Anti Poaching, Kafue, Zambia
2023 - Anti Poaching, Kafue, Zambia - donation of USD 20,000
2022 heralded the start of a new era for Kafue National Park, as on the back of the 18-month Priority Support Plan, African Parks signed the long-awaited 20-year collaborative management agreement with the Government of the Republic of Zambia and DNPW.
Accordingly, at the request of and in collaboration with African Parks/GKLL, all MC patrol teams shall cease operations within Kafue National Park as of the 1st of March 2023. These teams will be redeployed into neighbouring Game Management Areas where MC will continue to support conservation objectives across the wider KNP landscape.
The transition to GMA-based law enforcement presents an opportunity for the project to contribute to conservation in the region to an even greater extent; MC is currently strengthening its agreements with DNPW, Community Resource Boards, Traditional Leaders and other stakeholders. This will pave the way for the development of much needed community-based natural resource management initiatives – it is our ambition to develop initiatives that enable local communities to lead sustainable livelihoods, facilitate access for community members to employment opportunities and the creation of small businesses, and foster an understanding and appreciation for the natural resources that they live amongst and rely upon.
In addition, MC will re-sensitize all existing patrol teams in the application and observation of human rights, as well as extensive training regarding the laws, acts and land use plans specific to the Game Management Areas in collaboration with the Wildlife Crime Prevention Project. Anti-poaching teams will be highly active in preventing the illegal activities taking place in the GMAs, the boundaries of the Park and the M9 road.
Despite the withdrawal of anti-poaching teams from the Park itself into the GMA, the research teams shall continue with their objectives across the Musekese-Lumbeya region of KNP. The research teams are increasing the scope of work and coverage to account for gaps in data and the increasing ranges and populations of large carnivores and other wildlife that has benefitted from previous years’ anti-poaching efforts. Data collected will help park management make informed decisions and likewise contribute to a greater understanding of the wider ecosystem, whilst also enhancing the coverage and work of other research and conservation partners in the KNP.
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Our partner
Tyrone McKeith & Phil Jeffery - Musekese Conservation
Tyrone McKeith & Phil Jeffery founded Musekese Conservation in 2018 in response to a sharp increase in poaching in the North-Eastern sector of the Kafue NP.
Both Phil & Tyrone are graduates of the Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology (DICE) and together have over two decades of experience working in KNP in many different capacities, from guide training and lodge management to working with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in developing the current Park Management Plans.
Phil has grown up in Zambia and is following in the footsteps of his father, a wildlife biologist who has spent many years working in the wildlife and conservation fields in Zambia and the region. Phil spent the first few years of his life growing up in the Luangwa Valley and is a keen amateur photographer and private pilot.
Tyrone has been coming to Zambia since he was a child and now calls this wonderful country home. Tyrone is also a keen photographer and naturalist, often delivering talks about wildlife and conservation.
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