Walk Luangwa 2020
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Walk Luangwa 2020 350km. 17 days. 6 charities 3 National Parks. 1 Valley. Rationale Conservation needs to take on a wholistic approach to ensure its sustainability, and a wholistic approach requires the buy-in and support from a number of key stakeholders: conservation organizations, funders, tourism industry, government and communities in the surrounding areas. The novel coronavirus, Covid-19, has crippled the input of two of those components. With international travel bans and grounded flights, no tourists look to be able to visit Africa in the foreseeable future, virtually bringing the tourism industry to a halt. Years of gains in building a sound relationship between ecosystem and the communities stands to be wiped out in just a few months. Thousands of lives which rely on tourism as a source of livelihood, health support and education are on the verge of being left in the lurch by helpless operators and may well turn to the old ways of bush meat poaching to sustain themselves. Though this bush meat poaching is indiscriminate and that while the intention is to catch mostly bushbuck, impala, puku and buffalo, is important to highlight that other animals such as lion, leopard, wild dogs and elephant, are regularly caught in these snares. The Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife work closely with a number of conservation NGO’s to reduce this risk of snaring, to collect snares in the bush and to sensitize communities as to the consequences of bush meat poaching. In Zambia’s Luangwa Valley tourism directly supports conservation and law enforcement through bed night contributions. The reduction in tourism as a direct result of Covid-19 means no bed nights for most operators and consequently no conservation contributions. We intend to raise awareness for the heroes who maintain the parks and their surrounds on the ground through patrols, anti-poaching, de-snaring and monitoring. The objective of this walk is to raise £ 200 000 to support conservation and anti-poaching patrols, run a football league which supports ~250 individuals, fund conservation educators, provide concrete grain stores, substantial food packs and hand sanitizer communities to aid with reducing animal-wildlife conflict and the risk of poaching. The overall impact is estimated to benefit in excess of 10 000 individuals, though ultimately the goal is to ensure the well-being of the animals, the national parks and the relationship between the communities and the wilderness that we wish to preserve, to preserve the sustainability of the Luangwa Valley. To ensure this spectacular place and rare example of how people and wildlife can successfully coexist, the Luangwa Valley as a whole requires the immediate support from any avenue possible. Background Luangwa The Luangwa Valley, an extension of the East African Great Rift Valley, is the honey-pot of Zambia. Here dramatic seasonal variations, a dynamic river system, fertile soils and lush vegetation ensure a prolific supply of wildlife. Home to the majority of big game – including lion, leopard, wild dog, black rhino, elephant, hippo, crocodile and buffalo – the Luangwa Valley also boasts two endemic sub-species: Thornicroft’s Giraffe and Cookson’s Wildebeest. An impressive concentration of both hippos and crocodiles makes the Luangwa River one of the most wildlife-dense in Africa. Smaller mammals and over 470 recorded species of birds add to the game viewing experiences, reinforcing the Luangwa Valley’s impressive reputation as the pride of Zambia’s wildlife. The Luangwa Valley is home to four National parks: South Luangwa, North Luangwa, Luambe and Lukusuzi. Remote Africa Safaris operates in both the South and North Luangwa National Parks. South Luangwa National Park covers 9,050km2 in eastern Zambia and is Zambia’s best-iknown National Park. North Luangwa National Park covers 4,636km2 in northern Zambia. There is a wide range of species diversity within the park, including Zambia’s elephant stronghold, the world’s largest concentration of hippos, Zambia’s only black rhino population and one of the highest lion densities in the region. The park and adjacent Game Management Areas (GMA) cover roughly 22,000 km2. There are two distinct seasons that are experienced in the Luangwa Valley, namely the wet (or emerald) and dry seasons. Temperatures during these seasons vary from lows of 10°C, in June and July, to highs excess of 40°C, in October. Even during the coldest period, the days remain warm, sunny and perfect for all safari activities. The late dry season is the warmest period and makes for the best game viewing, as all outlying water dries up and forces the game towards the riverine belt. While the emerald season, which can start as early as the end of October and typically draws to a close at the end of March, sees