Environmental minimum standards
These environmental minimum standards are intended to illustrate the way in which we should be conducting ourselves, and our business in the wildlife areas we operate.
The need for each individual to be careful and cautious with their action and to conduct their activities so as to optimize the benefit of taking care of these disappearing areas. This has become widely accepted.
Management of each team is the execution of planned controls so as to achieve a desired outcome – and our situation, we protect the environment is termed environmental management.
The main tool for our environmental management will be the environmental audit.
What is the environmental Audit?
A management tool comprises of a systematic, documented, periodic and objective evaluation of how well an environmental organisation and management are performing with the aim of contributing to safe guarding the environment by facilitating management controls of environmental practices and assessing compliance with company policy and includes regulatory requirements.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) are essential when working and operating in the wilderness areas, as it is the aim of Zontanos Travel &Safari to protect the area rather than damage and exploit it.
We are all well aware that there are few wildlife areas in the world, and that these must be protected. What many people do not realise is that our very presence is impacting on that area and possibly damaging natural processes. At the same time, we must also realise that we are making a positive impact as well. By operating photographic safaris in the wild areas, we are putting a value to it, which keeps more harmful industries such as hunting farming and mining out of the areas.
As a result the purpose of an (EIA) is not to make us feel guilty about being there, but to ensure that we can continue to put value to the area and at the same time keep it as pristine as possible.
An EIA looks at the different impacts our operation has on the environment and then adapts ways in which either the operations can eliminate or minimize these impacts. It is sometimes difficult to understand to which degree something can impact the environment. For example, we all know it is not good to spill fuel on the ground, but why? What exactly ae the impacts?
Minimum standards are designed to set out the way we should be conducting our business so as to minimize the effect on the environment whilst maximising the benefits to guests, ourselves and our country.
Roads
Obviously all drivers must take care, and on the lookout whilst driving in wildlife areas. High speed the road driving can endanger wildlife and scare animals seriously. Driving at speeds also causes major dust production which settles on leaves nearby. Correct gear selection when approaching different road surfaces or wet and muddy crossings, will prevent damage to road surfaces and surrounding habitats.
On deep sandy tracks drivers must not attempt to make a track alongside. This is an age old problem in Zimbabwe and we are strict on drivers who disregard this instruction. If a sand track is becoming difficult, a report must be made to the management which in the case takes it up with the national parks and wildlife authority.
Environmental Monitoring
The environmental officer will be responsible for collecting all required data. This should culminate in an annual report to the operations manager.
The data will be compiled and an annual report will be done to the National Parks and Wildlife Authority.
It is a government requirement
The aim is to identify what is in the areas we operate in (e.g. how many animals, type of vegetation etc.) what is happening to them over time e.g.
Increasing, decreasing, changing)and to study or hypothesis Why these changes ae happening.
We want to create an accurate “history” record of what is happening in the areas we are operate over time. This is so that in 10 years from now we can accurately say what has changed.
It is important and vital to Zontanos Travel and Safari play their part in protecting these areas for future generations.
