When African Parks signed a management partnership agreement for Liuwa Plain National Park, illegal hunting was rife, and zebra and wildebeest populations were rapidly declining. But through the development of an effective conservation law enforcement team and close collaboration with community leaders, wildlife population numbers have stabilised and begun to grow.
Today, Liuwa hosts the second-largest wildebeest migration in Africa, is a stronghold for hyaena, cheetah, and lion, and provides a sanctuary for over 357 bird species. The extraordinarily diverse birdlife includes many rare and migratory species, and globally important populations of storks, cranes and other water birds. Africa’s entire population of black-winged pratincoles cross through the park between June and December on their way from northern Europe to their winter sites mainly in South Africa.
Species Restorations
Lion numbers have grown to a population of roughly 20 individuals since introductions first began in 2009 and a number of healthy litters have been produced over the years. In collaboration with the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), African Parks tracks each lion and closely monitors the development of the population.
The wild dog pack which was originally reintroduced to the park in 2022, has continued to thrive with both successful births and some natural losses.
Monitoring and Surveys
The 2023 annual aerial survey showed a healthy increase in wildebeest numbers to over 45,000, while zebra numbers remained stable. A red lechwe aerial survey counted nearly 700 individuals.
With the discovery of a new hyaena clan in the north-west of the General Management Area by the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), the number of clans being monitored has risen to 16, with 24 cubs documented in the past year. Several animals were collared or recollared in 2023, including eland, hyaena and cheetah.
Conservation Law Enforcement
Liuwa Plain is an example of how park management teams can work in partnership with communities through effective conservation law enforcement to reduce illegal activities, such as illegal and unsustainable resource harvesting. This goes a long way in creating a broader environment of security for communities living in and around the park.
However, the impact of agriculture inside the park remains a challenge with the expansion of rice fields and deforestation to create space for farming. African Parks has investigated mechanisms to mitigate this threat by raising awareness and education around sustainable agriculture. One such project is the traditional fishing permit system, where park management provides permit books to the Silalo Indunas (area chiefs) who, in turn, issue permits to the community members. The 14-day fishing permit allows local people to fish in the park’s waters while a general permit is given out for harvesting of other natural resources for own consumption. In this way, illegal fishing is curbed and resources are protected for the local communities.
A Human Wildlife Conflict Mitigation Fund sensitisation programme together with digital radios installed in all the Induna and Community Resource Board (CRB) houses is helping in reporting the numbers of Human Wildlife Conflicts.