Huntington Community Nature Reserve

In the western half of Limpopo Heartland is one of the world’s “super-parks” — a vast, transnational park comprised of the Kruger National Park in South Africa, Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe.

Yet as impressive as these parks are, they form only a part of the Limpopo Heartland — and only a fraction of what is needed to protect the landscape, ecosystem services and abundant wildlife of this region.

AWF has been working with communities along the edges of these parks, finding opportunities to set aside land to extend the reach of these protected areas. Great strides have been made in the Huntington community in South Africa.

In Huntington, years of complex negotiations are finally bearing fruit as an 1,000 hectare (2,471 acres) piece of community land is close to being set aside as a Community Nature Reserve to be managed in partnership with the Sabi Sand Game Reserve. Private safari operators and ecotourism interests are eager to help develop facilities there that will generate significant income for the community—while ensuring that the wildlife is protected.

AWF has facilitated the establishment of a community trust, which will be the vehicle for the management of community funds and profits from the utilization of natural resources. The trust has already received a donation from a local private investor at the Sabi Sand Game Reserve to assist in community development. The formation of this trust is key to building unity within the community, which has experienced conflicts that have hindered conservation and tourism-related projects in the area.

The development of the Huntington community trust has demanded complex negotiations with multiple stakeholders. But, as the Huntington experience shows, when local communities, conservationists and private businesses can find a common ground, the possibilities for conservation innovation can be realized.