In Mozambique, I learned that Coutada 10 has come under the control of Marromeu Safaris (askari@mweb.co.za; www.marromeusafaris.com) and will be operated by Paul Ferreira of Askari Safaris. If Ferreira's name sounds familiar, it's because he is one of the directors of Nsonga Safaris in Zambia. Nsonga has control of the Nkala and Manwala hunting areas along the eastern boundary of Kafue National Park, and has turned both of those concessions around over the last five years. Ferreira says he has had a business relationship with the owner of Marromeu since the 1990s and has agreed to operate Coutada 10 for him, applying the same model Nsonga has used successfully in Zambia.
Coutada 10 is adjacent to the southwestern end of Marromeu National Park. It encompasses more than 1,000 square miles, including 28 miles of coastline on the Indian Ocean. The topography ranges from the floodplains of the Zambezi River, to grasslands, forests and swamps. Species found in Coutada 10 include Cape buffalo, sable, leopard, lion, elephant, hippo and crocodile, plus suni, oribi and a variety of plains game. Ferreira says they have plans for a number of improvement projects to be implemented in phases over the next several years. They are beginning with some upgrades to the camp, including 12 volt electricity, renovations to accommodations and a mosquito control program that will benefit both hunting clients and the local communities. They have also identified a number of villages in the area where they will implement some small agricultural projects, clean water projects and anti-poaching initiatives. Future projects will include clinics and schools. Ferreira says all of these community development efforts are things the previous concession holders neglected. As for the hunting, Ferreira says they will be ready to take their first clients on June 1st. At this writing, quotas had not been issued yet in Mozambique. A game population survey had been scheduled in October and November, but Ferreira says it is unclear whether that survey was actually done. Regardless, he says they plan to be very careful with their quota and manage the game with an eye towards increasing populations........(continued)
