Carnivore week An opportunity to learn from researchers!

Zambian Carnivore Program (ZCP) is a non-governmental Zambia  organization dedicated to conserving large carnivores and ecosystems, using a four-pronged approach – Conservation Science: Long-term research and monitoring aimed at identifying and evaluating the limiting factors and threats to the persistence of Zambia’s large carnivores and ecosystems; Conservation Action: Addressing immediate threats, as identified by science; Conservation Leadership: Helping Zambia become a model for locally-led conservation through well-trained, passionate, and committed conservation leaders; and Coexistence: reducing the costs, and increasing the benefits, understanding and appreciation of conservation.

ZCP currently works across 39,500 km² of 7 national parks, 7 Game Management Areas and 5 ecosystems, and runs some of the continent’s longest-running field-based projects in the Luangwa Valley, the Greater Liuwa Ecosystem, and the Greater Kafue Ecosystem.  They employ an integrated research approach dealing with the interface of ecological and human impacts on carnivores and ecosystems.  With work ranging from population dynamics and predator-prey studies to wire-snare poaching and human encroachment of wildlife areas.  Working closely with the country’s wildlife management body, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), as well as over two dozen local and international non-governmental organizations and academic institutions to employ an array of conservation actions ranging from anti-snaring, anti-trafficking and human-wildlife conflict mitigation to land-use planning, large landscape conservation, and species restoration. This is the country’s largest and most comprehensive capacity-building programme for field-based conservation–supporting Zambian students in educational and training programmes beginning at the secondary school level up to the international PhD level, and our 70+-person team is 85% Zambian, with majority female management. Their collaborative research provides some of the only science-based guidance on large carnivores and herbivores throughout their range in Zambia, which helps guide conservation policy in the country, the region, and the continent.

The ZCP team is based at our Nkwali Camp in South Luangwa and will be pleased to accompany you on activities and share their work with you.