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Introduction
The Awely Red Caps work around the South
Luangwa National Park in the North of Zambia. In this region, the
people live by what they can grow and as the number increase, they must
continue to enlarge their fields. Elephants, hippos, buffalos and other
herbivores circulating outside the borders of the National Park
inevitably cause problems for the villages by raiding crops, trampling
fields and destroying grain stores. On the other hand, the villagers
continue to poach wild animals for meat, hunting trophies, and
souvenirs. The Awely Red Caps work together with these communities to
find solutions that will protect their fields and adjust land-use in
ways that both benefit the people and do not harm the wildlife.
Training sessions on the use of technical devices to keep elephants
away from the fields, workshops on regulated harvesting, and
educational presentations on the value and importance of animals are
some of the tools used by the Red Caps. Through these actions, with our
partner, the South Luangwa Conservation Society, Awely aims to reduce
illegal hunting (especially by snares) in this area as well as
mediating human/wildlife conflicts.
This project is about to start. We are still looking for funders.
Project area
The South Luangwa National Park lies in a vast valley created by the
wild Luangwa River. Typical of such valley landscapes, there is a
mixture of grassland dotted with trees and shrubs as well as woodlands
dominating the low-lying areas.
In the past, one of the major countries for observing black rhinos and
elephants, Zambia experienced a massive slaughter of its wildlife
during the period of 1970-1990. Today, Zambia is taking the initiative
to secure its national parks as protected zones. Consequently, major
conflicts between the people and the wildlife arise in the surrounding
areas of these parks.
Background information
Zambia is home to 10.2 million people and holds a relatively low
population density with 14 people per square kilometre. With some 20%
of the population living in cities, the rural areas are generally
remote, and the country includes large tracts of wilderness. Further,
Zambia remains one of the world's poorest countries, according to
UNICEF: approximately two-thirds of all Zambians live on less than 1
US$ per day. About 85 % of the population work in agriculture as
small-scale subsistence farmers. Tourism also is an important economic
factor in a few areas, such as the South Luangwa National Park. The
increase in tourism produces an increase in the human population around
the protected area, which then leads to severe conflicts between these
humans and wildlife.
Animals and people in conflict
The Luangwa ecosystem is home to 10, 000 elephants and over 50, 000
people, and animals frequently move through the villages and fields. A
rising number of villagers in the area report that elephants are a
major source of conflict, damaging substantial amounts of crops and
property every year. Further, local people have also been reported
killed while chasing elephants from their fields or while just
travelling from one village to another. Similarly, hippos, buffalos and
baboons are among those species that repeatedly damage crops and cause
other problems for the villagers.
Loss of crops, housing or even lives combine with poverty and no
sources of income to create a negative reaction towards wildlife. The
resulting bushmeat poaching, especially using snares, is a severe
problem in the Luangwa ecosystem.
The goal of Awely's Red Caps in Zambia
Through the actions of the Red Caps in the buffer zone of the South
Luangwa National Park, Awely aims to ameliorate the conflict
relationship between the people and its wildlife. Reducing illegal
hunting, especially snaring, in this area and easing human/wildlife
conflicts, by developing and implementing sustainable and non-invasive
prevention methods, are the major tasks of the Red Caps. Providing
education for different target groups to create an understanding and
appreciation of the behaviour, sentience and value of wildlife is one
of the first steps in that process.
How Awely takes action
Billy Banda, Awely's "Red Cap" in Zambia visits local villages on a regular basis, talks to
the people to learn of their needs and problems, and then provide them
with information on preventive measures. Further, he
investigates conflict sites. As soon as a conflict occurs, he
interviews victims and witnesses, takes pictures and precisely describe
the damages and the species involved. The information gathered is used
to formulate an appropriate strategy, in collaboration with our
partners. By organising workshops, the Awely Red Caps will be able to
provide communities with information on each species and their
behaviour, but also able to propose preventive measures, especially by
giving examples and demonstrations of what has been successfully tried
elsewhere. This information is based on Awely's worldwide conflicts
network.
Collaboration is a key
Awely works in close collaboration with local organisations that share
a similar philosophy. In Zambia, the South Luangwa Conservation Society
(SLCS), a non-profit community-based organisation, is our main partner.
This organisation is committed to the conservation of the local
wildlife and natural resources of the National Park and surrounding
Game Management Areas.
Read more about our Partner: http://www.slcs-zambia.org/
In addition, Awely's Red Caps also exchange experiences and information
with their Awely colleagues working worldwide on the same topics but in
different ecological and cultural environments. This network will help
to find the most applicable methods to make our approaches even more
successful.
Explore Awely's Red Caps and Green Caps projects worldwide:
Photos : © Awely
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Africa › Zambia
