Rehabilitation of Liwonde National Park
Liwonde National Park in Malawi is a place of extraordinary biodiversity and conservation potential. It is therefore the focus of many NGOs and non-profit organisations, as well as the Park in Malawi in which Wilderness Safaris is most involved. Wilderness Safaris became the first private company in Malawi to win a tender to run lodges in a National Park. This resulted in the rehabilitation and continued protection of the reserve and the building of Mvuu Wilderness Lodge with employment and community upliftment spin-offs.
Decades of poaching and habitat encroachment meant that the Park had deteriorated considerably and the Malawi government was forced to seek help. South African National Parks and the Frankfurt Zoological Society assisted in the development of much of the infrastructure of the Park (wildlife, building structures and border fencing). Local Malawian businesses, as well as the J&B 'Care for the Rare' circle also became involved in this excellent programme.
In 2006 and 2007, helicopter aerial game censuses of Liwonde National Park took place, funded by the Wilderness Safaris Wildlife Trust and forming part of the Trust's involvement in the long-term vision for the future of the Park. The results and conclusions allowed a number of management questions to be addressed. Among these are the movements of elephants out of the Park, and the population increase of various species. Read more about this: Liwonde National Park Aerial Census.
Endangered Species of Malawi Circle and Care for the Rare
The 'Endangered Species of Malawi Circle' is attached to J & B Whisky's 'Care for The Rare' programme, dedicated to wildlife and environmental conservation. The Circle draws its enthusiastic members from all walks of life and identifies projects to save endangered species, organising the funding and the ground support needed to carry out the specific project.
In conjunction with South Africa National Parks, the Circle has provided technical expertise in relocating no less than six black rhino to Liwonde Park, where they live in a fenced sanctuary not far from Mvuu. Since the project began, three breeding pairs have been successfully introduced to Liwonde.
Wilderness Safaris assists the Endangered Species of Malawi Circle by running the sanctuary on a day-to-day basis, pumping water into the waterholes, fixing the fences and maintaining the equipment. We also have two sponsored chalets at the camp, from which 20% of all income is donated to the Circle. The motivation behind this project is to eventually release the rhino into the Park and to diversify the dwindling gene pool of black rhino in Africa so that if and when conditions materialise for their reintroduction elsewhere, some of the Liwonde rhino can in turn be relocated. The Circle has also assisted in the relocation of zebra, buffalo and Lichtenstein's hartebeest into Liwonde.
We are fortunate also in having the Frankfurt Zoological Society assisting the Department of National Parks with an anti-poaching programme in Liwonde and we give logistical support to their efforts wherever we can.
Liwonde wildlife sanctuary
There is a 'sanctuary' or fenced off protected area within Liwonde where black rhino have been introduced. This came about to protect certain mammal species from the poaching in the Park, and now includes populations of Lichtenstein's hartebeest, Cape buffalo, Burchell's zebra and roan antelope. Mvuu's guests are taken on nature drives within the sizeable area and all funds from the excursion are funnelled directly back into conservation projects. Wilderness Safaris is also involved in logistical support for the Park's game scouts, and help maintain the infrastructure of the sanctuary and the Park itself. Wilderness Safaris has also hosted scientists at the camp who were involved in game translocation to the Park.
Projects in Malawi
Select by country