Why is it Green Listed?

The Nsumbu National Park lies on the southwest shore of Lake Tanganyika in Nsama and Mpulungu districts of the Northern Province. It has an area of about 2,020km2, rich with diverse vegetation communities and a variety of fauna. The Park was gazetted under the Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 44 and declared a National Park on 25th February 1972 with the principal aim of protecting the wildlife resources in the area. Tondwa and Kaputa are the two existing Game Management Areas (GMAs) buffering the park. The park includes a protected marine area of 123km2 in which a large array of significant aquatic biodiversity is present. The terrestrial protection includes a few introduced species, and the National Park is currently successfully rewilding after significant periods of poaching and wildlife decline.

Photo Credit – Zambia Tourism

Key Achievements

Conservation

• The evidence of high levels of biodiversity in the protected park waters (as per the AES survey)  
• Increasing population trends for the majority of large herbivores.  
• Zero elephants detected as poached since 2018 (supported by patrol data) 

Good governance

• Working with government: The Nsumbu ecosystem and the Northern region have been recognised as important areas of governance by government, with greater autonomy, and managed by a Senior Wildlife Warden, the highest-ranking position outside of national headquarters, which sets the area in the right direction for long term responsible management. Staff from FZS and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) have an excellent working relationship, with daily engagement and joint operations.  
• Nsama Community Resources Board: The NTCP supports community governance processes, including elections and AGMs, supporting community-led CBNRM with the Nsama CRB and its 10 VAGs. In 2023, 1485 community members were engaged (F473, M1012), through 53 different activities, which include trainings, managing land use and income generation opportunities. The employment of community members as scouts provides a direct link between natural resources and livelihoods. The co-management of the selection, screening, appraisals and disciplinary action for the scout force enhances the Nsama CRB’s administrative skills and human resource management capacity.  
• Chitimbwa Iyendwe Conservation Project (CICP): Engagement with the community in the open area to the east of the park provides a much-needed buffer zone and builds community support. The NTCP has facilitated the creation of, and is working closely with, the elected community body to develop the conservation area. The CICP project is partially based within the Iyendwe Valley, and actively strengthening the CICP community structures and governance. Six scouts were recruited from the area in 2023, which contributes to community goodwill towards the project, demonstrating job creation potential and injecting much-needed funds into the local economy. 

Community benefits

• Community Fisheries: Community Fisheries Management Committees (CFMC) provide a soft entry point to bringing law and order and reducing illegal fishing within communities and with commercial boat owners. The TABU works with communities to patrol the community waters, ensuring compliance of regulations. One new community requested NTCP to facilitate the development of a CFMC in their village in 2023, bringing the total number of CFMCs operating in lakeshore communities on both sides of the park to five.  
• SUFINA: The environmental education curriculum aims to sensitize both pupils and their families on the importance of conservation and spark an interest of the youth in conservation to last a lifetime. In 2023, the conservation curriculum was delivered in five SUFINA primary schools, reaching 446 students. Park visits provide students with an opportunity to see animals in the wild, some for the first time. Community conservation days are well-attended and allows students to share their learning with the wider community.  
• Livelihoods and HWC: Community buy-in is integral to ensuing long-term, sustainable protection strategies, and thus, the NTCP works with communities to develop conservation-compatible livelihood opportunities and support Human-Wildlife Coexistence. Livelihood opportunities enable communities to benefit from and see the value of the conserved landscape. 2023 activities included the creation of community conservation banks, the development of fishing cooperatives, and support for the development of community tourism sites. To ensure harmonious human-wildlife coexistence, in 2023 the NTCP recruited a HWC officer to work with communities, and farmers in particular, to share best farming practices to deter wildlife from damaging crops and property.