The Challenge

A Park That Lost Its Ecological Balance

Upemba National Park is one of Africa’s oldest protected areas, but decades of conflict, poaching and isolation disrupted the natural systems that once kept the landscape in balance. Large herbivores disappeared, predator populations collapsed and ecological processes that had evolved over thousands of years stopped functioning.

Without intervention, the park risks losing the systems that make it ecologically and climatically important.

The Disappearance of Grazers

Grazing species are essential to healthy savanna ecosystems. When zebra, buffalo and antelope populations declined, grass grew unchecked, dry biomass accumulated and fires became more destructive. As root systems weakened, soils lost their ability to retain water.

This created a destructive cycle of fire, erosion and drying landscapes that continues to threaten biodiversity and ecosystem stability.

Water and Climate Under Pressure

Upemba lies at the source of hundreds of rivers feeding the Lufira and ultimately the Congo Basin. When vegetation and soil systems degrade, water runs off instead of infiltrating into the ground, wetlands lose stability and carbon-rich peat systems become vulnerable.

The challenge is therefore not only wildlife loss, but the weakening of a much larger water and climate system that extends far beyond the park.

Human Pressure on a Fragile System

More than two million people live around the wider Upemba landscape and depend on fishing, agriculture and natural resources for survival. Where economic alternatives are limited, illegal mining, charcoal production and bushmeat hunting become coping strategies.

Long-term conservation cannot succeed without recognising the human realities connected to the landscape.

Security and Operational Realities

Upemba remains a remote and complex operating environment. Ranger teams work under demanding conditions with limited infrastructure, long patrol distances and ongoing security risks in some areas.

Protecting the park requires professional ranger operations, logistics, training and sustained long-term commitment.

Time Is the Critical Factor

Natural recovery is possible, but it would take decades. Meanwhile, soils continue to degrade, fire cycles intensify and ecological resilience declines.

The challenge is to restore ecological processes fast enough to prevent irreversible damage.

A Turning Point for Upemba

Upemba stands at a crossroads. Without active restoration, degradation will continue. With long-term management, science-based restoration and strong partnerships, the park can again function as a stable ecosystem at the heart of Central Africa.