Community Development

African Parks works with the six communities to sustainably manage Bangweulu’s resources such as fisheries, beekeeping and lechwe harvesting for protein, thus supporting a system where communities are the stewards for the natural resources found in the area. Health and education programmes and community development projects enhance local livelihoods, positioning Bangweulu as the nucleus of a growing conservation-led economy.

African Parks staff engages with community members who live around Bangweulu © Mana Meadows

Community engagement takes place across the six chiefdoms through their respective Community Resource Boards and a network of community development facilitators. Regular meetings are held with all six chiefs to nurture these important relationships. Five community meetings across the chiefdoms laid the groundwork for Community Resource Board elections in 2024, with three women elected as Chairpersons of CRBs for the first time, filling 40% of senior positions in Chitambo Chiefdom and achieving equal representation in Bwalya Mponda and Nsamba Chiefdoms. 

The number of people reached in community meetings and awareness-raising efforts continues to increase, with attention focusing on challenges like swamp fires and illegal hunting. Grievance mechanism training in Kopa and Kabinga has equipped 120 stakeholders with conflict-resolution skills. Key cultural events, such as the Chinamanongo traditional ceremony and the Liuwa Community Development team's visit, help to bridge cultural gaps, fostering cross-community collaboration.

Bangweulu aims to provide quality education that supports economic and social transformation while raising awareness on environmental issues. This has seen substantial growth, with schools supported increasing to 18 in 2024, and 39 scholarships awarded. Twelve wildlife clubs continue to engage with students in environmental education. Students and teachers have been trained to use solar-powered pre-loaded tablets called ZeduPads, which enhance teaching and learning. In partnership with Zambia Library Service (ZLS) and others, small school libraries have been established in over 50 primary schools.

Twice a year, students from Muwele Primary School come to Chikuni for a Global Birding Big Day in the swamps. The impact of this experience highlights the importance of exposing local children to the landscapes in which they live. Other events such as wildlife art competitions and excursions to the swamps to view lechwe and shoebill contributed to vital environmental education and outreach.

Community members in Bangweulu benefit from enterprise development initiatives © Steve Lorenz

Bangweulu’s robust livelihood programme helps people diversify their incomes through a range of enterprise development projects such as beekeeping, fisheries management, sustainable farming training, and chicken and goat-rearing projects. In 2024, a chicken-rearing project was initiated that provided 35 families with chicks, feed and training, creating sustainable income and improving household nutrition for over 450 people.

To further natural product utilisation in the communities and ensure sustainable harvesting, a partnership was formed with CIFOR-ICRAF (Centre for International Forestry Research & World Agroforestry) to work on developing value chains for resources such as mushrooms, and caterpillars. 

The Department of Fisheries and the Community Fisheries Management Committees have been supported in the implementation of good fishing practices and a national fish ban, which gives a three-month window in which fish stocks can recover thus creating a more sustainable productive landscape and providing food security for local residents.

A Community Development Fund provides financial resources to support several important infrastructure projects including the renovation of health facilities, creation of teacher housing. 

A Reproductive Health Programme launched in 2016, receiving overwhelming support from communities, and today, Bangweulu partners with Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) to promote reproductive health programmes. The project includes mobile health clinics and conducts family-planning sessions and reproductive health and awareness programmes for the youth, benefitting thousands of community members. 

Since 2022, Bangweulu Wetlands' support for Safe Motherhood Action Groups (SMAGs) has brought meaningful change for women and youth in Chiundaponde, via training and resources, encouraging antenatal care and safe childbirth. By engaging traditional leaders and building trust, cultural barriers are being broken, leading to a marked increase in clinic visits and a decline in maternal and neonatal deaths. Over a thousand women received antenatal care in 2024, compared to some 700 in the previous year. 

Meanwhile, youth groups are leading a shift in reproductive health awareness among their peers, reaching nearly 4,000 young people, equipping them to make informed choices, use contraception, reduce teenage pregnancies, and stay in school. These same youth are also championing conservation – through reforestation, clean-ups, and awareness campaigns – highlighting the connection between healthy communities and a thriving environment. Despite limited resources, mobile outreach and local partnerships are helping expand their impact.

Under Zambian law, sustainable hunting of black lechwe is allowed in Bangweulu Wetlands. To ensure this is done in order to deliver benefits to communities while effectively managing lechwe populations, the Bangweulu Wetlands Management Board uses sound scientific and management techniques to oversee the initiative. Funds generated from lechwe hunting are injected back into the region, providing for communities and helping to support overall conservation efforts as well as community development for the area. Overall, the benefits of lechwe off-takes are multi-pronged as not only has the population of black lechwe increased under this management approach, but an affordable protein source is provided to communities while community income generating opportunities are supported through the production and sale of leather products obtained from the harvesting.