Conservation Lower Zambezi, Zambia
Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) is a non-profit organisation committed to the protection of wildlife and to the sustainable use of natural resources in the Lower Zambezi in Zambia.
In 1994, concerned local safari operators and other stakeholders recognised the need for organised support to the national wildlife protection authority (now the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, DNPW) to combat the poaching that was decimating the wildlife populations in the Lower Zambezi.
Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ), initially deployed teams across the park in an old Landrover from a simple base camp built on the banks of the Zambezi donated by the safari operators. Since its humble beginnings with basic support to the wildlife authority, CLZ has grown and increased its activities and efforts in the Lower Zambezi. Not only has CLZ’s support to DNPW increased substantially over the years, the organisation now also runs an Environmental Education Programme (2004), a Community Scout Unit (2013), a Community Engagement Programme (2013), a Detection and Tracking Dog Unit (2015) and a Rapid Response Unit (2018). CLZ also hosts the annual Safari Guides Training courses and exams for the Lower Zambezi.
CLZ assists the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) in their mandate to protect the wildlife of the Lower Zambezi primarily by providing technical and material support, training and capacity building to anti-poaching scout patrols and the support of a Community Scout unit. DNPW is severely underfunded and under-equipped, so much so that many anti-poaching patrols may not take place if support was not provided by CLZ.
Support consists of food rations, First Aid kits and field patrol equipment, transport for deployments, GPSs and technical support from CLZ Base Camp Control Centre in the form of de-briefings before and after deployments, 24/7 communications; and centralised GIS system for recording patrol tracks and documenting any illegal activity data recorded during patrols. Further support comes from CLZ’s regular aerial patrols which not only provide support to patrol teams, but are also key to detecting illegal activities on the ground.
Ranger Support in Lower Zambezi National Park
Our goal is to continuously finance these projects and to support them with a constant sum every year. This facilitates the annual planning for our partners in Africa.
Year 2024
2024 - Anti Poaching, Lower Zambezi, Zambia - donation of USD 21,500
SwissAfrican Foundation will fill some funding gaps in the Law Enforcement budget 2024, helping to cover costs involved with the communications HQ at the CLZ basecamp and salaries / support for the Wildlife Police Officers stationed at Kulefu.
Year 2023
2023 - Anti Poaching, Lower Zambezi, Zambia - donation of USD 15,000
As in previous years, the SwissAfrican Foundation has helped the CLZ to carry out air patrols and to guarantee the salaries of the DNPW and CLZ Operations Center and Basecamp staff.
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Our partner
Conservation Lower Zambezi
Patrols in the Lower Zambezi conducted by Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) are focused in the Lower Zambezi National Park (4,092km2) and the Chiawa Game Management Area (2,344km2), with an increased presence in the Rufunsa Game Management Area (3,179km2).
Community Scouts (employed by CLZ) and Wildlife Police Officers (employed by DNPW) patrol the Park targeting hotspot areas prone to wildlife crime. Deployments are identified based on intelligence generated through collaboration with DNPW Intelligence Units and through extensive data records from CLZ’s 24/hour Control Centre. Patrols in the GMAs are also conducted to support the communities and safeguard their crops from wildlife, thus allowing their livelihoods and the wildlife to thrive.
CLZ have a technologically advanced monitoring and evaluation system (that is continually improving) which allows real-time tracking of all teams in the field. All deployments are equipped with navigational, solar and data recording equipment in order to streamline data collection and track successes in the field over the years.
