Malawi, African Parks in conservation pact
African Parks has concluded an agreement with the government to manage and operate the Mangochi Forest Reserve for the next 20 years.
African Parks is an international non-profit organisation which seeks to address environmental conservation issues on the continent.
This is another step in African Parks and Malawi partnership, which is slowly safe-guarding the country’s wildlife and growing the tourism sector.
African Parks plans to establish protection mechanisms for Mangochi Forest Reserve and Liwonde National Park to further develop tourism infrastructure and increase revenue generation.
The agreement follows an application and evaluation process administered by the Public Private Partnership Commission, in which African Parks emerged as the preferred partner to manage the forest reserve as a protected area. In one of the great conservation success stories, African Parks has transformed Malawi’s wildlife reserve for Majete into a Big Five destination.
The Mangochi Forest Reserve joins other reserves that African Parks is managing. These are Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.
Minister of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, Aggrey Masi, said the inclusion of Mangochi Forest Reserve together with Liwonde National park in African Parks management is an important step in the long-term conservation of the two areas.
African Parks Country Director, Patricio Ndadzera, assured the government that the organisation would put extraordinary measures to bring back the lost glory of the forest.
The agreement for Mangochi represents further progress, extending the total area under effective protection by 320 kilometers beyond Liwonde and contributing to an enduring conservation legacy for the entire landscape in Malawi.
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