an impressive average annual rainfall of around 850mm. Rare but always welcome showers may also be experienced in April and May. The Emerald season boast spectacular and dramatic thunderstorms, ones that could give the best firework displays a run for their money! Looking back in time, a report on the faunal survey of Northern Rhodesia, compiled by Captain C.R.S. Pitman in 1934, summarized the following: • Though there is a general abundance of game, the game on the whole has decreased markedly in recent years. • Approximately 12 000 elephants in Northern Rhodesia, possibly more. • The whole-hearted cooperation of the local authorities is essential if the game generally is to enjoy efficient protection. • Buffalo populations were so substantial that buffalo were nearly placed on the vermin list. • Approximately o 1 500 rhinoceros o 60 000 buffalo o 30 000 eland o 60 000 roan antelope o 150 000 black lechwe o 250 000 red lechwe o 3 000 hippopotamus o 30 000 zebra o 300 giraffe ▪ Lions must total several, and leopard many, thousands. Walking and photographic safaris Scottish missionary and explorer, Dr David Livingstone is arguably one of Europe’s greatest explorers. He walked the length of the mighty Zambezi River and brought the impressive Victoria Falls to the European world’s attention. In 1856 he became the first Briton to set foot in the Luangwa Valley. In December 1866, on his last expedition searching for the source of the Nile, Dr Livingstone found himself once again on the banks of the Luangwa River. On this occasion he crossed the Luangwa River near the center of the valley, at a point between Tafika Camp (home of the Coppinger Family) and Chibembe Camp (the birth-place of Jen Coppinger, and home to the Coppingers for 9 years as they managed this camp for Wilderness Trails). On this expedition he wrote: “I will make this beautiful land better known to men that it may become one of their haunts. It is impossible to describe its luxuriance…” Indeed, when marketing the Luangwa Valley, it is difficult to describe its natural beauty, vastness and wilderness. It is something that must be experienced in person to truly grasp and we are sure that those of you who have been fortunate enough to visit it will agree. It is a wildlife haven as a result of the incredibly fertile soils that wash onto the valley floor, flooding the banks each rain season and providing an abundance of food for animals and until now it has remained largely undeveloped by man. Because of this impressive richness of game, man’s greed got the better of him and hunting took its toll on the animals in the Luangwa Valley. Norman Carr grew up a hunter, having shot his 50th elephant on his 20th birthday. In 1938 he became an elephant control officer in the Valley, responsible for shooting elephants which became problematic in communities bordering national parks in order to reduce the conflict between wildlife and the people. Bearing this title, he travelled the Luangwa Valley on foot, for weeks at a time, camping in simple tents. He was a much-loved man within the communities as he rid them of their threat to crop loss, and left them with masses of meat. This admiration would turn out to be meaningful in the future. In 1949, when Carr returned to the Luangwa after World War II, he convinced the senior-chief Nsefu to declare a portion of his tribal land as a private royal wildlife conservation area and create a visitors’ camp. In 1950, Nsefu Camp was created as the first safari camp in Zambia. In 1961 Norman Carr started out his private safari businesses – Luangwa Safaris and Wilderness Trails, where he invented walking safaris. In 1974, he built Chibembe Camp, which John and Carol Coppinger managed for Wilderness Trails from late 1987. In turning to walking safaris and photographic safaris and in having gained the admiration of local communities, Norman Carr set in place the start of a change in mindset of the people of the valley – a shift towards tourism and conservation as a sustainable model for tourism. Tourism, Conservation and Wildlife in the Luangwa Valley Travel and Tourism was Zambia’s fastest growing national economic sector in 2018, employing ~400 000 people, and contributing over ZMW 19.4 billion to the Zambian economy. In 2019, 1.1 million international visitors were expected to travel to Zambia, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. The Zambian safari industry relies heavily on international visitors, in particular from the U.K. and U.S.A. Tourism dove-tails well with the community seasonality as the bulk of the safari sector in the Luangwa Valley relies on the dry season, that is May to early November. This formal employment in the lean months supplements the economies in these remote areas, affording an appreciable amount of respect for tourism and for the well-being of the animals and ecosystems that drive tourism.