Zambia and African Parks to boost the protection of Kafue National Park
The Government of Zambia and African Parks, a non-governmental organization (NGO) focused on conservation, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement a Priority Support Plan for the protection and development of Kafue National Park. The Priority Support Plan will increase technical and financial support for the National Park worth US$3 million over a period of 12 months. During the 12 month, African Parks will work with Zambia's Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) on key priority activities such as improving critical infrastructure, supporting the DNPW's law enforcement efforts and conducting conservation baseline studies.
Kafue National Park is the oldest and largest national park in Zambia, covering an area of about 22,400 km². It is located in in the centre of western Zambia, only a two hours drive from Livingstone. Kafue National Park is home to over 55 different species of mammals including elephants, large predators and 21 species of antelope – the highest diversity of antelope in Africa.
Kafue National Park is also designated by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area, with at least 515 bird species recorded. The National Park is named for the Kafue River.
Kafue National Park forms part of the world's largest transfrontier conservation area, the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA). It is situated in the Kavango and Zambezi river basins where the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe converge. It spans an area of approximately 520 000 km² and includes 36 proclaimed protected areas such as national parks, game reserves, forest reserves, community conservancies and game/wildlife management areas.
