COMACO’s Reformed Poachers Association
Poaching in Africa, and everywhere else in the world, has resulted in devastating consequences for wildlife numbers, even leading to the extinction of some species. Wildlife authorities, such as the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), work hand in hand with cooperating partners to address this illegal activity. Many men and women have served, and some are still serving, prison sentences which is the main punishment for poaching. But, what happens after they complete their sentence?
Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) has been reforming poachers since 2002. Their Poacher Transformation program includes empowering individuals in new skill sets for sustainable livelihoods – such as conservation farming, bee keeping and carpentry. They do this because they found that once a poacher had completed their jail sentence, they often went back to poaching. It became clear that the main driver for this was poverty and food insecurity, especially among people living in game management areas.
To-date, COMACO has reformed over 1,700 poachers who have become productive members of their communities and who are now earning legal incomes from sustainable sources.
The COMACO Poacher Transformation program has spearheaded the formation of the Transformed Poachers Association of Zambia. This was established to look at the welfare of its members and help to reform people who are still engaged in poaching.
Their program has given hope for more sensitisation on the importance of conservation within local communities, providing an ally to the DNPW and other organisations involved with wildlife conservation. It also promotes a peer-driven transformation of poachers into productive citizens that positively contribute to healthy wildlife populations.
To find out more about the Transformed Poachers Association of Zambia visit COMACO at itswild.org