The Ministry of Environment, Fisheries and Sustainable Development (MEPDD) is the Governance authority of protected areas in Chad with whom African Parks has signed management agreements for the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem (including Zakouma National Park and Siniaka-Minia Wildlife Reserve), Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve and the Aouk Project. In 2010, the Ministry and African Parks signed a public-private management agreement for Zakouma, followed in 2017 with a 10-year agreement for the development of the Functional Ecosystem of Zakouma, and a 15-year agreement for the creation, funding and management of the Ennedi Reserve. MEPDD is represented by its minister M. Mahamat Abdelkerim Hanno.
The EU has been a crucial long-standing partner of African Parks, working together towards joint conservation and development objectives in central Africa. Since 2005, this partnership has helped create areas of stability in volatile regions and attract additional funding and partners. The EU’s support has been critical in managing large landscapes. Through improved management of these ecologically important landscapes; striving towards safety and security for people and wildlife; and strengthening opportunities in green sectors, together we continue to work towards our common goals.
A Swiss foundation established in 1996, it is committed to helping protect the biodiversity of our planet through active conservation of threatened species and their habitats, and restoration of degraded ecosystems. Fondation Segré became a strategic funding partner of African Parks in 2016 and has contributed over US$8 million to support a range of parks. In 2023, Fondation Segré assisted African Parks in Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve, Chad, and the newly added Boma-Badingilo landscape in South Sudan.
RWF supports ambitious projects, partners and programmes to foster a planet where people and nature thrive. With the passion of their founder, RWF works with urgency and an earnest belief that it will take all of us to reach global conservation goals, protect biodiversity, and create opportunity for communities. Rob Walton has been an invaluable partner to African Parks since 2003, providing support to safeguard the long-term health of protected areas, which are critical to the wellbeing of wildlife and local communities across Africa. In 2021, the RWF made a transformational US$100 million five-year commitment, the largest endowment gift in African Parks’ history. Portions of the Foundation’s annual contributions have supported various parks within our portfolio, including Chinko, Ennedi, Liwonde and Nkhotakota, as well as sparked matching grants to Iona and Odzala-Kokoua, in conjunction with the Legacy Landscapes Fund. Moreover, RWF made pivotal commitments to launch the African Parks Conservation Academy and enhance the reach and effectiveness of the Strategic Partners Programme. These initiatives will collectively strengthen the field of protected area management across Africa, demonstrating the Foundation's dedication to conservation leadership and capacity building.
Stichting Natura Africae
A charitable foundation established in 2017 by Jan Verhagen, a Dutch entrepreneur, Natura Africae is dedicated to the conservation of national parks and protected areas in Africa, recognising the reciprocal relationship between the livelihoods of local communities and the successful protection of an ecosystem’s wildlife. The Foundation provided €4.1 million in 2023, supporting park operations in Liuwa Plain, Odzala-Kokoua, Matusadona, Nyungwe and Ennedi. The grant also provided catalytic funding to strengthen African Parks’ community development work, particularly related to education.