Mozambique has a new treasure: it's new blossoming National Park. However, this park is situated in an ex-war zone that is prone to natural disaster.
Rising like a phoenix out of the ashes, the beautiful forest of Chimanimani National Park features massive stone walls towering over thick jungle greenery. If you look closely, some of the crevices have drawings of men, women, and various animals dating as far back as the Stone Age. As you go higher in the park towards the Mount Binga, the dense forests become flat grasslands.
This park occupies land that has been marred with violence and destruction. After the country gained their independence in 1975, civil war took over killing over a million people. The mountains in the park became protection for rivaling factions during the Rhodesian Bush War and the Mozambican Civil War. Not far from the previously mentioned Gorongosa National Park, Chimanimani National Park is the latest in a trend of African nature getting recognition and protection.
This new park opens up many doors. As a result of the history of violence in the now Chimanimani National Park, there is not a lot of information on the present biodiversity. There are currently expeditions of scientists going in and around the Park to collect data and study the flora and fauna specific to the park.
Writing this article brings me great joy. To see a country that has suffered through so much conflict and death redefine their land as a natural sanctuary brings me great hope. Moreover, the rise of protection of nature in Africa is a great sign and will push the pendulum towards a safer world for nature. Finally, from an economic standpoint, good things are to come of the Chimanimani National Park as it has great potential for a tourist destination. I see big things ahead for Mozambique!
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