IUCN Save Our Species

Gazetted in 1963, Zakouma National Park is situated in Chad, one of the richest countries in terms of biodiversity in Sahelo-Sudanian Africa. Today, Zakouma holds the highest number of large mammal populations of an internationally important size in Chad (Brugière & Scholte 2013) and continues to be one of the last protected areas in the region where wildlife populations are thriving. It is home to nearly 600 African savanna elephants (listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species) and to over 50% of the world’s population of Kordofan giraffe (listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List).

While Zakouma today is recognized internationally for its remarkable progress, it was once plagued by conflict. From 2002 to 2010, poachers on horseback decimated nearly 90% of the park’s elephant population, tragically nearly 4,000 elephants. It was not until 2010, when the Chadian Government invited African Parks to sign a long-term agreement to manage and restore the park that this trajectory began to shift.

The 10 years following their agreement saw the development of infrastructure, the professionalization of ethical ranger teams, and the emergence of meaningful engagement with the communities, giving rise to one of Africa’s most successful conservation stories. Today, poaching has been nearly eliminated, with not a single case of elephant poaching observed over the past 5 years, and wildlife populations have stabilized and increased.

Since 2010, the resilience of Zakouma’s ecosystem has strengthened and the park has become an unlikely symbol of hope for people and animals alike. 2020 and the global COVID-19 crisis served as a major test for the park with revenue sources, including tourism, halted almost overnight, logistics were severely inhibited, and in the span of a few weeks, people across the world were isolated. This was particularly true for the community conservation program around the National Park, which requires consistent engagement with the local communities. Zakouma, and protected areas in general, have an important role to play in supporting local and national development, a key objective of African Parks in this region since 2010.

The pandemic brought about new challenges for African Parks, for the Government of Chad, and for the local communities, but despite the abruptness and magnitude of the challenges, African Parks made the commitment from the beginning to keep teams in the park and to continue to protect the ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Thankfully, many organizations, local and global, joined these efforts and provided critical grants that ensured African Parks’ work in Zakouma and across Africa, could continue. IUCN Save Our Species, was one of the first to join this effort with their call for proposals, launched to aid with the challenges faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-year grant was awarded to Zakouma National Park to support with the community conservation program, implementing a range of awareness-raising initiatives while also launching alternative livelihood projects in villages and nomad camps that were most affected by the crisis.

After a year of unknowns and forging new ways of working, African Parks, in partnership with the Government of Chad, is pleased to report significant progress in Zakouma National Park – no instances of elephant poaching were recorded, no ranger man days were lost as a result of the pandemic, and meaningful community engagement continued.

This past year alone, Zakouma National Park opened its gates and ensured that more than 5,500 Chadians could safely visit the park through the environmental outreach program, of which almost 80% originated from the immediate villages and provinces. Several thousand individuals were also reached through sensitization meetings like community theatre and the creation of environmental education materials. 20 teachers were contracted and trained, ensuring that over 1,800 students were able to access education, despite the remoteness of their village. 166 community members, of which 46% were women, were trained, equipped and supported on sustainable gardening and modern beekeeping techniques, offering revenue-generating opportunities while supporting sustainable community enterprises. Finally, nearly 300 women were introduced to and trained on the use of improved cooking stoves, a solution that helps to reduce deforestation and the degradation of habitats, while improving the living conditions of women by decreasing the time required to collect materials.

These results would not have been possible without the support of IUCN Save Our Species, whose critical support helped protected areas across Africa to maintain their efforts to secure some of the most critical habitats on our planet. African Parks wishes to express its gratitude for their timely support and their contribution to the resilience and sustainability of the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem.

This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union through IUCN Save Our Species. Its contents are the sole responsibility of African Parks and do not necessarily reflect the views of IUCN or the European Union.