An Impassioned Plea to Respect Protected Areas at Victoria Falls

In this short video Mr Herbert Ncube, Chairman, of Hwange District Residents Association, Zimbabwe, highlights concerns over tourism development pressures at the Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Mr Ncube speaks powerfully over concerns regarding the recent development of tourism sites along the south bank of the river immediately above the Falls, including the launch of tours to Cataract Island, a cultural heritage site, in 2021, and development of the Baines Restaurant and National Park 'Rock Pool' bar over 2022/3.

The river, islands and riverside immediately above and below the Falls are part of a historic sacred cultural landscape for the local people of the Falls. This islands on the edge of the Falls were used to make offerings to appease the ancestor spirits who were believed to reside in the shadows of the mist and spray below the great Falls (Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs, 30th April 2022).

The developments are within an area which has been protected against development since 1904 with the formation of the Victoria Falls Park. It was declared a National Monument in recognition of its cultural heritage significance in 1937, and protected as a National Park in 1952 in recognition of its conservation and environmental importance. In the mid-1970s it was part of an area declared 'permanently protected' against all new development under the Victoria Falls Outline Plan, before being designated as a World Heritage Site in 1989. Under the 2007 and 2016 joint management plans the area was declared part of the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' (HESZ) which prevents all new development. Yet despite all these protections the development was pushed ahead during 2022, without prior notification or disclosure to UNESCO and despite a legal challenge against its development in the Zimbabwean courts (still to be heard), and has been operational since 2023.

The 1975 'Permanently Protected' Area, Victoria Falls

The plea comes as the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is due to discuss the future of the World Heritage Site at its 48th Session, to be held in Busan, Republic of Korea over 19th-29th July 2026 (VictoriaFalls Bits and Blogs, 15th July 2026). The Committee has repeated warned over the cumulative impact of tourism developments at the Site (VictoriaFalls Bits and Blogs, 9th July 2026).

Critically, the 1975 'permanently protected' area has also not been fully disclosed to UNESCO within the joint management plans, leaving the World Heritage Committee in the dark over the protected area (Roberts, 2026).

In April campaign group Keep Victoria Falls Wild called for a moratorium on all developments within and surrounding the Site until finalisation, and agreement by the World Heritage Committee, of a new joint management plan for the Site (Keep Victoria Falls Wild, April 2026).

Read more on tourism development pressures at the Victoria Falls on the Keep VictoriaFalls Wild website.

References

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (April 2026) Serious Concerns Over Management of Victoria Falls World Heritage Site (pdf, direct download from the KVFW website, 1.3mb).

Roberts, P (2026) Paradise Lost? Conservation and Development of the Victoria Falls (1900-2025). Zambezi Book Company / CreateSpace Independent Publishing. [external link to Zambezi Book Company website, opens in a new window].

Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs (30th April 2022) Legends of the Victoria Falls (Part 1): Spirits of the Falls.

Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs (15th July 2026) World Heritage Committee Turns Its Attentions to Victoria Falls.

Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs (9th July 2026) Still Kicking the Can Down the Road... UNESCO World Heritage Committee Draft Decision text published.