Wildlife and War on the Mozambique-Zimbabwe Border : Colonial Fortress Conservation Since 1950

Uncovers the hidden history of conservation, conflict, and resistance on the Mozambique-Zimbabwe border.

Drawing on rich oral testimonies and archival records, this book examines the impact of colonial wildlife conservation policies on African societies and borderlands. Through this exploration, the author shows how colonial “fortress conservation” policies—game reserves, hunting concessions, and land restrictions—disrupted rural life, fueled grievances, and shaped popular participation in the wars of liberation.

By comparing Portuguese and British approaches across a shared cultural and ecological region, this book challenges conventional colonial divides to reveal how conservation became entangled with nationalism, migration, and survival. Extending into the postcolonial era, it also highlights how projects like the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park carried forward legacies of exclusion under new guises.

Engaging and accessible, this book is essential reading for scholars, students, policymakers, and anyone interested in African history, environmental politics, or the complex ties between people, land, and wildlife.