CEO Report January 2018

Fundraising: We were extremely grateful for all of the year-end generosity that we saw up until December 31st, 2017, and the great momentum that we’ve already seen in the first month of this year. On January 28th, we announced a multi-year US$23.5M partnership with the National Geographic Society, the Wyss Foundation and the Government of Benin for Pendjari National Park at a press event in London. The Dutch Postcode Lottery made a surprise €3M commitment to Ennedi in Chad (along with an already €4.7M commitment from the EU), which was announced at a film premiere supported by the lottery that showcased our Malawian rangers and the elephant translocation. In addition, WWF-Belgium made a five-year commitment to the three parks in Malawi; WWF-Netherlands renewed support for Liuwa Plain National Park and Odzala-Kokoua National Park; the Schwartz Family and the Acacia Conservation Fund once again provided generous support to African Parks’ anti-poaching and conservation work.

We were pleased to have attended the People’s Postcode Lottery’s 2018 Charity Gala, where they announced an extraordinary total of £93.4 million awarded to numerous charities in 2017. African Parks was honoured to have also received £700,000 to advance our work in the field. In addition, African Parks’ CEO Peter Fearnhead was also the first person to receive the new ‘Rising Star’ Award in which individual leaders are recognised for their extraordinary achievements, together with £250,000 in contribution to our work. Lastly, Neville Isdell and the Isdell:Flowers Cross Border Malaria Initiative are both supporting efforts in Liuwa Plain; and the Elephant Crisis fund, as well as several other donors, supported the collaring of 29 elephants in Zakouma in January.  

Communications: 2017 ended on a high note with the news of Prince Harry joining African Parks as our President, which was announced by the BBC on the same day that they featured our work in and the rise of Zakouma National Park in Chad. The renowned National Geographic ‘big cat’ photographer Steve Winter, and videographer Alex Braczkowski, covered the capture of rhinoceroses in South Africa for their May translocation to Chad. They also covered the lion captures in Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa, which was posted across theirs and National Geographic’s Instagram feeds and on African Parks’ social media feeds. This capture marked the start of our lion translocation to Malawi, which will see the reintroduction of lions to Liwonde National Park, and move additional lions into Majete Wildlife Reserve. The new partnership announcement for Pendjari National Park coincided with the publication of three extremely positive stories by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) about Pendjari. We were pleased to see that Liuwa Plain was named as one of the “52 places to go in 2018” by the New York Times, and Liwonde in Malawi and Zakouma in Chad were also listed by Forbes as “the 15 coolest places to go in 2018”.

Recruitment: We are pleased to welcome three new staff to our head office team in Johannesburg: Geoff Clinning who is joining us as our GIS Manager; Aaron Bentham as our Chief Instructor for Law Enforcement, and Frances Forrer as our Communications Assistant.

Bazaruto Archipelago National Park, Mozambique: Following the signing of the management agreement on the 6th of December 2017, foundations are being laid to establish an effective management system. An official presentation introducing African Parks as the new management authority and partner with the Government was received well by the Governor of Inhambane and the district administrators of Inhassoro and Vilankulo. Subsequently, African Parks also initiated engagement with the local tourism sector. The core focus is now on preparing the project for implementation in March, finalising funding, staffing park management, finalising construction plans for headquarters on Benguerra Island and confirming the registration of African Parks Mozambique as a legal entity. 

Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve, Chad: The Ennedi Board due-diligence trip conducted the week of January 15th went very well, and the addition of this extraordinary 40,000km2 Natural and Cultural Reserve was made public on the 19th of February along with the surprise commitment of the Dutch Postcode Lottery who, along with the EU who had committed €4.7M, generously  awarded African Parks €3M to help manage this reserve. This is an extremely unique landscape, and one that is quite different for African Parks given its extensive nature and rich cultural heritage. The faunal element is largely absent, as in all Saharan / Sahelian systems which we will need to bring back in time.  Thanks to Pierre-Armand, Rocco Rava, and Andrew Parker for all their work and getting this over the line. The addition of this park brings our portfolio to 14 parks in nine countries, spanning 10.5M hectares, covering seven ecoregions in Africa. 

Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe: Things are progressing well with Matusadona and the terms of agreement have been successfully negotiated with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority. A formal proposal will be submitted to the African Parks’ board for approval in early April, and board due diligence will be undertaken thereafter. 

Mangochi Forest Reserve, Malawi: The negotiations with the Public Private Partnership Commission and the Department of Forestry are nearing completion, and we aim to conclude with a signature of this agreement soon. Mangochi Forest Reserve would become an extension of the mandate and operations of Liwonde National Park.

Shaba and Buffalo Springs, Kenya: Negotiations with the newly elected local government elicited limited progress, and as a result African Parks will not pursue these two projects until a more enabling political environment exists.
 

