Malawi’s parks reap from conservation methods that tackle people exclusion

A representative of Senior Chief Liwonde was left dazed by the science happening before his eyes inside Liwonde National Park. A helicopter crew would go ahead of everyone to locate a family of elephants and then herd it to a clearing. Such were the recurrent scenes in July last year when African Parks in conjunction with International Fund for Animal Welfare…

By Charles Mpaka:

A representative of Senior Chief Liwonde was left dazed by the science happening before his eyes inside Liwonde National Park.

A helicopter crew would go ahead of everyone to locate a family of elephants and then herd it to a clearing.

Then, the pilot would manoeuvre the plane lower enough to allow the experts on board to fire tranquilizer darts on the elephants so that they go to sleep.

Once the pachyderms fell asleep, a ground team of specialists would move in swiftly and start recording some data before lifting them with a crane into waiting trucks.

In those trucks, a specialist would administer an antidote that would reverse the tranquilizer so that the elephants are on their feet as they are being transported to their new location.

Such were the recurrent scenes in July last year when African Parks in conjunction with International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife translocated 263 elephants from Liwonde National Park to Kasungu National Park.

Among the observers of this exercise was a representative of Senior Chief Liwonde whose entourage included some members of the community around the park.

It was the first time in their lives that they had monitored an elephant translocation process and the science that goes with it.

“We have just been hearing about translocation of elephants,” he told the media. “Now we are witnessing what happens. It is both frightening and fascinating. What we are seeing here heightens our appreciation of the work that goes into moving these giants and it makes us appreciate nature even more.”

As Africa’s wildlife species fall to poaching and to wildlife reserves encroachment, conservationists argue that part of the problem is that communities surrounding those reserves have been left out of the list of wildlife protection partners.

At the IUCN [International Union for Conservation of Nature] Africa Protected Areas Congress in Kigali in July last year, people-centred approach to conservation was the key agenda, advocating for methods that draw people and nature closer to each other.

According to communication from the Congress, bringing nature closer to people and people closer to the centre of conservation “will socialise and empower them to own the conservation agenda, including tangible relevance to their livelihoods, and make them more effective participants in the fight against climate change.”

Conservation scientists and activists at the conference admitted indigenous people and local that communities are experiencing an injustice for not being accorded their rights, roles, responsibilities and expectations in the pursuit of conservation goals.

“These injustices [need] to be halted now and in the future,” they called in a communique.

“We call for a mechanism to hear their voices, understand options for resolution of their grievances and reach agreement on remedies that will rebuild confidence, and for the relationship between conservation and people to be restored and respected, so that nature conservation in Africa puts people at the centre,” reads the communication.

This, the conference agreed, would enable Africa to achieve its targets to conserve the continent’s lands and waters.

African Parks, which manages Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota and Majete wildlife reserves in Malawi – three of the 22 parks which African Parks runs in 12 countries on the continent – indicates it has found community engagement key in its conservation success.

Peter Fearnhead, African Parks Chief Executive Officer, writing in the organisation’s 2022 Annual Report titled ‘Anchoring Africa’s Resilience’, says with the number of people living in Africa estimated to triple by 2100, and the global focus on the climate and biodiversity crisis, finding solutions to protect nature for the benefit of populations has become urgent.

One of the solutions, Fearnhead indicates, is for African Parks to work together with government and local communities.

Sam Kamoto, Country Representative for African Parks in Malawi, tells Malawi News that the organisation’s partnership with the communities surrounding the national parks it manages in Malawi has been a crucial part of its strategy.

He says the organisation’s engagement and investment in community development projects is helping to foster a sense of ownership and strengthening partnership with the local people.

In 2022, for instance, African Parks held 169 meetings with communities around Nkhotakota wildlife reserve. The meetings focused on upholding the law, proper use of resources and harvesting.

In the year, African Parks spent $172,998 on community development projects. These projects generated $32,957 – enabling communities to realise that they can live off the wildlife reserves without invading them.

According to the report, as a result of these interventions implemented over the years, tourism at the reserve is rising again such that in 2022, up to 2,619 tourists visited the reserve, bringing in $15,375 in gross revenue – a 100 percent increase from 2021’s gross revenue.

Liwonde National Park registered a 200 percent increase in tourism revenue in 2022, also following a surge in domestic, regional and international visitors to the park.

Not that these community engagement initiatives, alongside increased law enforcement drives, have been a silver bullet.

Last year, police arrested over 1,500 suspected illegal gold miners who had encroached into Nkhotakota wildlife reserve.

In the year, African Parks recovered over 5,000 snares in Liwonde National Park.

In November, the park registered a case of water poisoning at a waterhole in the park – suspected to have been intended to kill birds. The poisoning ended up killing18 African wild dogs in the park.

In October, poachers stabbed to death a game ranger at Majete wildlife reserve.

African Parks says in the report that this murder of a park ranger is a reminder that despite the successes in reduction of poaching cases, risks related to poaching are evolving.

“We must continually adapt to mitigate these risks,” says the organisation.

In response to this incident, Majete has increased its focus on community engagement and strengthening the conservation law enforcement team’s capability.

Brighton Kumchedwa, Director in the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, indicated last week at an event in Liwonde that ensuring inclusion of communities remains a viable approach to conservation.

When communities start getting benefits from those operating protected areas, he said, people start realising their potential of being part and parcel of protecting wildlife in the reserves.

“No one can dispute that poachers and encroachers come from within the communities and if they are not involved in various economic activities, they tend to be a threat.

“Therefore, community development is necessary,” Kumchedwa said.

However, incentivizing communities with projects is one thing and getting communities to promote conservation even in the absence of motivational income generating activities and community projects is another.

Kamoto says his organisation recognises the need to ensure that communities value conservation beyond the presence of these projects.

“To achieve this, we have employed several strategies including environmental education and awareness programs targeting both children and adults. Programs like the Reading Around the Reserve and Happy Readers in Liwonde National Park promote environmental awareness and conservation values among school children.

“By fostering a love for nature and wildlife at a young age, our aim is to cultivate a lasting appreciation for conservation among future generations,” he says.

Senior Chief Liwonde’s representative said after a long time, people around the park are beginning to realise that they need to be a solution to the poaching problem that riddled the park.

“We have development projects in the community which African Parks is implementing.

“Beyond that, a growing number of our citizens are earning money from jobs in the park and from the many tourists that are coming to the park following its restoration. This is slowly changing the way we relate to this park,” he said.