Zambia | Fruitful collaboration between the communities and the government: The MIZE Community Conservancy (MiCC) was established with support from the Sustainable Wildlife Management Programme

The MiCC is located in the Nyawa Royal Chiefdom of Kazungula District, Southern Province of Zambia, and spans an area of around 53 500 hectares. The momentous event takes place following a series of discussions between four chiefs regarding the creation of a consolidated communal conservancy, Inyasemu, that were postponed until additional deliberations.

About community conservancies

In Zambia, community conservancies are officially recognised by Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DPNW) and registered with the Patents and Companies Registration Agency. The MiCC is one such entity with a board and representative structures on the ground operating as a limited business by guarantee in compliance with Zambian legislation. This registration process was completed on October 26, 2022.

Community conservancies are legally recognized, geographically-defined areas that are managed by communities to provide safe areas and corridors for wildlife, offer new sources of income and livelihoods and promote coexistence between humans and wildlife. They offer a viable way to reduce poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict. They are run by the community and managed by a group of representatives elected to serve the interests of all the members.

His Royal Highness Chief Nyawa, Robert Nasi, the Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Patrice Grimaud, the Kavango-Zambezi (KaZa) Coordinator for the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme, will officially conduct the ceremony. The diplomatic community, project partners, private sector, non-governmental organisations, traditional leaders from the project sites, and the media are invited to attend the event.

About the Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme

The establishment of the MiCC and the launch ceremony is supported by the SWM Programme, which is working with traditional chiefs, local communities, and national governments to develop and strengthen community conservancies in the KaZa Transfrontier Conservation Area.

The SWM Programme is an Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) initiative, funded by the European Union with co-funding from the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM) and the French Development Agency (AFD). It develops innovative, collaborative and scalable new approaches in 15 countries to conserve wild animals and protect ecosystems, while at the same time improving the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and rural communities who depend on these resources. The SWM Programme is being implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), CIFOR and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).