South Luangwa Conservancy

A Thriving Buffer. A Shared Future.

The South Luangwa Conservancy is proposed as a flagship component of Rewilding Africa CIC’s Zambia National Park Conservancy Programme, applying the National Park Conservancy (NPC) model around the globally recognised South Luangwa National Park.

The vision is to create a thriving, community-led conservation buffer surrounding the National Park – connecting wildlife, communities, natural habitats, tourism, enterprise and investment within a coordinated landscape designed to deliver long-term benefits for both people and nature.

South Luangwa is one of Zambia’s most important wildlife landscapes, renowned for its exceptional biodiversity, wildlife populations and wilderness character. Yet the long-term resilience of the National Park is intrinsically connected to the surrounding landscape and the communities who live alongside it. The proposed Conservancy seeks to strengthen this wider landscape by creating greater opportunities for communities to participate in and benefit from conservation.

A Community-Led Conservation Landscape

The South Luangwa Conservancy would seek to establish a collaborative framework in which conservation becomes an economic opportunity as well as an environmental priority.

Working with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), traditional and community leaders, NGOs, conservation organisations, tourism operators, private-sector partners, investors and other stakeholders, Rewilding Africa CIC would support the marketing, planning and development of a coordinated Conservancy surrounding the National Park.

The model is intended to complement the statutory management of South Luangwa National Park, while creating a wider platform for sustainable land-use planning, community enterprise, tourism development, conservation investment and landscape restoration beyond the National Park boundary.

The Zambia NPC Two-Phased Programme

The South Luangwa pilot would follow the Rewilding Africa CIC two-phased National Park Conservancy programme.

Phase 1 – Foundation & Destination brand building

The initial phase would establish the foundations for the Conservancy through stakeholder engagement, community consultation, partnership development, destination branding and marketing, baseline assessments, identification of conservation and economic opportunities, governance discussions and the mobilisation of potential funding and investment partners.

Phase 2 – Planning, Development & Management

Following Phase 1 and subject to stakeholder agreement, Phase 2 would provide a comprehensive framework for planning, mapping, developing and managing the Conservancy. This could include natural-resource assessments, community planning, land-use mapping and zoning, governance structures, sustainable tourism and concession opportunities, community enterprises, investment facilitation, rewilding and landscape restoration, and long-term conservancy management.

Creating a Thriving Buffer Around South Luangwa

The ambition is to transform the area surrounding South Luangwa National Park into a productive, resilient and nature-positive landscape that strengthens the National Park while creating tangible benefits for neighbouring communities.

Potential opportunities include:

• Protecting wildlife corridors and important habitats;

• Supporting community participation and ownership in conservation;

• Developing sustainable community enterprises and livelihoods;

• Expanding responsible tourism opportunities;

• Attracting impact investment and responsible private-sector capital;

• Developing appropriate nature-positive concessions and lease opportunities;

• Supporting sustainable agriculture and natural-resource management;

• Restoring degraded landscapes and strengthening climate resilience;

• Creating stronger links between conservation, tourism and local economic development; and

• Building a distinctive South Luangwa Conservancy destination brand.

A Flagship Zambia Pilot

South Luangwa has the potential to become a flagship demonstration of how the National Park Conservancy model can strengthen protected areas by connecting them to the communities and economies that surround them.

By bringing together DNPW, communities, traditional leadership, conservation organisations, NGOs, tourism operators, investors and the private sector, the Conservancy can create a shared platform for protecting nature while unlocking sustainable economic opportunities.

The long-term ambition is a South Luangwa landscape where communities prosper because nature is protected, wildlife has room to move, tourism creates local value, and conservation becomes a shared economic and social asset.

The South Luangwa Conservancy would therefore form an important part of Rewilding Africa CIC’s wider Zambia programme – demonstrating a scalable approach that could ultimately be replicated around national parks across Zambia and throughout Africa.

People. Parks. Partnerships. Prosperity.

Together for a wilder, more thriving Zambia.