Habitat protection and connectivity in Luangwa Valley

We're increasing landscape connectivity, combatting poaching, and reducing human-wildlife conflict in and around Zambia’s Luambe National Park.

Problem 

Many parts of the Luangwa ecosystem are under substantial bioclimatic and human pressure, accelerating habitat loss and degradation. Zambia’s Luambe National Park is rich in biodiversity yet is imperiled, and protecting it is critically important for functional linkage for elephants in the Malawi–Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area.  

Limited livelihood opportunities in buffer communities, which are mainly poor and food insecure, lead some community members to engage in poaching and other harmful activities, such as planting crops in marginal agricultural lands. The latter leads to extensive deforestation, land degradation, and shrinkage of wildlife habitat.  

In addition, human population growth and related demands on natural resources continue to escalate, resulting in the increasing frequency and intensity of human-wildlife conflicts in the area. 

Solution 

The Malawi–Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area is one of the anchor landscapes IFAW has identified for advancing smart, collaborative approaches to sustain the health of the land and develop resilience among communities. Transforming Luambe National Park—and thereby the Luangwa Valley ecosystem—is essential to IFAW’s larger Room to Roam initiative.  

Thanks to a very generous contribution from the Francis Noz Heritage Fund, we will be able to increase landscape connectivity in the region, protect wildlife by disrupting poaching and wildlife trade, promote coexistence by reducing human-wildlife conflict, and incentivise local communities to adopt more sustainable natural resource management practices. 

Impact 

Through this project, we are: 

• Improving law enforcement by providing infrastructure at ranger camps and patrol equipment, as well as supporting training in intelligence-led counter poaching methods 
• Improving coexistence between wildlife and people by investing in technology-driven, community-led solutions that help deliver food security, support children’s education, and provide clean, accessible water 
• Improving livelihoods of local communities by supporting climate-smart and agroforestry practices and promoting alternative sources of income such as ecotourism enterprises 
• Using research and monitoring, such as elephant collaring, aerial surveys, and wildlife population and habitat assessments, as well as socio-economic dynamics, to inform conservation connectivity planning