Support for community-inclusive conservation of african elephant in the north luangwa ecosystem, zambia":the purpose of this project is to support an elephant conservation effort in north luangwa…

Support for community-inclusive conservation of african elephant in the north luangwa ecosystem, zambia":the purpose of this project is to support an elephant conservation effort in north luangwa national park (NLNP) by strengthening elephant protection and biological monitoring, and building a constituency for elephant conservation. As part of the luangwa-zambezi valley savanna elephant stronghold, this ecosystem is home to zambia's largest and most stable population of elephants (approximately 14,000 individuals) and its only black rhino population. This project is intended to conserve african savanna elephants and their habitat by addressing the impacts of poaching, habitat loss, human-elephant conflict (HEC), and loss of tourism revenue due to the covid-19 pandemic. Specific activities include: (1) providing aerial elephant monitoring support for HEC-affected communities in NLNP adjacent game management areas; (2) purchasing rations (maize meal) from HEC-affected communities to establish links between rural farming livelihoods and elephant conservation; and (3) conducting HEC mitigation and conservation education and outreach with local communities, including construction ofelephant-proof grain stores, purchase of motorcycles to enable safe delivery of community-led mini-change projects, and regional exchange visits with other human-elephant coexistence initiatives.