Building relationships of trust and supporting communities living in and on the outskirts of protected areas is integral to sustaining and conserving these areas. Working in partnership with the National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC), Peace Parks Foundation, as the implementing agent for the financial support from the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development through KfW, has been assisting the Mozambican Government develop Limpopo National Park for more than two decades, and successful community development programmes have helped put the park boldly on the conservation map.
From diesel, pumps, and piping to plots of land, seeds, and capacity development and training, the scheme covers all the essential aspects needed for sustainable and resource-efficient agriculture in the face of extremely dry conditions and variable rainfall. Combined with establishing governance structures, this community support takes place over two years when the schemes are handed over entirely to the communities.
These irrigation schemes truly work. In 2012, 18 irrigation schemes were set up around Limpopo National Park, and over a decade later, 15 of them are still fully functional. This is a testament to their effectiveness for community upliftment and securing sustainable livelihoods in a world grappling with the effects of climate change.
Peace Parks strives to re-establish, renew, and preserve large functioning wilderness areas that transcend man-made boundaries in order to protect the ecosystems within them. Working with communities that intimately rely on these ecosystems is key to this unwavering conservation ambition.
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