Conservation

Our dedication to preserving the ecosystems of Africa's wild spaces and the creatures that call them home strongly motivates us to build and advance conservation projects in Africa.

We have started a wide variety of environmental management and wildlife conservation initiatives in the areas where our camps and lodges are based.

In order to have greater impact, we also work with well-established conservation groups that work in close partnership with government departments and neighbouring communities.

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Likoma
Reforestation

With the population on Likoma Island growing and in constant need of firewood, the Likoma Reforestation project - led by the Likoma Conservation Foundation - seeks to reforest Likoma Island and reduce the negative impacts of deforestation such as erosion and soil run off, through community-managed tree nurseries.

With six established nurseries, 2021 will see the expansion of the program, where each of the 12 villages on Likoma will be set up with a tree nursery growing indigenous hardwood and fruit trees. Each site aims to plant 2,000 trees, totalling 24,000 trees per year, which once fully grown will transform arid land into fertile land, provide local villages with the firewood they need for cooking and heating, along with nutritious harvest from fruit trees. The intention is for these sites to create a continuous planting cycle that can continue for years to come.

The teams have become a network of islanders who are passionate about creating a green Likoma through improved community awareness, environmental conservation and resource management.

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Clean Up
Likoma

The Clean Up Likoma project responds to the proliferation of single use plastics on the island and beyond. This is done through awareness raising about pollution, waste management infrastructure support and village clean-up drives.

Our Clean Team visits churches and schools in local villages to share information about the problem and find community-led solutions. One such initiative has been turning plastic bottles into ‘ecobricks’, which are then used for building or income generation.

The team is working with the local government council and traditional authority towards creating and passing bylaws relating to plastics use and pollution. And, with positive change taking place on Likoma, the project is being expanded to neighbouring Chizumulu Island.

Green Safaris
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Tongabezi
Reforestation Project

Tongabezi Lodge has established a reforestation project based in the Simonga and Sinde areas. This project works hand-in-hand with community members to educate and raise awareness about the importance of trees for a clean and healthy environment.

In order to reduce the number of trees chopped down for heating and cooking, the project will also be introducing environmentally-friendly grass stoves to be used in village households.

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Panthera
Zambia

In Kafue National Park, locally based biologists and law enforcement experts of Panthera Zambia collaborate with government departments and local communities to develop strategies addressing threats facing cheetah, leopard and lion.

The Green Safaris Conservation Foundation has co-sponsored the deployment of a digital radio system to improve anti-poaching and law enforcement activities across central and northern Kafue. We have also sponsored a dedicated anti-poaching unit to patrol the remote Busanga Plains.

Ila Safari Lodge and Chisa Busanga Camp have a special arrangement with Panthera to bring out one of their conservation experts to speak with our guests about big cat conservation in the park.

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Zambian
Carnivore Program

The Zambian Carnivore Program is dedicated to conserving large carnivores and the environments in which they live, through a combination of conservation science and actions, education and capacity building.

Researchers are invited to Ila Safari Lodge, Chisa Busanga Camp and Shawa Luangwa Camp so that guests can find out first-hand about carnivore conservation in Kafue and South Luangwa national parks.

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Litterbug
Campaign

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is home to hundreds of happy herbivores, including the endangered white rhino, as well as a necessary highway from Botswana to Zambia.

This results in rubbish that is thrown out of truck windows along the Kazangula Road and into an otherwise pristine wild space. That's why the Tongabezi team takes to the roadside every month to clean up our neighbourhood, making it safe for our wild neighbours and beautiful for our guests.

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Conservation
South Luangwa

Conservation South Luangwa works hand-in-hand with community and conservation partners in the protection of the wildlife and habitats of the South Luangwa ecosystem.

Their work extends into a wide range of key areas, including anti-snaring and anti-poaching patrols, rescue and rehabilitation of snared wildlife, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation through community engagement.

We arrange for one of the researchers or veterinarians to speak to our guests at Shawa Luangwa Camp about their experiences in the field. You may get to meet and learn from Dr Sichande, who is Zambia’s first veterinarian to be employed by a conservation organization.

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Conservation
Education Club

Many of the children and young people that live next to Kafue National Park, have never seen the majority of the wild animals that call it home. We are helping change this through our Conservation Education Club!

This education programme is an exciting, hands-on way for Lukanga Primary School students to learn about wildlife conservation directly from those in the know, like researchers from the Zambian Carnivore Programme and Panthera, and officers from Department of National Parks and Wildlife.

Ila Safari Lodge then invites the students to experience the bush directly by giving them the full safari experience, led by our fun and knowledgeable guides. We hope that such personal wildlife experiences will encourage them to protect nature for future generations.

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Hack
The Poacher

The smart technology developed by Hack the Poacher plays a crucial role in combating wildlife poaching in Zambia’s wilderness areas. Their focus is particularly on prevention of rhino and elephant poaching in national parks like Kafue and South Luangwa.

The Green Safaris Conservation Foundation has co-sponsored a pilot project developed by Hack the Poacher, which is used to improve the monitoring of poaching activity throughout Kafue. This monitoring acts as both a deterrent and means to increase the effectiveness of law enforcement.

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