Viewed from space, the world-famous Okavango Delta looks like a large pan attached to a handle – the Okavango River. The ‘pan-handle’ area includes villages along the western and eastern banks of the river – those on the west are located near a tar road that connects Namibia with northern Botswana. Those on the east have a dirt road that connects with the west over one river crossing, which until very recently (a bridge built in 2022) involved crossing the Okavango River using a pontoon.
Dr Rodgers Lubilo and Malidadi Langa discuss the main issues that were addressed during the first-ever African Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Conservation Congress. Land rights, resource use rights, human wildlife conflict and building an African Alliance to amplify African voices are among the highlights. We will continue to work together with our partners across Africa to create a movement for conservation that truly benefits African people.
Luengue-Luiana National Park in Angola is part of the Kavango-Zambezi Trans-frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) that covers parts of five African countries (Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe). This Park covers 22,610 km², and is patrolled by government rangers and 27 community game guards trained by ACADIR-Angola. This national park is not exclusively for animals, however, as 49,300 people currently live within its boundaries. In line with the other KAZA TFCA countries, Angola wants to develop a wildlife economy that will support people and wildlife living in this landscape.
This article was published in Africa Geographic on October 27, 2022 and authored by Gail Thomson. We publish the article in full here:
Twenty-nine delegates from the Community Leaders Network of Southern Africa (CLN) attended the first African Protected Areas Congress (APAC) held in Kigali, Rwanda in July 2022.
The key objective of the CLN workshop, held in October 2021, was to formalise the Community Leaders Network, and thus create greater opportunities for creating partnerships, fundraising, sharing lessons
The Community Leaders Network of Southern Africa sent a delegation of 29 members to the inaugural
The IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) is the first ever continent-wide gathering of African leaders, citizens, and interest groups to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature, safeguarding Africa’s iconic wildlife, delivering vital life-supporting ecosystem services, promoting sustainable development while conserving Africa’s cultural heritage and traditions.
Formed in February 2020, the African CSO Biodiversity Alliance (ACBA) provides a platform for African CSOs to speak with one voice on issues of Sustainable Use of nature that contribute to conservation and equitable benefits from nature.