About Us

The Story So Far

Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) operates under a memorandum of understanding with the Zambian Wildlife Authorities (ZAWA) and is governed by a constitution and an annually elected Board.

History

With increasing poaching becoming a significant problem in the 1990s, concerned local safari operators and other stakeholders (including the Humba Bush Foundation) recognised a need for organised support for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (now ZAWA) wildlife protection operations in the Lower Zambezi area.  Registered as a non-governmental organisation in 1995, CLZ began to assist the NPWS and the Chiawa community with conservation efforts.  Since then, as well as providing support to ZAWA, CLZ has saved numerous animals, particularly wild dogs, lions and elephants, by darting them to remove potentially lethal wire snares.

Revenue for projects implementation is provided from private membership fees as well as local, national and international donations while the backbone remains the corporate members who are the safari tour operators and stakeholders of the Lower Zambezi valley without whom the organisation would lose sustainability.

However, the majority of the funds received over the past 8 years stem from international organisations and sources, such as the Royal Danish Embassy and DANIDA.    With this support CLZ has managed to build the infrastructure that is CLZ and support programmes like anti-poaching, environmental education and safari guide training.

Over the past 8 years the Royal Danish Embassy and DANIDA have funded CLZ with grants to establish the CLZ Base Camp, Environmental Education Centre, mobile education unit, equipment, media promotion and safari guide training.  CLZ now have an impressive and well-established base camp just outside the western boundary of the Lower Zambezi National Park from which it can run effective operations.

Unfortunately, the level of illegal ivory being seized worldwide is at reportedly high-levels as evidenced by the number of large consignments that have been seized since January 2009. Up to this day poaching remains a threat to the wildlife of the Lower Zambezi as reported poaching levels are on the increase and the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) has highlighted Zambia as an active major source and transit country for illicit ivory smuggling, involving substantial volumes.