African Parks Foundation Of America

THE AFRICAN PARKS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA SEEKS TO HELP CONSERVE AFRICA'S NATIONAL PARKS FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. IT DOES SO BY SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF THESE GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT AREAS, INCLUDING ENHANCING THE LIVES OF LOCAL PEOPLE. ITS SUPPORT PRIMARILY TAKES THE FORM OF FINANCIAL AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SOLICITED FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES IN THE U.S., INCLUDING GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS, UNIVERSITIES, ZOOS, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND OTHERS. MORE BROADLY, IT ALSO AIMS TO EDUCATE U.S. AUDIENCES ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSERVING AFRICAN WILDLIFE AND THE HABITATS WITHIN WHICH THEY LIVE.

AFRICAN PARKS IS A NON-PROFIT CONSERVATION ORGANIZATION THAT TAKES ON DIRECT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE REHABILITATION AND LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GOVERNMENTS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES. WE CURRENTLY MANAGE 20 NATIONAL PARKS AND PROTECTED AREAS IN 11 COUNTRIES COVERING OVER 17 MILLION HECTARES IN: ANGOLA, BENIN, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, CHAD, THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, MALAWI, MOZAMBIQUE, THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO, RWANDA, ZAMBIA AND ZIMBABWE.1. ZAKOUMA NATIONAL PARK IN CHAD HAS EXPERIENCED ONE OF THE MOST SPECTACULAR TRANSFORMATIONS IN ALL OF AFRICA. THE NATIONAL PARK IS THE PRIMARY SAFE HAVEN FOR CENTRAL AND WEST AFRICAN WILDLIFE, BUT BETWEEN 2002 AND 2010, POACHERS ON HORSEBACK RANSACKED THE PARK, DECIMATING ITS NATURAL RESOURCES WHILE STIRRING FEAR AND INSECURITY IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES. IN TOTAL, 4,000 ELEPHANTS95% OF ZAKOUMA'S POPULATIONWERE SLAUGHTERED FOR THEIR IVORY IN THIS EIGHT-YEAR PERIOD. IN 2010, THE PARK'S TRAJECTORY SHIFTED WHEN THE CHADIAN GOVERNMENT INVITED AFRICAN PARKS TO SIGN A LONG-TERM AGREEMENT TO RESTORE AND MANAGE ZAKOUMA. BY OVERHAULING LAW ENFORCEMENT, PROVIDING EXPERT TRAINING, AND CREATING COMMUNICATION NETWORKS, AFRICAN PARKS RESTORED SECURITY TO THE PARK AND PAVED THE WAY FOR A TOTAL TRANSFORMATION. POACHING PLUMMETED AND WILDLIFE IS RETURNING. GIRAFFE, BUFFALO AND OTHER SPECIES HAVE EXPERIENCED LITTLE TO NO POACHING DURING THE PAST 10 YEARS, AND ONLY 24 KNOWN ELEPHANTS HAVE BEEN KILLED SINCE 2010, WITH NONE SINCE JANUARY 2016. THE ELEPHANT POPULATION HAS NOW SURPASSED 559 INDIVIDUALS AND IS ON THE RISE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A DECADE. IN OCTOBER 2017, AFRICAN PARKS DOUBLED ITS FOOTPRINT AROUND ZAKOUMA BY SIGNING AN MOU WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF CHAD TO MANAGE THE GREATER ZAKOUMA ECOSYSTEM, WHICH INCLUDES ZAKOUMA NATIONAL PARK AND SINIAKA MINIA WILDLIFE RESERVE AND SPANS 30,693 KM2. THE ECOSYSTEM COMPRISES CRITICAL CONSERVATION AREAS FOR KEY SPECIES IN CENTRAL AFRICA. OUR EXPANDED MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT ALSO COVERS BAHR-SALAMAT (13,000 KM2) AND ADJOINING WILDLIFE CORRIDORS (10,000 KM2).2. PROCLAIMED A NATIONAL PARK IN 1975, MATUSADONA NATIONAL PARK IN ZIMBABWE WAS ONCE A CONSERVATION STRONGHOLD FOR AFRICAN ELEPHANT AND BLACK RHINO, AND A SOUGHT-AFTER TOURISM DESTINATION. BUT OVER THE YEARS, FINANCIAL RESOURCES SLOWLY DIMINISHED AND