Zambia on Friday, 29 May officially launched the Kafue Flats Wildlife, Habitat, Health and Livelihood Project in Southern Province, a multi-partner initiative aimed at restoring degraded ecosystems, protecting wildlife, and improving the economic resilience of local communities. The project is being implemented in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Zambia and the International Crane Foundation.

What the Project Covers

The initiative targets the Kafue Flats — a vast floodplain ecosystem in southern Zambia — and is designed to address a range of interconnected challenges including habitat degradation, unsustainable land-use practices, human-wildlife conflict, and the growing impacts of climate change. It also seeks to strengthen biodiversity conservation, support livelihood diversification, and deepen community participation in environmental stewardship.

What the Government Said

Douty Chibamba, Permanent Secretary in Zambia's Ministry of Green Economy and Environment, said the project reflects the government's commitment to safeguarding the country's natural resources while improving welfare for local communities. He acknowledged that the Kafue Flats ecosystem underpins several critical sectors of the Zambian economy, including agriculture, sugar production, cattle rearing, and power generation.

'This important ecosystem is increasingly under pressure from climate change, unsustainable land-use practices, habitat degradation, pollution, human-wildlife conflict, and increasing socio-economic vulnerabilities among local communities,' Chibamba said. He stressed that 'success will depend on collective ownership, transparency, accountability and active participation by all stakeholders.'

WWF's Role and Community Resilience

Nalucha Nganga-Ziba, WWF Country Director in Zambia, said the project presents a significant opportunity to strengthen both water resource management and biodiversity conservation while improving livelihoods across the landscape. She highlighted climate adaptation as a core objective, noting that with increasing variability in seasonal conditions, the project 'will strengthen community resilience to both water scarcity and flooding.'

Why the Kafue Flats Matter

The Kafue Flats is one of Africa's largest floodplains and a globally significant wetland, supporting a rich array of wildlife, migratory birds — including the endangered wattled crane — and millions of people who depend on its resources. Decades of encroachment, pollution, and erratic rainfall linked to climate change have placed the ecosystem under mounting stress, making restoration efforts increasingly urgent.

What Comes Next

With institutional backing from both the Zambian government and international conservation bodies, the project is expected to roll out community-level programmes focused on sustainable economic activities. The long-term goal is to create a model where environmental protection and human development reinforce each other across the Kafue Flats landscape.