Chinko, CAR: Chinko continued to make extremely promising progress to secure its boundaries, and at the height of its season for cattle herders, the team maintained an extensive 19,000 km2 area free of key threats. Preventative measures led by law enforcement and community teams, including the use of educational materials and corridors established to effectively divert groups around the park, were successful in deterring herders from illegally grazing their cattle in the park. We were pleased by the arrival of the new firearms, which were inspected and verified by Government authorities and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS). The law enforcement team successfully led several arrests in the prevention of illegal mining, poaching and fishing activities within Chinko. A substantial increase in wildlife sightings were made through daily monitoring and aerial surveillance which recorded elephants (including calves), large herds of buffalo and antelope, as well as signs of leopard and lion, all just in January. The park continued to provide a safe haven and provisions for the 300 internally displaced persons living within its borders, a result of ongoing regional insecurity, and a priority for 2018 will be the identification of a sustainable solution to address the situation.

Akagera National Park, Rwanda: Akagera continued to see strong results across its range of activities. The park documented zero poaching incidents while rigorous ranger patrols retrieved 26 snares. In addition, camera traps have been installed in an effort to further improve the monitoring of the well-being of the rhino population. We also continued to see growth in tourism to the park, with visitation increasing by 30% compared to January last year, reflecting the significant interest in Akagera and more widely Rwanda as an attractive tourism destination. Unfortunately, two of the dogs in the canine unit passed away due to illness.

Zakouma National Park, Chad: All preparations for the historic reintroduction of black rhinoceros are on track, with the rhinoceroses captured and secured in holding facilities in South Africa ahead of their translocation to Chad in the coming months. Meanwhile, the permitting process and confirmation of an aircraft for their movement are underway. In addition, members of Zakouma’s rhino monitoring team have undertaken a month of rhino tracking training in Zimbabwe to gain relevant experience in preparation for the arrival of rhinoceroses in May. Carrying out a priority conservation measure in January, the park fitted tracking collars on an additional 29 elephants, 11 females and 18 bulls, and now monitors the movement of the majority of identified resident family groups. There are now a total of 37 elephants fitted with GPS collars. This enables effective research, law enforcement and monitoring activities, contributing to the long-term protection of Zakouma’s important elephant herd. In a tourism update, Camp Nomade was re-opened at Rigueik in early January and has successfully hosted its first groups of guests, while camps Tinga and Salamat also received good visitation.

Garamba National Park, DRC: It has been a productive start to the year in terms of law enforcement in Garamba, particularly with 21 Mamba team rangers completing a rapid deployment course and another 25 rangers completing a medic course. The team detected no signs of elephant poaching or poachers’ camps in the park during surveillance missions and patrols. Field surveys in 56 localities were completed for a socio-economic study that is currently underway to develop a land use plan for the area. Garamba also made steps in the development of an environmental education programme, and strengthened relations with the neighbouring Kibali Gold Mine through an awareness-enhancing outreach programme with its staff. Monitoring of key species continued, notably including good signs of Chimpanzee presence based on sounds and visual records of new nests.

Bangweulu Wetlands, Zambia: We extend our farewell to Michael Wadge who successfully served as Bangweulu’s Park Manager for two years, completing his term in January. Jonathan Chisaka, who is the Community Development Manager, is now acting as the interim Park Manager. There were several highlights in conservation in the park, including a noted steady growth in the black lechwe population, good sightings of antelopes (impala, puku and waterbuck), which were translocated last year and whose herds appear to be growing; and ongoing adherence to the seasonal fish ban by communities helping fish stocks to recover. The law enforcement team confiscated various illegal materials, including a firearm and wire snares, and made six arrests contributing to successful convictions.  

Liuwa Plain National Park, Zambia: The park continued to see positive results from improved law enforcement and security, with just one individual arrested for a single poaching incident. Wildlife densities are robust and a large single herd of wildebeest numbering approximately 6,000 animals, in addition to large herds of lechwe and eland were sighted. The lion, cheetah and hyaena populations remain stable and continue to do well. Initial preparations have begun on the forthcoming construction of a new headquarters at a suitable site in Liuwa Plain. The community team continued to host extensive engagement activities, including further educational support and encouraging adherence to the seasonal fishing ban.

Liwonde National Park, Malawi: Liwonde has completed its preparations for the historic reintroduction of lion, which will take place in late February. Twelve lions have been secured in South Africa for movement in February and March to both Majete and Liwonde, of which Liwonde is due to receive seven and Majete is due to receive five. The reintroduction will contribute to the restoration of an important trophic level for the ecosystem, and will make Liwonde the second ‘big five’ park in Malawi. The park gained an additional three cheetahs, two males and a female which, including last year’s cubs, increases the healthy population to 14. A new basic field ranger training course was initiated at Liwonde’s upgraded training centre, where 33 students selected by the three Malawian parks under management will receive intensive ranger training for eight weeks. 

Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, Malawi: The reserve conducted a pre-selection process and identified 11 candidates from local communities to participate in a basic field ranger training course being hosted at Liwonde National Park. This will contribute to the further growth and strengthening of Nkhotakota’s law enforcement capability. An annual stakeholders’ meeting was coordinated with Majete Wildlife Reserve and Liwonde National Park, where the parks’ progress reports were extremely well-received by all stakeholders and received positive coverage in the national press. Having recently opened the ‘phase one’ elephant sanctuary, daily monitoring of collared elephants has revealed that they continue to adjust well and are now exploring the wider sanctuary in the south of the reserve. Nkhotakota hosted two ecologists from the United States Forest Service to initiate the planning of a study on the elephants’ use of their environment.  In tourism, Bua Lodge has now come under the management of new owners with a view to recapitalising it.

Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi: The lion population in Majete, which was first reintroduced in 2012, has received a welcomed boost this month following the confirmation of the birth of three cubs. Furthermore, two male lions have been secured in bomas in South Africa for translocation to the park in February. The introduction of additional lions will improve the genetic diversity and long-term health of Majete’s population. A key highlight in community development was the handing over of a completed new school block to provide decent educational infrastructure for 1,637 students enrolled at the school. It has been a similarly good month for the law enforcement team, which currently has 10 recruits undergoing basic field ranger training in Liwonde, and which reported no evidence of poaching activity for the entire month.   

Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Congo: The firearm training component of the basic field ranger course was led by the Congolese Military, culminating in a group of 28 enthusiastic new rangers successfully completing the course for deployment in the park. Importantly, these recruits will support the growth of Odzala’s law enforcement capacity. The month also saw significant planning get underway for an upcoming law enforcement strategy workshop to enhance efforts to curb poaching in the region.

Pendjari National Park, Benin: The park, with the help of a specialised veterinarian, fitted satellite tracking collars to two elephants and three lions, enabling their monitoring on a real-time basis. This marks good progress for Pendjari’s long-term key species conservation strategy. The second basic field ranger training course commenced in January, admitting 39 new recruits as part of the development of an effective law enforcement team to secure the park. 

Media highlights for African Parks for January 2018 included coverage by the Agence France-Presse, The New York Times Travel, National Geographic, Yahoo News, Le Point, The Huffington Post, France 24, Le Parisien, World News, and InDaily, among others.

THE COUNTRY THAT BROUGHT ITS ELEPHANTS BACK FROM THE BRINK | BBC, 27 December 2017

Prince Harry is the new President of African Parks, which takes over national parks and gives rangers training to take on poachers and protect wildlife. The BBC visited one of the parks it manages, at Zakouma in Chad.

WHERE YOU SHOULD TRAVEL IN 2018 | Huffington Post, 5 January 2018

The Huffington Post featured both Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia and Akagera National Park in Rwanda in a list of top places to travel in 2018.

52 PLACES TO GO IN 2018 | The New York Times Travel, 10 January 2018

Zebras, spotted hyenas and wildebeest are among the resurging wildlife in this 900,000-acre national park in Western Zambia, where the non-profit organization African Parks has spurred conservation efforts since 2003. The New York Times featured Liuwa Plain National Park in its travel section’s list of 52 places to visit in 2018.

DESTINATIONS TO CURE WANDERLUST IN 2018 | InDaily, 23 January 2018

Malawi: Last year, the world’s biggest ever translocation of elephants took place, successfully restocking the Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, and next year there are plans to reintroduce lions into Liwonde National Park with the help of Leonardo DiCaprio’s charitable foundation.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC JOINS FORCES WITH AFRICAN PARKS, THE REPUBLIC OF BENIN AND THE WYSS FOUNDATION TO PROTECT CRITICAL WEST AFRICAN ECOSYSTEM | African Parks, 31 January 2018

The National Geographic Society, African Parks, the Wyss Foundation and the Republic of Benin announced a ground-breaking partnership to help secure and rehabilitate one of the last remaining wild landscapes in all of West Africa, Benin’s Pendjari National Park. Together, the four partners are initially committing more than US$23M to safeguard the park.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESS
The Agence France-Presse recently covered the remarkable story of restoration currently underway in Pendjari National Park in the north of the West African country of Benin:

• Benin’s Pendjari National Park Comes Back to Life and Au nord du Bénin, le parc national de la Pendjari reprend vie
• Pendjari Park Hopes To Be New Elephant Sanctuary in West Africa and Bénin : ils veulent créer un sanctuaire pour les éléphants
• Benin’s Threatened Pendjari National Park Gets $23.5m Boost and Financement public-privé pour la réhabilitation de la Pendjari au Bénin

ONCE ON THE BRINK, THIS AFRICAN PARK IS MAKING A COMEBACK | National Geographic, 31 January 2018

On January 31, the National Geographic Society announced it was partnering up with African Parks, the Wyss Foundation, and the Republic of Benin to revitalize West Africa's Pendjari National Park.