Conservation Lower Zambezi

Conservation Lower Zambezi

Conservation Lower Zambezi's (CLZ) vision is to promote the conservation of the local wildlife of the Lower Zambezi as an asset for the people of Zambia. To achieve this, CLZ supports the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) with wildlife protection and human-wildlife conflict mitigation. CLZ also runs an environmental education program for the benefit of the schools and communities surrounding the Lower Zambezi National Park.

BACKGROUND

As with many elephant populations in Southern Africa, the Lower Zambezi elephant population is faced with the constant threat of illegal activities including poaching for commercial ivory, bushmeat and subsistence hunting (snaring). Habitats are also threatened by increasing human populations in the game management areas (GMAs) and incidents of human-elephant conflict are common when elephants encroach upon farming areas, often damaging crops and threatening human life.

In the catchment areas of CLZ's program HWC is a constant threat to both the human and wildlife populations of the region. Elephants, hippos and monkeys as well as predators such as lion and hyena are a menace to crops and storage units as well as livestock and people living locally. In many areas the only current solution known by communities is “problem animal control”. Roughly translated this means that elephants are shot by local wildlife authorities in response to pleas from the local residents, but it is hard to ensure that the problem elephant is targeted and this may exacerbate the problem rather than solve it. 

There is so much more information which could easily be distributed in the local communities e.g. alternative crops to grow which aren't so attractive to elephants, how to avoid growing crops on traditional elephant routes, explaining annual behavior and how to behave around animals as well as potential solutions such as chilli fencing in order to mitigate this growing conflict. Inspiring work is also being carried out in South Luangwa by SLCS such as chilli blasting and new crop storage. This region suffers from very similar conflict to Lower Zambezi. We work closely with SLCS in other wildlife protection operations and also hope to benefit from their experience in human wildlife conflict work.

Human Wildlife Conflict Workshops- Chiawa Game Management Area

CLZ uses PACE materials as part of their education program. During 2011's annual teachertraining workshop particular interest was shown in the human wildlife conflict (HWC) sections of the PACE DVD as well as CLZ's HWC lessons and activities. These activities provide basic helpful information about understanding the reasons for and consequences of human wildlife conflict, basic elephant behavior and how to move safely around elephants and other animals.

With support from Tusk, CLZ put together workshops for the local community living in Chiawa Game Management area to also benefit from this information.  CLZ's human-wildlife conflict workshops disseminate invaluable information to the communities surrounding the Lower Zambezi. Workshop participants learn:

• facts about African elephant behaviour;
• to understand the basics of elephant body language;
• how to move around elephants;
• the do’s and don'ts of scaring elephants away;
• vital information on how to grow and store crops safely from elephants;
• why shooting problem elephants is not a solution.

With a better understanding of elephant behaviour CLZ aims to encourage safer human behaviour in the local communities and therefore less problem animal control. Elephants are worth more to Zambia alive than dead and CLZ is committed to protecting the wildlife of Lower Zambezi for the present and future generations of Zambia.

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