When African Parks and DPNW signed a management partnership agreement for Majete Wildlife Reserve in 2003, it was nearly devoid of wildlife. Since then, it has become a case study for positive conservation development, with a pioneering rehabilitation and reintroduction programme.
When Majete was first gazetted in the 1950s, wildlife populations flourished. But, by the early 1990s, almost all wildlife, including elephant, lion, sable and eland, had been exterminated. Once the necessary infrastructure and personnel were put in place and positive community relationships nurtured, restoration of the ecosystem could begin – with major reintroductions of herbivores, including elephant, black rhino, buffalo, eland, sable, waterbuck, nyala, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, zebra and impala. Carnivores were then brought in to regulate the herbivore populations.
These introductions formed part of the Malawi Predator Metapopulation Management Plan, a collaborative effort between the Government of Malawi and African Parks to restore and manage predators across Malawi. Today, Majete boasts a full suite of the predators originally found here.
Overall, African Parks has introduced more than 3,000 animals of 17 different species. Some of the key species that were brought back include black rhino in 2003, elephant in 2006, lion in 2012, giraffe in 2018, 12 cheetah between 2019 and 2021, and six wild dogs in 2021.
By 2015, the elephant population had grown to some 400, enabling 154 elephants to be translocated from Majete to help restock Nkhotakota as part of the 500 Elephants Project – one of the largest elephant translocations in history. Since 2016, Majete has provided over 1,100 animals to assist in the restocking and genetic supplementation of other Malawi parks, a true reflection of successful restoration.
After the 2022 aerial survey was unable to produce an accurate number of elephant, a ground-based elephant monitoring programme was rolled out, using sighting reports and camera trap images to build a database. To date, approximately 250 elephant have been identified.
The reintroductions have proven to be successful as can be seen with the birth of three giraffe calves, bringing the total population to 30, the largest population in Malawi. The black rhino population also grew, with four healthy calves born – Majete’s third generation of rhino. Twelve wild dog pups were born in 2023, prompting a decision to donate five to the Wild Dog Range Expansion Programme to help augment other populations in Africa. Majete’s lion population is flourishing, with over 70 individuals.
Keeping all species safe requires a robust conservation law enforcement strategy and a strong team of highly trained, dedicated individuals, who also receive ongoing education in ecology and conservation.
Thanks to the introduction of the Specialist Investigations Unit in 2022, a notable decrease in illegal activity has been detected. The focus of this team is on evidence collection, data analysis and reporting, as well as increased ranger presence and ongoing stakeholder engagement with communities. This, in collaboration with the Canine Unit established in 2021, has also helped to reduce illegal activities and improved protection of critical species such as black rhino and elephant. Despite increasing threats in the region, conservation law enforcement and close community engagement has been effective, with not one rhino or elephant poached since 2003 and 2006 respectively.
Since a 144km predator was erected as well as an elephant-proof boundary fence, maintained by full-time fence technicians, human-wildlife conflict incidents have declined significantly. In addition, Majete works with farmers to implement wildlife-conflict mitigation measures to minimise the impact of animals that live outside the reserve, such as baboons, porcupines and bushpigs, and increase tolerance levels for living alongside wildlife.
Sixteen pangolins, either rescued from poachers or handed over by community members, were released into Majete. In the last two years, Majete has rescued about 50 pangolins, of which more than half were handed in by community members.