Partners

The Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), under the Ministry of Tourism works to protect and conserve Zambia’s wildlife estates and improve the quality of life among communities, while maintaining healthy biodiversity. African Parks began its work with the DNPW in Liuwa Plain National Park in 2003 and in the Bangweulu Wetlands in 2008. Dr Chuma Simukonda is the current Director of DNPW.

The Community Resources Boards (CRBs) are the principal community partners in the management of Bangweulu Wetlands. The six Resource Boards are composed of democratically elected community members from Village Action Groups in the six Chiefdoms of Bangweulu. These community members represent the wider community of the wetland and ensure that key stakeholders are directly involved in management of the area.

Stichting Natura Africae is a charitable foundation established by Jan Verhagen, a Dutch entrepreneur, in 2017. Natura Africae is dedicated to the conservation of national parks and protected areas in Africa, and recognises the reciprocal relationship between the livelihoods of local communities and the successful protection of an ecosystem’s wildlife. The foundation provided €5m in 2021, continuing its longterm commitment to Liuwa Plain National Park and the Bangweulu Wetlands. It also supported community and infrastructure projects in Iona National Park in Angola, and Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda.

The United States Department of State, through both the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and the Bureau of African Affairs (AF), advances good governance and peace and security, prerequisites for sustainable economic development and the protection of natural resources. Since 2017, INL has committed over US$7m to African Parks to provide critical core support, and enabled the professionalisation and effectiveness of our law enforcement across the African Parks’ portfolio, especially in Chad, Central African Republic, Malawi, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, and Benin. They have supported leadership development and core training infrastructure. Through INL support, intelligence units have been established in every park, to increase the effectiveness of law enforcement operations, and for regional and national collaboration with other security and conservation partners. These interventions are enhancing parks’ capacity to counter poaching and wildlife trade, promoting regional stability and the security of neighbouring communities.

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has been supporting African Parks since 2007, with the goal of promoting the African Parks management model across Africa. WWF Zambia contributes to core operating costs and conservation projects at Liuwa Plain National Park and Bangweulu Wetlands. WWF the Netherlands provides support to the Zambian parks and Odzala-Kokoua National Park. WWF Belgium became a strategic funding partner in 2017, supporting the Malawi parks and Liuwa Plain.