The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, which traverses Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, is home to more than 850 animal and 2 000 plant species. For Peace Parks Foundation staff working and living in Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park, which forms part of a vital wildlife corridor flowing through the transfrontier area, every day offers an exciting wildlife encounter.
From stick insects, snakes, and lizards to herds of elephants and packs of wild dogs, these sightings are a testament to the tireless dedication of Peace Parks Foundation and the Government of Mozambique, in partnership with the National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC), over the past two decades to restore and conserve Limpopo National Park. The park has become a vibrant home to the healthy ecosystems it houses today through community development programs, tourism development, countering wildlife crime, and rewilding initiatives.
The recent sightings of wild dogs are a shining light on the conservation progress at Limpopo National Park. As Bruce Missing, Head of Counter-Poaching at Limpopo National Park, says, “One of the most accurate ways to assess the success of conservation efforts within a given landscape—and whether ecosystems are bouncing back—is to measure how well that area is sustaining apex predators, like wild dogs.”
Bruce neatly encapsulates the significant strides that have been made in restoring Limpopo National Park and the journey that still lies ahead: “One does have to take a moment to doth the cap to all the people who have worked tirelessly to get the park to this point, and it’s by no means an end, but rather an exciting new chapter in the story of Limpopo National Park. It will certainly be a chapter full of hardships and challenges, but we are well equipped with a group of inspiring, like-minded, and competent individuals who are all keen to play their part in the renaissance of this incredible park. Long may we share this space with these amazing creatures, the wild dogs.’
Join us on our journey to restore and conserve Africa’s wild spaces in transboundary landscapes. Visit peaceparks.org today to see how you can get involved in conservation at scale!
