OUR WORK
Conservation at scale
This 94,616 km2 park borders on Kruger National Park in South Africa and is bounded by both the Limpopo and Olifants rivers. With the mighty Shingwedzi flowing through its heart, Limpopo National Park is populated with a wide range of wildlife, boasts breathtaking scenery and offers exciting wilderness experiences.
A project implementation unit, comprising staff from Mozambique and Peace Parks Foundation, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the World Bank, was set up to develop the park,
Peace Parks has assisted in the upgrade of access roads as well as the construction of staff housing, park headquarters, entrance gates, arrival and information centres, accommodation facilities, workshops, and new field ranger bases at Mapai and Massinger.
Rewilding
A helicopter riverine transect census was undertaken in 2023 with an 81% elephant population increase from the 792 statistical estimates in 2018 to the actual physical count of 1 431 elephants. This encouraging increase is mirrored by more frequent observation of wildlife across the park. A full park 30% fixed-wing transect survey was completed in 2024.
Following the Makandazulo resettlement, the northern half of the park is now under full conservation, and in preparation for potential future initiatives, a white rhino ecological assessment baseline field study was conducted to identify key areas for increased management focus.
Ecological connectivity
Limpopo is the largest national park in Mozambique, forming an integral component of the Great Limpopo transboundary landscape.
Combatting wildlife crime
With more than one million hectares to patrol, implementing effective anti-poaching strategies, as well as leveraging limited resources for sustainable development throughout the expanse of the park, remains a significant challenge. A core objective of Peace Parks Foundation is to secure the Intensive Protection Zone in the park. This strategy allocates 80% of anti-poaching resources to the protection of vital hotspots identified along the park’s western border – a boundary shared with Kruger National Park. This is the section of Limpopo National Park with the largest concentration of game. This area remains a critical focus point for illegal activities of wildlife crime syndicates.
To strengthen impact in the Intensive Protection Zone, senior operational and technical staff were appointed to coordinate intensified ranger patrols. This is managed from a central command centre that has been equipped with the latest technology systems, which also connect with the park’s digital radio network. The radio network allows for real-time position monitoring of patrols to improve the safety and operational capability of the field ranger units, as well as enables cross-border communications between Limpopo and Kruger national parks.
In addition, funding is being used to cover the operational costs of a dedicated aircraft operating in the zone, provide advanced field training to rangers, operate an incentive scheme, as well as equip teams with vital patrol gear. This includes providing them with durable, hard terrain motorcycles to patrol otherwise inaccessible locations, and specialised smartphones for the collection of critical live data from the field.
Reaching Across Limpopo: Connecting Every Corner
Field rangers receive specialised training and equipment in tactical combat casualty care and long-range unsupported patrols, provided by Stronghold Rescue and Relief. Poisoning incident management courses equip rangers with skills to safely handle increased incidents of poisoning, including gathering evidence and providing aid to injured animals.
Medical Training for Rangers: Upskilling the Heroes of the Wild!
Community development
Communities in and around Limpopo National Park continue to be vulnerable with limited access to opportunities, resources and livelihoods. Irrigation schemes are a vital way to provide food security and alternative livelihood opportunities for communities living adjacent to the park in an area that is drought-prone and isolated.
The five-year Agence Française de Développement and French Facility for Global Environment’s One Limpopo One Health project aims to contribute to the socioeconomic development of the communities around the park through the expansion of our herding for health and smart agriculture initiatives.
The three-year Southern African Development Community (SADC) TFCA financing facility programme focuses on the upgrade of irrigation schemes, strengthening community governance and Herding for Health within the park. The Herding for Health programme has over 20 000 cattle from 19 villages within and bordering the park.
Twenty four community irrigation schemes are supported with 1 771 members who planted 7 504 kg of seeds provided and recorded 549 296 kg harvest in 2023.
In addition to social upliftment and skills development, the schemes generate income through the sale of products. They also improve food sustainability and health thanks to the variety of foods being produced, while reducing the reliance on unpredictable rain-fed crops. By using climate-smart conservation agriculture techniques in these schemes, farmers reap the benefits of year-round crops while limiting their impact on the landscape. Conservation agriculture techniques promote soil water retention that allows farmers to produce their own compost and, through crop rotation, more nutrient-rich soil.
Water is life
Human-wildlife coexistence
Due to increased wildlife within the park, there remains an upward trend in interactions between people and wild animals. The One Limpopo One Health programme includes an increased focus on promoting peaceful coexistence in this area.
People and Paws: Roaring Toward Peaceful Coexistence
Conservation finance
Funding
We source reliable funding and take care of the financial administration thereof so as to assist the park in achieving its objectives.
Tourism
The park now offers four campsites on the 4×4 route, an overlander site with space for 10 camper vans, 20 individual campsites, 15 chalets and a luxury tented camp. Activities include game walks, a hiking trail, a backpacking and fishing experience, canoeing and a 4×4 trail for the adventurous.
Upgrades to the Albufeira and Aguia Pesqueira tourist facilities include solar power, chalet refurbishing and re-equipping. Tourism continues to show improvement, with over 4000 visitors per year enjoying this landscape.
