CEO's Report October 2017

Fundraising: October continued to be a good month for fundraising with the United Kingdom’s Postcode Planet Trust increasing their support for Malawi and African Parks generally, providing a new grant of GBP 700,000. Also, Fondation Segré has expanded their support with an additional grant of EUR 435,000 for Greater Zakouma.

Communications: The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and National Geographic hosted the inaugural ‘Half-Earth Day’ event on the 23rd of October, which highlighted global conservation efforts that are effectively protecting and securing vast landscapes. African Parks’ Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Andrea Heydlauff spoke at National Geographic about African Parks’ model and our achievements, as well as participated in a live panel discussion, which can be viewed here. We were extremely pleased to congratulate Rian Laubuschagne, former Park Manager of Zakouma National Park, and Brighton Kumchedwa, the head of the Malawian Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) for their recognition at the prestigious Tusk Conservation Awards on the 4th of October. They were presented respectively with the lifetime achievement award for outstanding dedication and contribution to conservation in Africa, and the award for emerging and successful leadership in conservation.

Recruitment: We are delighted to welcome Fred Favard as African Parks’ new Operational Manager for Francophone parks, who joined the team at Head Office in Johannesburg on the 2nd of October.

Ennedi, Chad: We anticipate that the agreement for Ennedi will be signed with the Government of Chad at the Zakouma Board Meeting in late November. This follows authorisation from the African Parks Network Board to proceed towards signature subject to the successful conclusion of the required due diligence which will be carried out in January 2018.

Shaba and Buffalo Springs, Kenya: A meeting was held with the recently elected Governor, Dr Kuti, in Nairobi. Although he recognises the need to infuse expertise and resources into the recapitalisation and development of and Buffalo Springs, the issue of revenue retention requires renegotiation. Governor Kuti also wishes to include Samburu Wildlife Reserve in the negotiations due to the three reserves comprising a single ecological and economic landscape. The project has therefore reverted to the Compilation Phase as we begin new negotiations for a much larger landscape.

Bazaruto Archipelago Marine National Park, Mozambique: Signature of the agreement continues to be delayed pending the conclusion of the annual Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) conference and ensuing changes to the political landscape. This process is now at an end and management is hopeful the agreement will be signed before year-end.

Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe: Consensus has been reached with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority on all terms of the management agreement. It now remains for the agreement to be submitted to the Ministry for formal Government approval before we can proceed to signature.

Mangochi Forest Reserve, Malawi: A draft agreement was prepared by the Forestry Department to include Mangochi within our existing mandate for Liwonde National Park. We now hope to receive input on the agreement from the Public Private Partnership Commission (PPPC).

Kafue National Park, Zambia: A document outlining the economic case for African Parks to assume management responsibility for Kafue has been submitted to the Minister of Finance. A delegation from the Ministries of Finance and Tourism visited Liuwa Plain and Bangweulu Wetlands over the period 3rd to 10th of November.

Upper West Zambezi Game Management Area: We continue to seek a meeting with the Barotse Royal Establishment and Litunga to discuss the new agreement for Liuwa Plain and the inclusion of the game management area (GMA) within its mandate.

Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve, Uganda: The Government of Uganda has embarked on a drive to encourage private sector investment into tourism and co-management of certain protected areas, culminating in the Giants Club Investment summit held in Kampala on the 6th of October. African Parks has submitted an Expression of Interest for the management of Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve, one of Uganda’s flagship conservation areas located in the western Great Rift Valley.

Chinko, CAR: The park continued to shelter and provision 280 displaced people within its borders due to the unchanged security situation and ongoing humanitarian crisis. A doctor and nurse are on hand providing essential healthcare, while a large shipment of medical supplies was generously donated by a company based in the Netherlands. The Chinko Crisis Fund remains active as we are still working to achieve our financial goal. The park made some positive steps in improving its capacity for local engagement. Despite the precarious security situation restricting community visits, the team developed a solid framework for community work moving forwards and begun the regular training of staff on various themes. This month focused on the importance of healthy hygiene for human health. Daily surveillance flights have been monitoring the collared eland, Lelwel’s hartebeest and roan antelope, and are contributing to the continued protection of the 3,000 km2 core wildlife zone where there were no reports of poaching activity for the entire month.

