1 | | In the floodplain of the Olifants river, | | | | |
| | green shoots of maize grow as if by a | | | | |
| | miracle in an immensely dry expanse | | | | |
| | of bush. | | | | |
2 | | These precious fields, watered all | | | | |
| | the year round, make the people of | | | | |
| | Macavene village in Mozambique | | | | |
| | dependent on no one but themselves. | | | | |
3 | | Yet thanks to the creation of one of | | | | |
| | Africa’s biggest game parks, they will | | | | |
| | soon have to abandon the floodplain | | | | |
| | for new homes in a dry region. There, | | | | |
| | if drought strikes, they will need | | | | most important treasure here,” said Mr |
| | western food aid. | | | | Mongue. |
4 | | Macavene and seven other villages | | 10 | | “But in the place where we are |
| | find themselves inside the new Great | | | | going to move, we will need the rain. In |
| | Limpopo Transfrontier Park. For the | | | | the years of drought, we will suffer.” |
| | first time in generations, Africa is | | 11 | | Whenever the rains fail, millions of |
| | expanding the area of wilderness | | | | Mozambicans are kept alive by the |
| | roamed by elephant, lion and | | | | World Food Programme. Their |
| | buffalo.The steady invasion of human | | | | dependence on handouts is a key |
| | beings into the habitat of wildlife is, for | | | | barrier to the country’s development. |
| | once, being [id:56922] . | | | | The Limpopo Park may only make this |
5 | | This vast conservation area, soon | | | | worse. |
| | due for an official opening, will span | | 12 | | Mozambique is already one of the |
| | three countries and cover 14,000 | | | | world’s poorest countries and few |
| | square miles – almost twice the size of | | | | areas have enough land or water to |
| | Wales. | | | | accept families resettled from the park. |
6 | | By removing all boundary fences, | | 13 | | “We have been asked to move to |
| | South Africa’s Kruger National Park | | | | the Chinhangane area,” he said, “but |
| | will merge with a new reserve in | | | | the owners of that land are refusing to |
| | neighbouring Mozambique and with | | | | accept us. They say there is no room |
| | Gonarezhou Park in Zimbabwe. | | | | and no water for us. It’s up to the park |
7 | | Today, 6,000 Mozambicans live | | | | authorities to sort it out.” But the clock |
| | inside the park. All will be uprooted, | | | | is ticking. |
| | turning over land they have cultivated | | 14 | | Mr Mongue and his family live |
| | for generations to herds of wildlife. | | | | barely 25 miles from the Kruger Park. |
| | They have agreed to move and | | | | All that stands between them and |
| | compensation will be paid. [id:56923] , they | | | | 2,000 lions, 1,000 leopards and 14,000 |
| | are quietly dissatisfied. | | | | elephants is the Kruger’s reinforced |
8 | | “Our wish of course is to stay here. | | | | boundary fence. |
| | This is our land, we know this place, | | 15 | | Once that is removed, game will |
| | we were born here,” said Julio | | | | overrun Mr Mongue’s fields. Already, |
| | Mongue, who has lived in Macavene | | | | elephants have ruined crops nearby. |
| | for all of his 59 years. | | | | People in Macavene say leopards |
9 | | Every day Mr Mongue and his wife | | | | killed two cows a fortnight ago. “The |
| | Salmina tend their fields in the | | | | government values animals more than |
| | floodplain, helped by their six | | | | us,” said Enoque Cossa, 22. “If nothing |
| | daughters and four sons. In a dry | | | | is done for us, the foreign tourists are |
| | region, they can feed themselves even | | | | going to benefit more than we will.” |
| | if the rains fail. “These fields are the | | |