Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) was incredibly excited to share their Impact Report 2020, especially as it was an unprecedented year for all during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a year of adversity, the CLZ team, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, their local community and with support from their generous donors network, all banded together, and along with an outpouring of support, were able to persevere in their commitment to protect the environment and wildlife of Lower Zambezi.
Their 2020 report highlights many of their conservation activities undertaken throughout the year, including recording the lowest number of elephants being poached since their monitoring first started in 2001.
“During this time patrols, and our general operations never skipped a beat, despite the new COVID protocols introduced to protect the scouts, and our teams where we are proud to report one of the lowest poaching levels on record.” Anita Barrett, Chairperson, CLZ
Click on Impact Report 2020 to find out more about CLZ’s work in and around Lower Zambezi National Park. You will find their 2020 facts, a message from their Chairperson, the 2020 financial report, and you can read all about their wildlife protection in action, including their 2021 projects – establishing both a river unit and all-female scout unit and, how they are addressing and the mining issue within the park.
Would you like to find out more about which bats we have in Zambia? If so, join Helen Taylor-Boyd from Bats in Zambia on Zoom at 17hrs today to find out more.
Helen’s talk – An Introduction to Zambia Bats – is aimed at students, academics, ecologists and conservationists who are all looking to expand their knowledge on bats and how to study them.
To find out more then you can Whatsapp Bats in Zambia at 0962060990 or email them at batsinzambia@gmail.com to sign up and receive the zoom meeting link and details.
You can also find out more about Bats in Zambia on their Facebook Page
Are you interested in finding out more about bats and bat research? Then why not sign up for Bats Without Borders free #WingedWednesday Webinars and join in their latest talk on Wednesday 28 April at 15-16hrs CET.
Wednesday’s webinar is on Why single species research is important: European free-tailed bat as a case study, given by Dr Francisco Amorim.
The talks are held on Zoom, and you can sign up by pre-registering and completing their sign up form on their website – www.batswithoutborders.org. They will also keep you updated on their #WingedWednesday Webinars and send you joining instructions for each upcoming webinar. Please note: you only need to register once, and spaces are limited to 100 participants per webinar, with the first 100 people to login on the day being admitted.
If you miss out, then the talks are recorded and so you can catch up, and watch any of their talks in the series again, on their YouTube Channel. For their latest updates visit the Bats Without Borders Facebook Page.
As the Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia (WECSZ) have been continuing to try and adapt to the new normal, due to the worldwide pandemic, they have been exploring new ways of interacting with members on various virtual platforms. Their latest newsletter highlighted their Lusaka Branch’s most recent activities and schools projects. And, if you haven’t already renewed your membership for this year, then don’t forget to do so as your membership entitles you to a discount when visiting Mutinondo Wilderness!
Tree planting at Ngwerere Clinic
Under the ‘Leave Your Roots’ tree planting campaign, the Lusaka Branch held a successful tree planting exercise at Ngwerere Clinic. Pupils from three schools – Lekisha Private School, Captain Park School and Robert Dean Secondary – took part, gaining practical experience on how to plant a tree. They also recorded video messages to commemorate International Day of Forests 2021. Check out their video here
This campaign was kindly supported by the Lusaka International Community School and Trees4Zambia indigenous Tree Nursery.
Planning and orientation meeting for teachers
Due to the pandemic restrictions, a limited number of teachers were invited to a one day planning meeting from local Chongololo Clubs at the Lusaka City Council Hall. The meeting was held to discuss effective programming and new ways of implementing Club Meetings and activities in line with the ‘new normal’.
Fifteen teachers attended and similar meetings are being conducted during club visits by the Branch Education Officer (BEO) to help equip teachers to facilitate their environmental activities with Chongololo and Chipembele Conservation Club Members.
Pictured – Mr. Sikela Namangolwa, Branch Education Officer, facilitating the Planning and Orientation meeting
Club monitoring visits
The Society’s BEO visited conservation clubs established at Twin Palm Secondary School, Lusaka Girls Secondary, Kamwala South and Kabulonga Girls Secondary Schools to see how they are coping in the ‘new normal’.
Despite not being able to meet as often as they would like, the School Clubs are busily keeping going, whilst adhering to COVID-19 prevention guidelines for schools. During the visits, the BEO delivered new club magazines along with reference books to keep students updated with environmental news and let them know about upcoming activities that they can take part in, albeit remotely.
Membership reminder
WESCZ thanked all their Members for renewing and would like to remind those who have not yet renewed for 2021 that they can do so online on their membership portal
“It is through your generous membership registrations and donations that we are able to organise branch talks and other branch activities. It is also through the same membership that, we support some of the school club activities and pay for the Branch Education Officer’s upkeep. “
WESCZ also thanked everyone for buying their 2021 Wildlife Calendar. The calendar was themed around ‘Celebrating Forests’ to highlight the important roles they play in sustaining life on our planet and also called for action to restore them. They are also encouraging everyone to take time out from their busy schedules and visit their nearest forest reserves to enjoy interacting with nature.
For more information about WECSZ then you can contact them on +260976143143 or at wecszlusakabranch@outlook.com. You can also find out about their latest news on their Facebook Page and on their website and you can watch all their latest videos on their YouTube Page
Call of the wild – Mutinondo Wilderness
Mutinondo Wilderness is offering 10% off accommodation, meals and camping for paid up members of WECSZ or Birdwatch Zambia (ZOS). A further 10% will be donated to go towards the Organisations’ Conservation work. Why not take advantage of this discount? You can have a wonderful holiday of hiking, birding, cycling, swimming and you will also be directly contributing towards the conservation of our beautiful country!
“As the world returns to normal, we can’t go back to business-as usual”
This year’s theme is Restore Our Earth™. You can join world leaders for Earth Day 2021 from 20-22 April.
Three days of climate action
20 April – Earth Day 2021 begins with a global youth climate summit led by Earth Uprising, in collaboration with My Future My Voice, OneMillionOfUs and hundreds of youth climate activists. The global youth summit will consist of panels, speeches, discussions, and special messages with today’s youth climate activists including Greta Thunberg, Alexandria Villaseñor, and Licypriya Kangujam.
In the evening on April 20, the Hip Hop Caucus and its partners will present the ‘We Shall Breathe’ virtual summit. This digital event will examine climate and environmental justice, connecting the climate crisis to issues of pollution, poverty and the pandemic, all within a racial justice framework.
21 April – Education International will lead the ‘Teach for the Planet: Global Education Summit.’ This is a multilingual virtual summit, spanning several time zones and featuring prominent activists from every continent, focused on the crucial role that educators play in combating climate change and why we need transformative climate education now.
22 April – Earth Day – Parallel to the Biden Administration’s global climate summit, EARTHDAY.ORG will have its second Earth Day Live digital event, with the global show begins at 12 pm Eastern Time / 18 hrs Central African Time.
Workshops, panel discussions, and special performances will focus on Restore Our Earth™ covering natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems.
More topics will include:
Climate and environmental literacy
Climate restoration technologies
Reforestation efforts
Regenerative agriculture
Equity and environmental justice
Citizen science
Cleanups, and more
World climate leaders, grassroots activists, non-profit innovators, thought leaders, industry leaders, artists, musicians, influencers, and the leaders of tomorrow will come to push us towards a better world
“Together, we can prevent the coming disasters of climate change and environmental destruction. Together, we can Restore Our Earth™.”
EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate worldwide environmental movements. From the first Earth Day in 1970, EARTHDAY.ORG is now the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 75,000 partners in over 190 countries across the world to drive positive action for our planet.
