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Conservation Lower Zambezi Our thanks to CopperNet for hosting this site FREE of charge Recognising the need for organized support of government activities in the area, Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) was established by the Safari Tour Operators and Stakeholders within the Lower Zambezi National Park and Chiawa GMA as a non-profit volunteer organization. Registered in 1995 with the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ) in accordance with Zambia Societies Act, CLZ began to assist the former National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) now the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) and the Chiawa community with conservation efforts.
It
is the goal of CLZ to safeguard wildlife and its habitat as an asset and a
resource in the LZNP and surrounding GMA’s. CLZ is a membership-based volunteer organization that has tax exempt status from the Zambian Revenue Authority as well as exemption from VAT & duty on imports. Revenue for project implementation is provided from membership fees, private as well as corporate, fundraisers, donations by visitors and the Zambian business community. However, the majority of funds received over the past 4 years stem from international organisations and sources, such as among others Royal Danish Embassy, The Humba Bush Foundation, Yancey Walker Productions and Afrikeye.
CLZ is managed by an Executive Committee comprising of a Chairman,
Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary and other Committee members who are
elected at Annual General Meetings. The Executive Committee is charged
with the ultimate responsibility of control, management and conduct of the
affairs of the organization. To assist the Executive Committee, CLZ
currently includes several sub-committees in the organizational structure:
Anti-Poaching, Community Affairs, Roads and Operations & Conservation
Camp.
Since its inception, CLZ has been assisting ZAWA, the LZNP and the communities in its surrounding GMA’s with wildlife conservation efforts and has continued to strengthen its capacity to implement conservation projects. Due to the alarming increase in the destruction of the natural habitat and the high mortality rate of animals attributed to many problems including poaching, wildlife and habitat protection has been the main priority. Without base line data or accurate population surveys in the Valley, elephant mortality figures, field reports and informal aerial surveys are used as indicators of poaching activity in the area.
By all available
indicators CLZ intervention and support to the National Park's
anti-poaching units has led to a major reduction of poaching activities in
the LZNP in the past five years. With ongoing protective policies implemented in the LZNP, it is the hope that bio diversity will continue to expand into richly diverse levels.
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