Protected Area Support
One of AWF’s primary mechanisms for land conservation is support for protected areas such as national parks and reserves. These protected areas serve as ecological and economic anchors for the Heartlands and are critical parts of much larger landscapes, surrounded by dispersal areas or connected to other parts of the system by natural corridors.
Despite strong parks programs in eastern and southern Africa, protected areas face many challenges. Many are under-funded, making it difficult for authorities to implement conservation measures effectively. Poachers still infiltrate parks. Domesticated livestock wander into protected lands, competing with wildlife for water and food.
As a result, AWF works closely with protected area authorities to improve the management capacity, visitor experience, and economic potential of these areas. AWF’s achievements include developing general management plans, building infrastructure such as staff housing and water facilities, improving visitor services, and strengthening law enforcement and monitoring capacity.
AWF’s support for protected areas spans Africa. In the Maasai Steppe Heartland, AWF has implemented a comprehensive support program in Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks through a partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development. In the Samburu Heartland, AWF has facilitated the development of a General Management Plan (GMP) for the Samburu National Reserve and renovated the reserve’s headquarters and staff housing. Some of the other protected areas AWF is supporting include Banhine National Park in Mozambique, a new forest reserve in the Congo Heartland, Amboseli National Park in the Kilimanjaro Heartland, the Hwange Intensive Protection Zone in the Kazungula Heartland, and Lower Zambezi National Park in the Zambezi Heartland.
