Conservation in Action

A landmark long-term management partnership covering all of Kafue National Park. African Parks works alongside the Department of National Parks & Wildlife to deliver law enforcement across 22,400 km², rebuild infrastructure, manage community development, and restore ecological balance across the park's diverse habitats.

Actively restoring depleted wildlife populations across Kafue. The programme includes large-scale translocations of zebra, wildebeest, and Kafue lechwe — a species endemic to Zambia's floodplains — alongside ongoing monitoring to track population recovery and genetic health.

GRI operates three dedicated anti-poaching units — SAPU North, SAPU South, and SAPU KAZA — providing intelligence-led patrol operations, rapid response capabilities, and K9 tracking teams across the GMAs surrounding Kafue. These units are the primary frontline against commercial poaching in the buffer zones.

A technology-led conservation programme operating around Lake Itezhi-Tezhi, deploying thermal imaging cameras, sensor networks, and communications infrastructure to detect and deter illegal activity in real time. The system feeds live intelligence to patrol teams, dramatically reducing response times to poaching incidents.

Working with chiefdom communities across the Greater Kafue landscape to build a culture of conservation from within. The project trains and employs community game scouts, establishes community wildlife accounts, and creates sustainable income streams — making it economically rational to protect, rather than poach, wildlife.

Operating from a field research base in the GMAs, Musekese combines long-term ecological monitoring with embedded ranger operations and deep community relationships. Their work tracks predator populations, prey dynamics, and land-use change — providing critical baseline data for evidence-based conservation management.

Deploying cutting-edge monitoring technology including elephant GPS collars, satellite tracking, and movement corridor analysis across the Kafue sub-basin. This work maps critical wildlife corridors between Kafue and adjacent landscapes, informing land-use planning to prevent habitat fragmentation.

A collaborative ecological monitoring programme focused on the Kafue Flats and wetland habitats — one of the most biodiverse freshwater ecosystems in Southern Africa. The programme monitors Wattled Crane populations, waterbird diversity, fish stocks, and hydrological health of the floodplain system.

TNC's Kafue programme supports community resource boards, land-use planning, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation across chiefdoms bordering the park. Their approach integrates conservation science with community decision-making, ensuring that local governance structures lead conservation outcomes.

Supporting women-led cooperatives and boundary communities in sustainable forest-based livelihoods including non-timber forest products, community beekeeping, and solar-powered agro-processing. The programme builds economic resilience to climate shocks while reducing pressure on natural resources.