Biodiversity Conservation

Thanks to its perennial water sources, Zakouma National Park serves as a sanctuary for West and Central African wildlife. Around 66 mammal species are found in the park. Zakouma is home to a number of threatened or endangered species, including 50% of Africa’s Kordofan giraffe population, a critically endangered subspecies, Lelwel hartebeest, north-east African cheetah and Buffon’s kob.

Zakouma’s floodplains, rivers, marshes, and pans are valuable stopovers and breeding grounds for migrating birds. The south-eastern wetlands form part of the Inundation Plains of Bahr Aouk and Salamat Ramsar site – one of the largest in the world.

In recent years, the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem has experienced the severe impact of climate change. A cycle of drought followed by extreme flooding has put immense strain on wildlife. During the dry season, acute water shortages further increased the pressure on wildlife.

In response, Zakouma’s park management implemented emergency measures, including supplying water to maintain key natural water points during the dry season. As a result of these challenges, a comprehensive review of wildlife and habitat management at a landscape level is underway so that the park is permanently prepared for future extreme weather events.

Zakouma's meta herds of elephant have increased thanks to African Parks' management partnership with the park © Darren Potgieter

Zakouma National Park is home to one of Africa’s most resilient elephant populations. Once pushed to the brink by intense poaching, Zakouma’s elephants have rebounded through years of determined protection, strong law enforcement, and community engagement. Today, the park safeguards a large, free-ranging population of around 800 individuals with a strong proportion of juveniles and calves, indicating healthy reproduction and a positive long-term outlook for the population.

One of Zakouma National Park’s most emblematic species, the Kordofan giraffe, has made a remarkable recovery in recent years. Once under severe pressure, the population has steadily increased thanks to sustained protection and habitat management. By 2025, Zakouma supports a thriving population of more than 1,300 Kordofan giraffes, making the park one of the species’ most important strongholds. 

Buffalo numbers in Zakouma National Park have increased over the past decades, rising from approximately 220 individuals in 1986 to more than 13,000 by 2025, thanks to effective wildlife management and long-term protection efforts. To responsibly manage this remarkable population recovery and reduce ecological pressure on surrounding landscapes, over 900 buffalo were translocated to Siniaka Minia National Park in 2022. 

While some losses occurred during the translocation and as a result of ongoing climate pressures in the region, the buffalo population in Siniaka Minia has since stabilised, representing a significant step toward restoring ecological balance and strengthening wildlife populations beyond Zakouma.

Black rhinos have been reintroduced to Zakouma National Park under African Parks’ management, marking the return of one of Africa’s iconic Big Five species. Today, two individuals freely roam the landscape. Faced with the challenges of reintroduction, the Park is adapting its strategies and planning framework to ensure the long-term success of the initiative. 

To gain a better understanding of wildlife movement and habitat use, a variety of wildlife species are collared in the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem, including elephant, buffalos, tiang, lion and giraffe. 

An international waterbird census is conducted on a yearly basis in the Ramsar sites of Plaines d’Inondation des Bahr Aouk et Salamat and Lake Fitri, in collaboration with the RESOURCE+ project and partners. The survey recorded more than 140 waterbird species.

These findings highlight the critical importance of Chad’s wetlands as habitats for resident and migratory birds and provide essential data to guide conservation planning and long-term protection of these ecosystems.

Conservation law enforcement teams monitor and track wildlife movement from a high-tech control office © Steve Winter

Since African Parks began managing the park in 2010, a comprehensive conservation and law enforcement programme supported by community engagement has substantially reduced illegal activity in and around Zakouma National Park.

Following a decade of zero elephant poaching in Zakouma, elephants in the region have started to consistently move outside the park during the wet season. By analysing historical elephant movements from collar data, the conservation law enforcement team has identified key locations from which to monitor wildlife and illegal activities on the ground and from the air. The data also helps to identify possible zones of human–wildlife conflict, enabling preventive measures to be taken.

Horses are one of the most effective means of ground transport in Zakouma when flooding during the rainy season makes movement by vehicle or motorbike too difficult. To support the horse unit, regular specialised training in horseback riding and refreshers is undertaken to ensure the unit is highly professional in both veterinary and operational activities. Other learning initiatives include extensive tracking training and wildlife capture training for research and monitoring managers, as well as ongoing refresher courses in human rights and first aid.