Project African Wilderness signs historic agreement with Government of Malawi to develop Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve

Project African Wilderness (PAW) signed an historic agreement on 7th February 2007 with the Government of Malawi to conserve and develop Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve.

PAW, a not for profit conservation company from Malawi, can now begin work on conservation and development that will protect Mwabvi.

Mwabvi, which was the last natural home to the black rhino in Malawi before it became extinct, is a beautiful area with a greater range of habitats than any other Malawi National Park, but it is also small – only 135 sq km – and surrounded by more than 60,000 people. Much of the game has been poached out and farms are encroaching on what was once pristine wilderness. So PAW will:

- carry out conservation work in the wilderness

- fence the Reserve to protect the surrounding people

- restock the Reserve

- provide local employment and job opportunities

- promote environmental and conservation training

- create significant economic benefits for the wider area of Nsanje District.

The work will be carried out in partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife who will retain management responsibility for the Reserve and will continue their normal duties including collecting gate revenue, research and law enforcement.

PAW takes a business like approach to conservation funding. It is now calling on the Captains of commerce and the tobacco industry for sponsorship and funding. Contact Ken Smith, Director of PAW, c/o Barefoot Safaris at Lilongwe on 09307359, email conservation@barefoot-safaris.com for more information. All income will be used to carry out further conservation work.

PAW will use the growing interest in eco-tourism and conservation education to bring visitors to Mwabvi. Academic and professional research will be underpinned by training in game scout skills. At Chipembere Camp, PAW’s permanent base outside the Reserve, conservation training and education can be linked with volunteer work to protect the environment.

The Hon. Patricia Kaliati, MP, Minister for Information and Tourism in Malawi, said:

“The use of Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve to introduce conservation training as tourism is a first for us in Malawi and I am pleased to support this important new venture that will give us greater international recognition as well as economic benefits to the area.”

Ken Smith, PAW’s Malawi Director, said:

“ I am pleased that we have a clear mandate to save Mwabvi. I have watched this beautiful area lose its wildlife, and seen the loss of habitat for rhino, elephant and other magnificent animals. Without our protection the whole Reserve will be lost forever inside a generation.”

Leonard Sefu, Director of National Parks and Wildlife, said:

“ We have worked hard within our resources to maintain Mwabvi but it is too fragile for us to save without help. There will never be enough money from tourism to save the Reserve. So we are delighted that PAW, who share our beliefs in conservation principles, the goals of NEPAD and in African Renaissance, are here and already making a difference.”

Gaynor Asquith, who runs the PAW UK Charitable Trust that supports work in Malawi, said:

“PAW has one chance to save Mwabvi and we are not going to waste it using old fashioned short term aid practices. The people involved with PAW are committed and will not walk away after 3 years. I have seen too many projects in Africa fail because the people in the field have no passion for their work or vision for the end result. We have both, as well as sound business knowledge, and we’ll make a difference for the wilderness and for the people around it.”