PROTECTING THE GREATER ZAKOUMA ECOSYSTEM, CHAD

SITUATED JUST SOUTH OF THE SAHARA DESERT AND ABOVE THE FERTILE RAINFOREST REGIONS, THE GREATER ZAKOUMA ECOSYSTEM (GZE) IS WELL POSITIONED AS THE PRIMARY SAFE HAVEN FOR CENTRAL AND WEST AFRICAN WILDLIFE AND AN ANCHOR OF STABILITY FOR THE SURROUNDING SEDENTARY AND NOMADIC COMMUNITIES.

THE GZE COVERS AN EXPANSIVE 30,693 KM2, WHICH INCLUDES ZAKOUMA NATIONAL PARK (ZNP) AND THE ADJACENT SINIAKA MINIA (SMFR) AND BAHR SALAMAT FAUNAL RESERVES (BSFR).

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF CHAD, AFRICAN PARKS (AP) MANAGES THE GZE WITH A VISION TO STRATEGICALLY MONITOR AND CONSERVE THE DIVERSE WILDLIFE POPULATIONS AND THIS VALUABLE LANDSCAPE THROUGH EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT AND SOUND CONSERVATION PRACTICES AND BY ENGAGING LOCAL COMMUNITIES IN ITS LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY.

OVER THE PAST 10-YEARS, THE WILDLIFE IN ZNP HAS REBOUNDED THE ELEPHANT POPULATION, WHICH IS THE LAST SIGNIFICANT SURVIVING POPULATION OF SAVANNA ELEPHANTS OF CENTRAL AFRICA AND THE SAHEL, ALONG WITH THE ENDANGERED KORDOFAN GIRAFFE AND OTHER PLAINS SPECIES, INCLUDING BUFFALO AND TIANG, ARE NOT ONLY RECOVERING BUT THRIVING.

AFRICAN PARKS INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT APPROACH HAS FACILITATED GZES TRANSFORMATION TO A LANDSCAPE OF COEXISTENCE AND EFFECTIVE PROTECTED AREA MANAGEMENT. WELL-MANAGED AND HEALTHY PROTECTED AREAS GENERATE A RANGE OF BENEFITS FOR PEOPLE AND WILD