PROJECTS

Research

CURRENT RESEARCH

ZAMBEZI VALLEY LARGE CARNIVORE SURVEY (2022-2024)

Since 2022, The Zambezi Society has been collaborating with Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCru) and Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) to help carry out a large carnivore survey across the Zambezi Valley. In 2022, the survey extended through Charara, Hurungwe, Mana Pools and Sapi. In 2023, Chewore and Dande areas were covered, and in 2024, the survey completed Sengwa, Chirisa and Chete safari areas and Chizarira National Park. Our work has involved helping to set up a series of camera trap sites across the survey areas. This is then followed by predator ‘call up’ surveys and checks to ensure that the cameras are still in position and in good working order. These surveys are essential to understanding the demographics, and distribution of large carnivore species and to informing conservation management decisions across the Zimparks estate.

As they become available, the published reports of these surveys are available for download as PDFs below:-

FINAL REPORT ON LARGE PREDATOR CAMERA TRAP SURVEYS (2022-2023) IN THE ZAMBEZI VALLEY, ZIMBABWE. Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCru) and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. Published August 2024

PAST RESEARCH

The Zambezi Society has a long history of supporting research projects throughout the Zambezi Valley that are aimed at providing valuable data which informs management decisions and planning for the future of the area.

Read about the research that we have supported (and reported on), by downloading the PDFs in our Zambezi Society historic series at the following links:-

EPISODE 6: Interpreting Zambezi Basin science & research

EPISODE 7: Conserving the Zambezi's wilderness values

EPISODE 9: Elephants, Land & people

EPISODE 10: The Zambezi River Basin – our wider focus

You can also read individual research documents and reports in our RESOURCES section under RESEARCH DOCUMENTS

Featured

THE BULLETIN - DECEMBER 2024

December 2024: The Zambezi Society’s end of year news for 2024 reports on a useful dialogue session hosted with conservation colleagues to share ideas about what's needed to effectively sustain support for Zambezi Valley conservation into the future. We highlight some promising developments for the future management of some of the Valley's protected areas, but also many challenges, including some worrying development controversies in and around the Victoria Falls. We report on our fieldwork assisting ZimParks with vehicle support for anti-poaching deployments and reactions in the Zambezi Valley, and supporting WildCru’s predator survey work in the Sengwa, Chirisa and Chizarira areas. We continue to provide practical solutions to communities in and around Kariba and Mana Pools with Human-Wildlife Co-Existence (HWC), and are expanding our innovative HWC Virtual Reality programme to schoolchildren. We also pay tribute to two dedicated conservation colleagues who lost their lives in tragic circumstances.

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THE BULLETIN - JAN-APRIL 2024

Jan - April 2024: The Zambezi Society is focusing and strengthening our efforts to help communities with practical solutions and awareness about Human-Wildlife Co-Existence, along the southern boundary of the Charara Safari Area and within Kariba Town itself. We're printing new awareness materials and plan to extend our Virtual Reality programme in schools to other parts of the Zambezi Valley. We continue to assist ZimParks with anti-poaching around Kariba and in Mana Pools, where the new trans-boundary co-management agreement with the Peace Parks Foundation brings hope for new partnership opportunities. We've also got some more carnivore survey research work lined up with WildCru this year, and we welcome Zambia's decision to withdraw the licence for the controversial Kangaluwi Copper Mine in the Zambezi Valley opposite Mana Pools and Sapi. This is a great win for conservation!

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THE BULLETIN - NOV-DEC 2023

Nov-Dec 2023: This year, Zamsoc has continued to provide material and operational assistance to ZimParks in the Charara Safari Area and in Mana Pools. We await more details of the newly-signed Peace Parks/ZimParks co-management agreement for the Greater Mana Ecosystem, and are standing by to collaborate. Thanks to donor support, we helped to complete carnivore surveys in the Zambezi Valley, strengthened our Human-Wildlife Co-existence projects with communities in the Charara-Kariba area, and provided ongoing support for rangers and their families.

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THE BULLETIN - JULY 2023

July 2023: We welcome the halt of mining activities at the Zambian Kangaluwi copper mining project opposite the Mana-Sapi-Chewore World Heritage Site and hope that the new Lower Zambezi/Mana Pools Trans-Frontier Conservation agreement will strengthen efforts to combat such threats. We report on our community work, carnivore research, and ongoing support for Zimparks (ranger deployments, food supplies and refurbishments at Marongora School).

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