Zambia Undertakes Major Wildlife Translocation to Restore National Parks
Zambia has embarked on one of the largest wildlife translocations in its history, moving 1,650 wildebeest and 300 zebras from Liuwa Plain National Park to Kafue National Park as part of a nationwide effort to restore biodiversity in key protected areas. The initiative, announced by the Ministry of Tourism and coordinated by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), is being implemented in partnership with the Barotse Royal Establishment and African Parks Network. It follows recent conservation successes and aims to rehabilitate wildlife populations and ecological dynamics in Kafue.
The operation also includes the reintroduction of 50 Lichtenstein’s hartebeest to Liuwa, a species absent from the area for over three decades. Experts from veterinary and ecological fields are overseeing the science-led process to ensure high survival rates and minimal stress for the animals. Kafue National Park, part of the transboundary Kavango-Zambezi Conservation Area, and Liuwa, home to Africa’s second-largest wildebeest migration, are key to Zambia’s nature-based tourism offering. Authorities view the project as a strategic move to strengthen conservation-led tourism and drive long-term economic and environmental benefits.
Source: Efficacy News