Akagera, Rwanda: Akagera Game Lodge will be coming under the new management of The Mantis Collection, which holds an international portfolio of award-winning hotels, after the management contract was signed with the Rwanda Development Board and the Rwanda Social Security Board. Plans for the lodge will include renovations intended to provide a premier guest experience, revamped marketing, and modernised operating and service systems, which will further enhance sustainable tourism development in the park. Akagera hosted the Vulcan Ltd-developed Domain Awareness System (DAS) user meeting, after having successfully utilised the data integration system for real-time monitoring of wildlife and law enforcement activities for the past year. The meeting brought together conservation groups from across Africa, facilitating discussions around the use of SMART technology in park management and anti-poaching. The Deputy Head of Law Enforcement undertook a course on information gathering and analysis in Kenya, which was a key development for law enforcement this month.

Zakouma, Chad: We announced in last month’s report the positive news that we signed an agreement with the Government of Chad for the management of Greater Zakouma on the 10th of October. This expanded territory incorporates an additional 4,260 km2 area in Siniaka Minia Faunal Reserve, Bahr-Salamat and adjoining wildlife corridors, bringing the total area under our management across the continent up to seven million hectares. An appraisal of the landscape and challenges was undertaken during a week-long mission to Siniaka-Minia, during which park staff initiated the process of local sensitisation and held meetings with key local stakeholders. We also reported on the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on the 8th of October for the reintroduction of black rhinoceros from South Africa which will happen in 2018. The project is now starting to gain some good momentum, with a technical meeting held with the Ministry of Environment and Fisheries and a committee subsequently formed to monitor progress. Employment is being created through the construction of a rhino sanctuary fence, and a Rhino Monitoring Manager was recruited and joined the team at the end of the month. The park is now transitioning to dry season operations and readying for the tourism season with the new Camp Nomade Manager Matthieu Radot welcomed to the team.

Garamba, DRC: Two additional elephants were fitted with tracking collars that were available for redeployment. There are now 44 functioning collars enabling the park’s team to regularly track elephants’ movements, contributing to the vital long-term monitoring of the park’s population. Regular giraffe monitoring continued to take place, with surveillance flights confirming the sighting of three isolated individuals inhabiting the northern part of Garamba. The law enforcement team continued to develop its operational capability through two successful training courses; 18 rangers completed phase two of a ‘patrol commander’s course’ while others completed a ‘second in command course’. A study commenced for the preparation of a comprehensive land use plan, for which a team embarked on the process of gathering data for mapping and convened discussions with local and provincial authorities.

Bangweulu Wetlands, Zambia: The game reintroduction programme made good headway, delivering 33 kudus, 20 waterbucks, 45 bushbucks, and 46 pukus to Bangweulu, where our goal is to restock with up to 600 animals. The law enforcement team has been progressively building local awareness around the conservation of the recently released animals in the Lumbatwa Wildlife Corridor, and for a consecutive month successfully deterred human encroachment through increased ranger presence. The team reported nine poaching incidents, including eight antelope and one porcupine, but also arrested 13 people and removed seven snares. Training was provided for leader group personnel and in horse riding to continue to improve capability and patrol coverage. Shoebill Island Camp is under construction and remains on track for opening by year-end.

Liuwa Plain, Zambia: The exquisite and recently completed King Lewanika Lodge opened on the 20th of October, welcoming its first guests for the season. It is a wonderful time of year for wildlife viewing, and there were several notable observations recorded by the monitoring teams. In particular, two previously unidentified cheetahs were recorded, which researchers estimate to be an adult female and an approximately 15-month-old cub. The northern hyaena clan have had two new cubs, and all lions appear to be in good condition. The park has established self-catering tented accommodation at the forward operating base, which it is now marketing to broaden its appeal for local and regional tourism. Law enforcement continued to function effectively despite aircraft repairs preventing aerial operations, with teams arresting three individuals and confiscating fishing nets and 18 kilograms of bushmeat.

