Community Development

Working with local communities to support sustainable livelihoods and long-term conservation.

More than two million people live around the wider Upemba landscape, relying on water, fishing and small-scale agriculture. Conservation success therefore depends on partnership with local communities. Community development focuses on creating sustainable alternatives to destructive activities such as poaching, uncontrolled burning and illegal resource extraction.

Through ranger employment, education programmes and collaborative management, local communities become active participants in restoring the park. A healthy Upemba supports cleaner water, more stable fish populations and long-term regional resilience. Community development is not separate from conservation; it is a necessary condition for ecological recovery to endure.