In an exquisite landscape of contiguous wilderness rarely seen, a community of conservationists are harnessing their collective influence to protect wildlife and habitat under direct threat. The Zambezi Valley Conservation Network is designed to support these key conservation players to protect and nurture this extraordinary landscape, while also assisting to fill key conservation gaps and provide a assistance where there is a need or opportunity.
THE ROLE OF THE ZAMBEZI NETWORK
The Zambezi Valley Conservation Network (ZVCN) is a landscape-focused organisation operating within the Middle Zambezi Valley and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. We are committed to gathering and sharing relevant information, optimising communications and building positive relationships with middle Zambezi stakeholders. Our work is guided by the needs and opportunities of the landscape – within the protected areas and also the communities surrounding them – where we leverage our multi-sector network to connect stakeholders to experts or services, or provide direct assistance where no other organisations or projects exists.
DRIVEN BY AN AMBITIOUS VISION
Our vision is to help secure the holistic health of the area’s 5-million-acre wilderness, whilst also supporting community-based initiatives that have a huge role to play in the development of sustainable livelihoods within the wider landscape.
Our mission is to enhance the sustainable protection of the mid Zambezi region through the delivery of conservation and socio-economic development solutions that address the critical needs, gaps and threats of the landscape.
AT WORK WITHIN THE ZAMBEZI VALLEY LANDSCAPE – AN AREA OVER 6.3 MILLION ACRES
6 Rural District Councils
Over 30 safari tourism operations
More than 5 developmental NGOs
Approximately 20 dedicated conservation support organisations
15 agri business corporates
NURTURING YOUNG LEADERS
As from 2023, the general operations of the Zambezi Network will be led by a team of ambitious young conservation and community development volunteers from the region. The volunteer interns are selected through a comprehensive application process, and are awarded a professional role in the organisation under close strategic guidance and management.
Our senior team focuses closely on the interns’ skills development, ensuring they are given a substantial opportunity to gain relevant conservation experience that is regionally applicable, while also introducing them to the wider network of conservation stakeholders in the Zambezi Valley and greater Zimbabwe. Our overall goal is to help find and place our outstanding volunteers in conservation or community development organisations upon completing their internship (at least 8 months).
A PEOPLE-CENTRIC CONSERVATION MODEL
Until now, wildlife-based conservation activities largely concentrated on protected areas. Today, the Zambezi Network is working towards the meaningful delivery of a conservation model where community needs are at the forefront of conservation goals and community voices are represented in conservation solutions. One way we achieve this is by helping to bridge the gap between the conservation and human development sectors – ensuring they work together to build resilient communities in the Zambezi Valley that also benefit from the surrounding natural resources and live in harmony with wildlife. The Zambezi Network has also been onboarded as a conservation partner in two resilience building projects in the landscape. Find out more here.
MORE ABOUT THE ZAMBEZI NETWORK
The Zambezi Network is a registered Trust that was launched and funded the Zambezi Elephant Fund (ZEF) in 2020. At the time, conservation organisations agreed that there was a need for an entity to support the coordination of conservation efforts in the Zambezi Valley. The goal was to improve landscape-wide communications and information sharing, to optimise conservation efficiencies and reduce the duplication of efforts.
Since its formal inception, the Zambezi Network has monitored the needs and opportunities across the landscape and expanded its focus, now playing a valuable role as a key conservation partner in a large-scale community resilience programme while it continues to build a digital information hub, mobilise stakeholder coordination, and actively promote the Zambezi Valley, amongst other projects.
AREA OF OPERATION
The Zambezi Network’s area of operation includes a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (consisting of Mana Pools National Park and the Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas), the Lower Zambezi Mana Pools Transfrontier Conservation Area (LOZA TFCA), and part of the Zimbabwe – Mozambique – Zambia (ZIMOZA) Transfrontier Park, and Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA).
