Wyss Campaign for Nature Provides Nearly $1.5 Million to Revive Zimbabwe’s Matusadona National Park

Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe | Photo credit: Scott Ramsay / LoveWildAfrica

The Wyss Campaign for Nature has provided $1.47 million to African Parks to begin the long process of revitalizing Zimbabwe’s Matusadona National Park, a once thriving preserve whose wildlife has been severely diminished over the years from poaching and insufficient resources for park management. The Wyss Campaign for Nature – an initiative of the Wyss Foundation – is a 10-year, $1 billion commitment dedicated to supporting local communities, states, provinces, indigenous peoples, and nations in their efforts to safeguard the planet’s biodiversity and protect at least 30% of the Earth’s lands and ocean by 2030.

Matusadona, which was designated as a National Park in 1975, quickly became a popular tourist destination, boasting robust populations of elephant, rhino, and lion. At one point Matusadona contained the highest density of lions anywhere on the African continent. Located on the shores of Lake Kariba along the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the area benefits from plentiful water, allowing lush grasses to grow that provide sustenance for a great diversity of wildlife. Unfortunately, Zimbabwe’s dire financial situation and years of civil unrest have made it difficult to sustain an adequate ranger force, leaving the 360,000 acre park susceptible to extensive poaching.

Late last year, however, African Parks inked a partnership with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) to assume management of Matusadona National Park. African Parks, a conservation NGO that manages protected areas and national parks on behalf of governments, has a plan to rehabilitate the park for the benefit of both people and wildlife. Key first steps include overhauling the parks law enforcement to prevent poaching and make the landscape safe; monitor existing wildlife populations; potentially restore species that have disappeared from the landscape including black rhino; bolster the numbers of species that have plummeted in recent years, such as lions and elephants; and develop and revitalize the park’s tourism infrastructure to create one of the country’s premiere wildlife destinations, generating needed revenue for the park and communities.

“African Parks has a remarkable track record of helping local leaders, communities, and nations combat poaching, safeguard wildlife, and support the livelihoods of local people,” said Hansjörg Wyss, founder and chairman of the Wyss Foundation. “Restoring Matusadona National Park will revive a critical southern African landscape while providing the security and infrastructure needed to help local businesses benefit from the area’s extraordinary wildlife.”

In 2016, Hansjörg Wyss made an unprecedented $65 million commitment to African Parks to save wildlife, restore landscapes, and ensure sustainable livelihoods for local communities by supporting the protection and management of national parks on the African continent. Over $19.5 million of Wyss’s 2016 commitment has been disbursed to date.

“African Parks is proud to be partnering with the Government of Zimbabwe to revive and restore Matusadona National Park, a true national asset that holds extraordinary potential for people and wildlife,” said Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks. “With the inclusion of Matusadona, the Wyss Foundation is helping us protect three million acres of wild landscapes covering seven parks in five countries, including Liwonde, Majete, and Nkhotakota in Malawi; Akagera in Rwanda; Bazaruto in Mozambique; and Pendjari in Benin. This transformational collaboration is allowing us to make long-term commitments with Governments to rehabilitate ecologically critical landscapes and empower local communities to protect and prosper from nature.”

Across the continent, African Parks is managing 17 protected areas totaling over 33 million acres. More information on African Parks, Matusadona National Park, and other parks within their portfolio can be found at AfricanParks.org.