POOR MANAGEMENT IMPACTED THE PARKS' WILDLIFE, WITH RAMPANT POACHING VIRTUALLY ELIMINATING THE BLACK RHINO POPULATION AND SEVERELY REDUCING THE ELEPHANT POPULATION. IN 2019, AFRICAN PARKS, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ZIMBABWE PARKS AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (ZIMPARKS), SIGNED A 20-YEAR AGREEMENT TO MANAGE MATUSADONA NATIONAL PARK. UNDER AFRICAN PARK'S CAREFUL MANAGEMENT IN COLLABORATION WITH ZIMPARKS, AND THEIR STRONG HISTORY OF CONSERVATION EXCELLENCE, THE 360,000 ACRE PARK IS NOW RECOVERING AND ON TRACK TO MEET ITS POTENTIAL TO BECOME ZIMBABWE'S PREMIER ELEPHANT AND BLACK RHINO SANCTUARY ONCE AGAIN. WHILE FACING MANY CHALLENGES, AFRICAN PARKS IS REVIVING MATUSADONA THROUGH A FOUNDATION OF GOOD GOVERNANCE, AN EFFECTIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY TO SECURE THE PARK, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT INITIATIVES, BOOSTING TOURISM AND RESTORING WILDLIFE POPULATIONS THROUGH REINTRODUCTIONS OF INDIGENOUS WILDLIFE. OUR SHARED VISION WITH THE GOVERNMENT IS TO REPOSITION MATUSADONA AS A LEADING SAFARI TOURISM DESTINATION OFFERING EXCEPTIONAL GAME VIEWING FROM BOTH LAND AND WATER, BENEFITING PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. 3. ODZALA-KOKOUA NATIONAL PARK IN THE CONGO IS ONE OF AFRICA'S OLDEST NATIONAL PARKS; DESIGNATED IN 1935 IT RECEIVED BIOSPHERE RESERVE STATUS IN 1977. COVERING AN EXPANSIVE 13,500 KM2 AREA, ODZALA LIES IN THE HEART OF THE CONGO BASIN, THE SECOND LARGEST RAINFOREST IN THE WORLD AFTER THE AMAZON. IN 2010, AFRICAN PARKS ENTERED INTO A 25-YEAR-LONG AGREEMENT WITH THE REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO'S MINISTRY OF FOREST ECONOMY, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT TO PROTECT THIS GLOBALLY SIGNIFICANT PARK. ODZALA'S EXPANSIVE LANDSCAPE, REMOTENESS AND DENSE HABITAT ARE ALL FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE CHALLENGES OF MANAGING THIS LANDSCAPE. AROUND 12,000 PEOPLE LIVE IN THE PERIPHERY OF THE PARK, AND SURVIVE OFF THE NATURAL RESOURCES THE AREA PROVIDES. BECAUSE OF LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES IN THE REGION, BUSHMEAT POACHING REMAINS A MAJOR THREAT, WHERE 14,500 SNARES AND MORE THAN 50 TONS OF BUSHMEAT WERE SEIZED IN 2019. THIS IS A MAJOR CONCERN FOR THE PARK'S WILDLIFE, ESPECIALLY ODZALA'S WESTERN LOWLAND GORILLAS OF WHICH A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE REMAINING GLOBAL POPULATION ARE FOUND IN THE PARK. AFRICAN PARKS HAS TAKEN A MULTI-PRONGED STRATEGIC APPROACH OF TRYING TO PROTECT THE PARK FROM POACHING WITH AN ENHANCED ECO-GUARD TEAM AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT TECHNIQUES, WHILE ROLLING OUT SEVERAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS FROM COMPENSATING FOR HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT, TO INVESTING IN SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS WITH FARMING PROJECTS AND CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES. CHANGING HUMAN BEHAVIOUR TAKES TIME, BUT ODZALA'S FUTURE RESTS ON OUR INTERVENTIONS, AND ENSURING THAT COMMUNITIES BENEFIT FROM, AND THEREFORE TRULY VALUE THE PARKS EXISTENCE. IN 2020, THE LOSSI GORILLA SANCTUARY, WHICH SPANS 380 KM2, WAS INCORPORATED INTO OUR MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH GOVERNMENT. THE ADDITION OF LOSSI WILL FACILITATE A BROADER LANDSCAPE SCALE MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO GREAT APES IN ONE OF THE CONGO BASIN'S FLAGSHIP PARKS.