Liwonde, Malawi: We were very pleased to report that four cheetah cubs were born in October – the first in Malawi in over 20 years and over a century in the vicinity of the park. Another record was made in October with the 18-year, 10-year and 8-year respective jail sentences handed down to the three individuals convicted in the rhino poaching case announced on the 20th of October. The sentencing was the first of its kind by the Malawian court and the news was very positively received at a global level. Liwonde was locally hailed for its contributions of two much-needed boreholes providing clean water for adjacent communities and for handing over new school blocks as critical educational infrastructure for the district. Construction of the park’s significantly improved entrance gate and adjoining retail shop are now complete and fully operational. Good progress was also reported on curbing elephant break-outs, which have declined markedly in certain areas thanks to several preventative measures implemented by the park’s teams.

Nkhotakota, Malawi: Two suspects were arrested for poaching an elephant in Nkhotakota in October following a swift joint operation with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) and the police, resulting in the recovery of the ivory. Both individuals were sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment with hard labour, reflecting Malawi’s consistently rigorous efforts to combat wildlife crime. The law enforcement team also removed 41 snares and confiscated numerous other hunting-related materials in their strides to secure the park, while the community team conducted meetings to improve awareness around illegal activities. All translocated elephants were regularly monitored and appear to be in good condition. The park continued to dedicate significant attention to fence operations, leading good progress on the perimeter fence and attending to maintenance on the sanctuary fence to repair areas of damage and mitigate break-outs. Nkhotakota provided extensive educational support for local communities, conducting outreach programmes that reached a total of 2,867 students, among other activities.

Majete, Malawi: We’re pleased to share that three new lion cubs were born in Majete, which were confirmed by the first sighting of them at a waterhole this month. The cubs belong to Shire, one of the original lions translocated to the park in 2012. Several meaningful contributions were made for local educational development. In particular, Majete completed and handed over a new classroom block at Chiguma Primary School to help with the improvement of educational standards in the district. In addition, a further 25 orphaned and vulnerable students were identified to become recipients of the scholarship programme for the 2017/2018 academic year. Law enforcement remained rigorous, with teams making five arrests for possession of bush meat, fence wire theft and illegal fishing.

Odzala-Kokoua, Congo: The eco-guard ranger training course was successfully completed by 29 candidates on the 21st of October, boosting the skills-level of those guards for the park’s law enforcement team. It has been another busy month for law enforcement in Odzala, with rangers seizing four pieces of ivory, arresting seven individuals and confiscating 48 unlicensed firearms. The team conducted another special operation to engage communities in the north on dismantling their snare traps, during which they also collected a further 5,112 snares. The gorilla habituation programme has shown steady progress, with one of the gorilla groups reaching an advanced stage of comfort in human presence, while data on the groups continue to be collected for ecological and pathogen assessments. The research team completed the installation of camera traps; there are now 64 operational cameras in 16 study sights to provide insights for species monitoring purposes.

Pendjari, Benin: The first basic field ranger training course is now well underway and is currently training 35 rangers to form part of a new law enforcement brigade for Pendjari. The park represents an important source of local employment, and many of the rangers will be recruited from surrounding communities, while all but five former employees of Le Centre National de Gestion des Reserves de Faune (CENAGREF) were reabsorbed as park staff. There were several advancements in infrastructural development, key among them being the near completion of the operational base and training camp and the start of the rehabilitation of Pendjari Lodge. Progress was made in building the community outreach programme, with Pendjari welcoming Jean Yves Koumpogue as the new Community Development Manager as of the 1st of October. 18 villages were subsequently visited by the park’s staff and village associations (AVIGREF) importantly to establish contact with the various stakeholders.

