Whither Conservation and Wildlife Protection? Tsetse Fly, Environment and the Creation of Rengwe Special Native Area (SNA), c1950–1958.

This article examines colonial land practices and ecological changes in the creation of Rengwe Special Native Area (SNA) in Hurungwe District, northwestern Zimbabwe, focusing on the role of the tsetse fly in shaping conservation and resettlement policies during the 1940s and 1950s. It argues that colonial conservation efforts primarily served white settler interests, prioritizing their safety and farming activities over environmental preservation or the health of indigenous African populations, who were resettled in tsetse fly–infested areas and exposed to trypanosomiasis and sleeping sickness. The paper highlights how the Native Affairs Department’s strategies involved clearing wildlife and vegetation to control the fly, disrupting local ecology and using African communities as buffers to protect settler farms. This case illustrates the complex interplay between conservation, racial segregation, and colonial governance, with lasting ecological and social impacts in the region.