoes from the pans ).
- 23 février - 14 mars: Steve is preparing the elements for the pump installation at Bumboosie-South.
- Week of March14: Trip of Steve to Harare for DART and for picking-up the pump stored in the Acol Chem warehouse (thanks to WEZ/J.Brebner).
- Schedule for March 25 - April 9: Pump installation on the Bumboosie-South pan. Michel in Planète-Urgence ecovolunteer mission in Hwange, dedicated to this operation.