Mul - unesdoc - Unesco

cari we get?” We cari choose to integrate the
natural with the cultural using rules borrowed
from past experiences, but we cannot predict the
future ecosystem while we try to cultivate the
relations we prefer. We must always be flexible
enough to deal with the sudden changes that Will
occur due to the dynamics of the ecosystem
(Regier, 1993).
Ecosystems that have evolved successfully are
said to have integrity, and this success is the
correct interpretation of sustainable development.
Evolution has taken place over millions of years
and the development was sustained through
successful adaptation to the changes in the
environment (Munn, 1993). The properties of an
ecosystem with integrity have been
summarised by Steadman and Regier (1990)
to include: strong, energetic and evolving
ecosystems that are self-organising, self-
defending against invasions, that cari recover
from severe crises, and are productive and
attractive to humans.
An ecosystem approach is therefore desirable
for Victoria Falls to preserve its integrity. The
current strategy of piecemeal management of
Town Planning, the National Parks and the
National Monuments on the Zimbabwean and
Zambian sides of the Zambezi is insufficient and
undesirable for the maintenance of the integrity
of the site. The integrity of the site has been
affected by conservation and administrative
boundaries created by the fente which restricts
the movement of big game animals and
concentrates human movement inside the most
sensitive ecological zone of the site, the rain
forest and riparian woodland.
Invasive alien species of plants such as Lantana
camara have found their way into the riparian
woodland and are threatening to displace the
natural vegetation and affect the wilderness
value essential for meeting the conditions of
integrity of the site from a conservation point
of view as stipulated in article 44(b)(ii) of
the Operational Guidelines, which requires
the maintenance of “key elements for the
conservation of ecosystems and biological
diversity”.
MONITORING ECOSYSTEM INTEGRITY
Key ecosystem components must be identified
within the landscape, involving the opinions of
principal stakeholders. A balance of the divergent
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Authenticity and lntegrity in an African Context
needs of the stakeholders Will have to be struck
in the management plan. Those who have
visited Victoria Falls during the dry season or
when the area has been affected by a severe
drought bear witness that the Zambian section of
the Victoria Falls Will be completely dry because
the Zambian authorities abstract the water
upstream for the production of hydro-electricity.
One cari list the different factors affecting the
integrity of the Victoria Falls landscape on both
the Zimbabwean and the Zambian sides of the
Zambezi. In the long term these various
pressures Will leave a mark on the ecosystem
and reduce its integrity to a greater or lesser
extent.
A conceptual framework of ecosystem behaviour
must guide the management principles adopted
with indicators of integrity such as stress-
response indicators carefully noted. Threats
from external influences must be monitored and
evaluated. These may also corne from activities
within that ecosystem but which are external to
the proper functioning of the ecosystem such as
pollution, climatic factors, even economic and
policy shifts. Early warnings may be detected by
monitoring environmental indicators such as rainfall,
temperature, droughts, and other parameters
overtime. The process must also be reproducible
each time someone else takes over the
management process. From a conventional
perception of ecological integrity it cari be argued
that the process of monitoring is empirical,
repeatable according to the scientific method,
and measurable over time.
The rain forest that derives its existence and
sustenance from the spray of the waterfall enjoys
unusually high average precipitation and
possesses rare species of herbaceous plants
and a rich diversity of riparian vegetation.
Endemic floral species have been recorded
(Fanshawe, 1974: 113-127; IUCN 1996:
Appendix 4). The question of maintaining the
integrity of the site is interwoven with the human
pressure exerted on the site from various user
needs and the ability of the management of the
various sections of the site to control those
pressures. The rain forest depends on the spray
of the waterfall and therefore responds to the
amount of water that falls over the gorges. When
there is a combination of abundant water and
strong winds the resultant spray extends fut-ther
inland and supports a wider rain forest. The
reverse is equally true when there is little energy