Rewilding the Simalaha Community Conservancy

Simalaha Community Conservancy lies within one of six key wildlife dispersal areas in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), namely the Chobe Zambezi dispersal area that reaches from Chobe National Park in Botswana to Kafue National Park in Zambia. The Conservancy is fundamental to re-establishing wildlife populations and their migration routes in the region. Income from nature-based economies such as tourism and wildlife management forms a critical component in achieving long-term sustainability and self-sufficiency for Simalaha. In 2013, supported by Peace Parks, a wildlife sanctuary measuring 22 000 ha was established as part of Simalaha. Since then, more than 900 animals have been rewilded there. The animals have settled in well and are producing young, with more than 1 600 head of game now in the sanctuary. www.peaceparks.org/simalaha/