Victoria Falls:
Where Nature Meets Tourism
October 23, 1996
(CNN) -- When the sun rises above Zimbabwe's Zambezi River in southern Africa, it feels like morning in the land that time forgot.
The Zambezi's churning waters cut a swath through hundreds of miles before plunging 300 feet to create Victoria Falls, one of the world's natural wonders. Even from a distance, the Falls are mystically shrouded in mist -- an unearthly quality inspiring the ancient Tonga people to coin the name "Mosi Oa Tunya," or the smoke that thunders.
Experts say there is a biologically diverse network of ecosystems, filled with over 400 species of birds and 30 species of mammals, in the surrounding forests and wetlands.
Visitors have flocked here to see the unbridled, mile-wide surge of the Zambezi over the chasm. But now, environmentalists warn that for miles along and above the river that feeds the Falls, the human element may be stealing their great 'thunder.'
Conservationists say this year over 7,000 tourists will bungee jump into the gorges and over 50,000 will brave the rapids, sip wine and sightsee on pleasure boats. The action shows no signs of stopping.
"If that is increased, then nesting sites for birds will be disturbed and there will be erosion from people climbing in and out of the gorges," said conservationist Sally Wynn.
A total of 300,000 tourists came to the Falls last year. That number is twice as many as just four years ago, and is expected to triple in the next 10 years.
Conservationists are sounding the alarm. They want a moratorium on all future developments until a master plan is conceived. They say the developments are encroaching on the wildlife and straining the region's resources.
For now, Zimbabwe's answer to those who want a moratorium is no. That's because the government is trying to let local Zimbabweans -- many of whom have watched as their land was exploited by others -- finally get a piece of the tourist pie.
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