STATEMENT ON AWF’S PRESENCE IN THE MID-ZAMBEZI LANDSCAPE

Since 2001, AWF has supported the people and government of Zimbabwe to protect and restore landscapes such as the Mid-Zambezi and the Southeast Lowveld as anchor points for a vibrant wildlife economy.  

Our landscape-level work in Zimbabwe has resulted in more resilient communities, more sustainable wildlife populations, successes in tackling human-wildlife conflict, and more intact transboundary ecosystems - important groundwork for locally led, long-term conservation success. These accomplishments would not have been possible without a strong, positive working relationship with ZimParks for the past 20 years. 

A recent Peace Parks Foundation/ZimParks co-management agreement for the Greater Mana Pools Ecosystem marks a milestone for the Mid-Zambezi Valley landscape. We are proud of the work we have done with ZimParks and communities living in the landscape and are pleased to see Mana Pools landscape at a level of stability where a partner like Peace Parks Foundation can take on a co-management role. 
Recognizing this milestone, AWF will be handing over on-the-ground operations in the Mid-Zambezi landscape. This means ceasing AWF-led work in the Mana Pools region, including Mana Pools National Park and Mbire District. AWF’s Zimbabwe team are collaborating closely with ZimParks and local community partners to ensure a smooth and successful transition.  

Our work in the Mid-Zambezi landscape and Mana Pools National Park has focused on delivering integrated conservation and development strategies that strengthen local communities while protecting and restoring the natural systems that underpin people and wildlife. 
During our ten years of investment in the Mid-Zambezi landscape, the elephant population has increased and the lion population has stabilized.  
Highlights of our impact in the landscape include: 

• Securing elephant populations and wildlife habitats by supporting rapid-response anti-poaching units, mitigating human-wildlife conflict, supporting joint law enforcement operations between Zambia & Zimbabwe, and supporting ranger-based monitoring teams. This multiple-prong approach has led to zero poaching since 2020, down from 100 elephants killed in 2014.  
• Supporting communities to respond to and mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. This includes working through local conservation organizations to build the capacity of Zimbabweans to develop home-grown solutions to address lion conservation. Interventions supported by AWF in the Mid-Zambezi landscape have resulted in reduced livestock depredation, reduced retaliatory killings, improved livestock husbandry practices, positive shifts in people’s behavior, and enhanced understanding of lion biology such as use of space and prey.  The results have contributed to stabilizing a once-declining lion population in the landscape. 

Specific AWF investments in Mana Pools National Park include: 

• Expanding the footprint and effectiveness of anti-poaching patrols by upgrading and significantly improving the Park’s ranger outposts, including modernization of D Camp; enhancing river patrols; training and equipping community scouts; expanding the use of GIS-based tools and systems for monitoring and planning; and building the Park’s only local repair facility for ranger vehicles, all of which have been crucial to a 50% reduction in poaching of key species.  
• Facilitating cross-border meetings and joint river patrols to increase collaboration between Zimbabwe and Zambia, which is central to the future success of the transfrontier conservation area and the Park. 

AWF is committed to a vision of sustainable development that includes thriving wildlife and wildlands as a cultural and economic asset for Africa's future generations. As part of that vision, we will continue working with government and local partners in Zimbabwe and other countries on strategies that integrate growth and conservation, including those identified in the Zimbabwe Biodiversity Economy Report, which was developed by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of the Environment with the support of AWF. 

For additional information, please contact Nashipae Orumoy, Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing, based at AWF Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Email: norumoy@awf.org
Phone: +254 701 864021