African Parks has signed an agreement with the Government of Malawi to manage and operate Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve for the next 20 years.
African Parks has already transformed Malawi's Majete Wildlife Reserve from a neglected, rarely visited reserve of few animals to a Big 5 destination.
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Liwonde National Park
Liwonde National Park, located in southern Malawi is 548 sq km in size and consists of woodland, floodplains, grasslands, and lagoon.
It supports the largest remaining population of elephants in the country as well as one of two populations of black rhino. Other mammal species include hippo, hyena, buffalo, warthog, several antelope species and more than 400 bird species.
Lions were once commonplace and the healthy populations of other large mammals will allow for the quick reintroduction of predators.
First actions for Liwonde include fencing the entire 130km perimeter of the park, implementing dedicated elephant patrols to push elephants back into the park to prevent conflict situations.
Restocking of locally extinct species including cheetah and wild dogs are planned within the next 3 years.
Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve
In a less mature state than Liwonde, Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve is located in the central region of Malawi and is 1,800 sqkm, lying within the miombo woodland zone.
It is a major catchment area for Lake Malawi.
Although a depleted park, it still has remnant populations of elephant, warthog, baboon, and various antelope species as well as 280 bird species.
If well managed, it has the potential to become an important area for elephant conservation in Malawi. Black rhino, lion, cheetah and wild dog once existed but are now all locally extinct.
Plans are in place for translocation of a large amount of wildlife including 400 more elephants and 600 general antelope species to the reserve.
African Parks is a non-profit organisation that takes on total responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks and protected areas in partnership with governments and local communities.
With the addition of Liwonde and Nkhotakota the organisation now has a portfolio of 10 national parks and protected areas in Malawi, Zambia, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad and Rwanda.
The inclusion of the two protected areas also increases the land under their protection in Africa from 5.9 million hectares to 6.15 million hectares.