Andrew Chomba
Park Manager
Park Management
Andrew’s interest in wildlife conservation comes from his early childhood experiences having grown up in most of Zambia’s national parks as his late father was a wild life ranger. After completion of his secondary school, Andrew saw an opportunity to realize his dream of becoming a wildlife ranger when he joined the then Department of national parks and wildlife service in 1996. He underwent a one-year para-military styled training for wildlife rangers and his first posting was in the North Luangwa National Park. He later worked in other areas including the Bangweulu Wetlands and South Luangwa National Park.
Andrew was the first ranger responsible for security and monitoring of the successful black rhino reintroduction project in the North Luangwa National Park in 2003 and played an important role in establishing and implementing anti-poaching and rhino monitoring systems in the park. Andrew is not new to the Bangweulu Wetlands and African Parks having previously worked there as an Assistant Ranger and later in 2009 as the first Head of Law Enforcement under the Bangweulu Wetlands Management Project.
Andrew has over 26 years of experience in the wildlife conservation sector in Zambia having risen through the ranks under the former Department of National Parks and Wildlife Service, the former Zambia Wildlife Authority and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife. He has significant experience in Protected Area Management, wildlife law enforcement, illegal wildlife trade and regulation of international trade in wildlife through the implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
As Acting Director for the Department, he worked closely with conservation partners and NGOs to provide increased support towards the management of Zambia’s protected area portfolio. He was instrumental in the development of National Anti-Poaching Strategies, SOPs and Law Enforcement Guidelines. He forged the implementation of regional and international conventions, Treaties and agreements in order to promote international collaboration and cooperation in areas of wildlife conservation. He recently chaired the Kavango – Zambezi Trans frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) Committee of Directors.
Andrew has been the National Rhino Coordinator for Zambia and member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission - African Rhino Specialist Group (IUCN SSC- AfRSG) since 2012, CITES Monitoring Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) National Focal Person, the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF) National Bureau Focal Person and the Administrative Head of the Ramsar Convention for Zambia. He was also a board member of the Bangweulu Wetlands Management Board, African Parks – Liuwa and the Greater Kafue Landscape Limited.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of technology in Nature Conservation from Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa, a Post Graduate Diploma in Project Management from Management Collage of Southern Africa (MANCOSA) and a Diploma in Protected Area Management from the Southern African Wildlife College in South Africa. He is currently studying for a Master in Business Administration at MANCOSA.