African Parks Starts Priority Support Plan For Kafue National Park
Last week, the Hon. Ronald K. Chitotela, Minister of Tourism and Arts, attended the inaugural event in Kafue National Park to mark the implementation of a new Priority Support Plan. This is the first step, being taken by African Parks, in a new initiative to boost Kafue National Park’s social, ecological and economic potential.
The Minister said Government takes great pride in the progress that has already been achieved these past two months, and remains committed to the further advancement of this extraordinary wildlife sanctuary and the communities surrounding it.
During the event, African Parks officially handed over motor vehicles, air assets and equipment to assist in the conservation and management of Kafue National Park. Valued at more than US$600,000 this included five vehicles, the delivery of a helicopter and aircraft to enhance surveillance, as well as the installation of two aircraft hangars, and upgrades for offices, utilities and access routes. They also handed over a cheque to cover the salaries for Law Enforcement officers in the park, for the first quarter of 2021.
The Ministry of Tourism Permanent Secretary Patrick Lungu, who accompanied the Minister at the event, said the support will go a long way in restoring biodiversity within and around the Kafue landscape.
In February this year, African Parks signed a memorandum of understanding to initiate the Priority Support Plan, which would see investment in a set of priority actions for the protection and development of Kafue National Park, involving cooperation with local communities, The Nature Conservancy, other conservation organisations and local tourism operators.
Kafue National Park is situated in the world’s largest trans-frontier conservation area – the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) – which straddles the boundaries of five countries, forming one cross-border ecosystem, roughly the size of France. The Priority Support Plan for Kafue is funded through the Dutch Postcode Loterij dreamfund grant, a 16.9 million Euro contribution awarded to the World Wide Fund for Nature, African Parks and the Peace Parks Foundation for integrated initiatives in the KAZA-TFCA.
“Kafue is uniquely positioned to become one of Africa’s greatest wildlife strongholds and an exceptional tourist experience. We look forward to working closely with the Zambian Government to realise Kafue’s full potential as a long-term economic asset for Zambia and a healthy ecosystem with far-reaching benefits for people in the KAZA TFCA region” said African Parks’ CEO Peter Fearnhead.
You can find out more by visiting the Kafue National Park Priority Support Plan Facebook Page and by visiting African Park’s website