Liwonde National Park, with incredible wildlife reintroductions and translocations, has become a haven for wildlife and a valuable asset for Malawi and its people.
Since 2015, Liwonde National Park has been the site of some significant wildlife translocations and reintroductions, transforming it into a sanctuary for Malawi’s wildlife. When African Parks assumed management of Liwonde, in partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) in 2015, the park was riddled with tens of thousands of wire snares – more snares existed than large animals – and it had some of the highest human-wildlife conflict levels in the region.
But since then, Liwonde has established one of the most effective conservation law enforcement measures and training in southern Africa, integrated advanced technology to protect and monitor wildlife, removed more than 40,000 wire snares, and orchestrated a number of historic animal reintroductions.
In 2017, African Parks began re-establishing Liwonde’s predator population by bringing back cheetah, which had been absent from the park for a century. This was followed in 2018 by a founder population of lion, and wild dog in 2021. In 2019, 17 black rhino were relocated from South Africa to Liwonde, in one of the largest international black rhino translocations in history.
With wildlife populations on the rise, as well as the number of people who visit the park to witness its revival, Liwonde National Park has been restored, transforming it into a safe haven to benefit both the wildlife and the people who live here.
Liwonde’s priorities include continuing to decrease poaching levels, rebuilding the Liwonde Environmental Education Centre, and developing community enterprise projects. Help Liwonde continue its work in enhancing community development for thousands of people, and protecting the wildlife populations under our care.
Malawi’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) is the statutory organisation in charge of national parks, wildlife reserves and sanctuaries as well as wildlife management on communal lands in Malawi. African Parks began its partnership with DNPW in Majete Wildlife Reserve in 2003 and in Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve and Liwonde National Park in 2015.
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