Absolute Zambia Safaris is a Supporter and Founding Partner of South Luangwa Responsible Community Project, a Zambian registered Non-Profit Organisation with the sole aim of promoting responsible wildlife and natural resource conservation for economic benefit with strong community participation.
Advocacy And Community Engagement.
- Conduct community-wide efforts to raise awareness about snares, deforestation, illicit and unsustainable fishing, and charcoal production.
- Teaching children through nature and wildlife conservation school tours and quizzes
- Assist in the preservation and protection of natural resources, which will help to preserve local culture and heritage.
- Equip local communities with the skills and information they need to add value to available and lawfully acquired natural and wildlife resources in a sustainable way.
- Create a platform for partners to engage and provide direct support to local communities.
Some of the project’s activities;
Through the use of local technical and human resources, this project will provide technical assistance for gardening-agriculture, livestock, forestry, and fisheries to promote responsible livelihoods alternatives.
Agriculture and Livestock Rearing Skills Development
- Empower local communities by providing them with skills and adding value to agriculture (Vegetables, maize, rice, sunflower, soya beans and groundnuts farming) and livestock rearing (goats, pigs, sheep, fish, chickens)
- Assist the communities in developing garbage management entrepreneurs by offering skills.
- Support agro-based business, poultry, fish and livestock production
Sustainability.
- Promote climate-resilient gardening, farming, and livelihoods.
- Engage in habitat restoration initiatives and promote an indigenous conservation knowledge system
Increased Participation of Communities in Local Tourism
- Promote the use of community-led safari guiding.
- Promote market linkages, such as lodges and chain stores.
- Promote community participation in domestic tourism (Providing affordable products - Coming soon)
- Promote youth empowerment and gender equality.
OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES OF THE PROJECT.
The project's goal is to implement well-targeted local community interventions that will help poverty-stricken communities living in Game Management Areas (GMAs) with wild animals grow capacity and get advantages. This project will focus on ordinary people who bear the costs of living alongside wild animals while receiving only a fraction of the benefits of wildlife conservation initiatives. The justification for local populations' sustained toleran
ce of nature will provide direct, tangible, and long-term benefits to those who are most affected by wildlife conservation in the landscape.
The project's beneficiaries are the best target because of their historical and cultural ties to wildlife, as well as their closeness to Mfuwe’ s tourism centre and South Luangwa National Park.
To realise this aim, the project will undertake the following specific objectives:
a) Build capacities of communities living in GMAs to undertake gainful, sustainable and compatible income-generating activities.
b) Promote nature conservation and provide a blueprint for community-led sustainable initiatives in and across games.
c) Mentor and broader network development of the private sector, conservation partners, develop cooperation with civil society organizations
The project's intended outcome;
- The reduced conflict between communities and wildlife
- Improved food security and income in the communities
- Reduced poaching through alternative livelihoods
- Reduced deforestation aimed to produce charcoal through improved livelihood
- Reduced the unsustainable harvesting of fish through education awareness and fish farming
Benefits To the Community
- Communities won’t spend most of their nights projecting their crops from wild animals.
- The communities will have an increased crop yield, which in turn ensures improved food security.
- The local economy will be boosted from selling cash crops, chickens and pork, hence the affordability of buying household essential commodities
- Community livelihood options will be increased
- Reduced chance of wild animals being killed since they won’t be going out of the game park in search of food.
- The population of the animals both in South Luangwa national park and GMAs will increase.
- More local and international tourists will be attracted to come and see the animals