Media highlights for African Parks for October 2017 included coverage by The Telegraph, BBC, Fox News, Yahoo News, Mongabay, Conde Nast Traveller, All Africa and Radio France Internationale, among others. 

THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE HONOURS THE HEROES SAVING AFRICA’S WILDLIFE | The Telegraph, 5 October 2017

In the frequently bleak and bloody world of conservation, the transformation of Chad’s Zakouma National Park stands out as a rare success story. Its elephant population of around 4,000 in the mid-2000s was butchered so savagely by Sudanese horsemen that scarcely 450 were left by 2010, the year a burly South African named Rian Labuschagne took over the park’s management.

MALAWI’S DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND WILDLIFE WINS PRESTIGIOUS 2017 TUSK AWARD | All Africa, 6 October 2017

The Association of Environmental Journalists (AEJ) in Malawi has congratulated Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), Director Brighton Kumchedwa for winning the prestigious 2017 Tusk Award… DNPW under the stewardship of Kumchedwa has also championed the business model approach through Public Private Partnership agreement in the management of protected areas.

SOUTH AFRICA SENDS 6 BLACK RHINOS TO CHAD, RESTORING SPECIES | Fox News, 10 October 2017

South Africa plans to send six black rhinos to a national park in Chad next year, restoring a critically endangered species that was last seen in the landlocked African country in the late 1980s. The non-profit group African Parks said Tuesday that the rhinos will go to Chad's Zakouma National Park, which lies south of the Sahara desert and north of Central African rainforests.

AF SUD: DES RHINOCEROS NOIRS ATTENDUS AU TCHAD | BBC Afrique, 11 October 2017

Six rhinocéros noirs d'Afrique du Sud vont être réintroduits au parc de Zakouma, dans le sud-est du Tchad. Les autorités tchadiennes et l'organisation sud-africaine African Parks ont signé mardi à Johannesburg un accord pour doubler la capacité du parc Zakouma afin de mieux accueillir les pachydermes.

CHAD EXTENDS KEY CONSERVATION AREA IN NATIONAL PARK | Yahoo News (AFP), 11 October 2017

Chad is to boost protection for a key haven for endangered wildlife in the south of the country under an agreement with a conservation group. African Parks is to take over management and protection of a territory of high ecological value that lies around the vast Zakouma National Park in southern Chad.

LE RINOCEROS NOIR BIENTOT REINTRODUIT AU TCHAD | Radio France Internationale, 11 October 2017

Les rhinocéros vont faire leur grand retour au Tchad. Le ministre de l’Environnement, Ahmat Mbodou Mahamat, était à Johannesburg mardi 10 octobre pour renouveler le partenariat avec l’ONG de protection de la nature African Parks, qui prévoit notamment le transfert de six rhinocéros dans son pays d'où ils ont disparu il y a des années.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE AFRICAN SAFARI | Conde Nast Traveller, 13 October 2017

In the 1950s, Norman Carr, a Zambian visionary, inspired the locals and Chief Nsefu to conserve wildlife and land in the Luangwa Valley. He also pioneered the walking safaris Zambia has come to be known for… Norman Carr Safaris organises walks between six seasonal camps located between the South Luangwa Valley and Liuwa Plain National Park.

WATCH: THE FIRST HALF-EARTH DAY BY THE E.O. WILSON FOUNDATION AND NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC | 23 October 2017

The first ‘Half-Earth Day’ by the E. O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation and National Geographic brought to light inspiring conservation efforts currently underway across the world. You can now watch the event, including the interview with Dr. E.O Wilson, as well as the live panel discussion with African Parks’ CMO, Andrea Heydlauff, detailing African Parks’ innovative and impactful conservation efforts across Africa.

RHINO POACHER SENTENCED TO 18 YEARS IN PRISON | Mongabay, 25 October 2017

In July this year, poachers killed a female black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), and hacked off her horns, in Liwonde National Park, Malawi. A Malawian court has now convicted and sentenced one of the poachers to 18 years in prison. Two of his accomplices were also handed sentences of ten and eight years each, according to African Parks