Protected Areas
The building blocks of connected landscapes
Protected areas safeguard some of southern Africa’s most important wildlife, habitats and natural resources. Peace Parks’ Strategy 2030 focuses on 11 key protected areas that anchor five priority transboundary landscapes.
Why protected areas matter
Protected areas provide secure space for wildlife and protect rivers, wetlands, forests and grasslands. Their importance also extends far beyond their boundaries. Strong protected areas can support wildlife recovery across wider landscapes, strengthen ecological connections and create long-term value for neighbouring communities and economies.
Some protected areas carry particular significance because of the biodiversity they protect and the role they play within much larger landscapes.
A small number carry extraordinary importance
An Africa-wide analysis identified a relatively small group of protected areas with disproportionate importance for biodiversity. Across Africa, 162 protected areas have been identified as Keystone Protected Areas.
Of Africa’s protected areas
Of Africa’s threatened vertebrate species occur within them
Keystone Protected Areas are located within Peace Parks’ priority landscapes
Of Africa’s formally protected land
Peace Parks has long-term co-management roles in five, while work is also underway with the Government of Angola in Luengue-Luiana National Park under an MoU.
Long-term protected-area management
Peace Parks’ role differs according to the protected area and national context, but our preferred approach is long-term integrated co-management with government.
This brings together governance, professional management, operational capacity, communities and long-term finance around a shared plan for each protected area.
Protected areas in action
Rewilding
Even severely depleted protected areas can recover when protection, management and resources are sustained over time.
Zinave National Park was once known as the “silent park”. Within seven years of Peace Parks entering into co-management, it had become Mozambique’s first Big Five national park.
In Limpopo National Park, wildlife recovery is taking place at remarkable scale. Elephant numbers have increased fivefold over the past decade to more than 4 600, while buffalo numbers have risen from 1 339 to 6 934.
Combatting wildlife crime
Wildlife crime does not stop at park boundaries. Neither can the response.
Peace Parks addresses wildlife crime from protected-area cores and surrounding landscapes to trafficking routes and national investigation and prosecution systems, combining frontline capacity with intelligence, technology and cross-border cooperation.