Elephant conservation and sustainable community development gets funding boost in Zambia

(Lusaka, Zambia – 30 January 2025) – Local communities and wildlife will benefit from a generous US$1 million conservation gift to implement landscape connectivity projects in Luambe National Park and the surrounding Lumimba Game Management Area (GMA), which are part of the Luangwa Valley ecosystem in Zambia. 

The grant is a generous gift to IFAW from the Francis Noz Heritage Fund to advance IFAW’s Room to Roam initiative in Africa. This initiative aims to safeguard elephant populations and involve local communities in more sustainable natural resource governance and management practices across multiple, interconnected ecosystems. 

The Luangwa Valley ecosystem is home to the largest elephant population in Zambia – approximately 15,000 individuals. This vast landscape is a crucial path for animal migration and a carbon sink woven into one of Africa’s iconic wildlife areas. Within that, Luambe National Park covers an area of approximately 254 km2 (about 75 times the size of New York’s Central Park) and is strategically located to provide critical connectivity between habitats for elephant populations in the region.  

“People and wildlife sharing spaces presents opportunities and challenges. Ensuring connectivity across landscapes for elephants to roam is critical for their long-term survival, but local communities are fundamental for this vision to become a reality", says Patricio Ndadzela, Country Director for Zambia and Malawi at IFAW. “By working together, the goal is that thousands of elephants will be able to roam freely, while local communities retain ownership that enables them to prosper socially and economically. People and animals thriving together is after all, the cornerstone to our Room to Roam initiative.” 

Luambe National Park and the buffer GMAs are under substantial bioclimatic and human pressure, accelerating habitat loss and degradation. Population growth and related demands on natural resources continue to escalate, resulting in increasing frequency and intensity of human-wildlife conflicts. 

“For people and animals to thrive together, we can’t treat it like a game of chance. Landscapes rich in wildlife around the world, especially in Africa, are becoming more fragmented as space and natural resources becomes a more competitive territory. Elephants can’t be left marooned on conservation islands – they need room to roam", Ndadzela adds.  

Paul Noz from the Francis Noz Heritage Fund said one of the main goals of the grant was to provide long-term solutions to these challenges. “This complex matter has no simple solutions and requires significant investment. We hope this partnership will foster landscape connectivity, protect threatened wildlife, improve ranger welfare, promote coexistence, and support local communities in natural resource stewardship.” 

“What we’re seeing in Luambe National Park is that human-wildlife conflict often results in illegal wildlife killing and trade. Fortunately, this can be disrupted by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the anti-poaching operations in the harsh operating environment of the park“, says Dominic L. Chiinda, Director at the Department of National Parks & Wildlife in Zambia. “We collaborate and partner with IFAW to improve ranger camps and ranger mobility and provide the tools and resources for effective wildlife management and coexistence. Rangers are the front-line defenders of nature and ensuring their welfare is vital to their success. We commend IFAW for partnering with DNPW in ensuring effective community participation in natural resource management which has enhanced management of wildlife.”  

This funding boost from the Francis Noz Heritage Fund will throw a lifeline to conservation and the communities that are critical to it, by implementing approaches that help develop healthy landscapes and resilient communities. 

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