Moving back to a new normal post COVID, is how Werner Myburgh, CEO of Peace Parks Foundation, describes the past year. Looking back on the success of the past year, he looks at the dramatic changes that have taken place, many of which have been recorded on this Peace Parks TV channel, itself an innovation for Peace Parks Foundation back in May, 2021.
Through a 20-year co-management agreement, Peace Parks has been supporting the Government of Mozambique to rebuild Zinave National Park since 2015. After several years of successfully translocating animals, this year the conversation had turned towards bringing back predators into the ecosystem. Quite by coincidence, the ranger teams then picked up images of a male lion on the camera traps. Later, an image of a female was also captured, so it seems that there may be a small pride now living in Zinave, all of which has validated Peace Park Foundation’s efforts in linking wildlife corridors so that animals can move at will, following their ancient migration routes.
In Maputo National Park, previously known as Maputo Special Reserve, there has been a historic translocation, releasing cheetah from South Africa into the park. Since 2006, when only three large species remained – elephant, red duiker and reedbuck – Peace Parks Foundation, along with numerous partners and donors, has been supporting the park. So, seeing the return of such a vulnerable, spectacular creature for the first time in 40 years, was quite a moment.
Both the cheetah and lion stand out this year as important symbols of the progress that has been made towards impacting the environment positively, stabilising the ecosystem and increasing biodiversity. These animals stand for so much: for the move towards sustainable nature tourism, for alternative livelihoods for communities, for healthy and diverse ecosystems, for a future where humankind and wildlife live side by side. They stand for each and every one of the hundreds and thousands of small steps gained in all areas of Peace Parks’ work this year, many of which can be seen on Peace Parks TV.
Peace Parks Foundation sends a huge thank you to all their staff, partners and donors who have given their time to film part of their day’s work. Without them there would be no Peace Parks TV.
