North Luangwa National Park Zambia, Africa
Country Zambia
Established 1972
Region Muchinga Province
IUCN Category National Park (CAT II)
Project Size 4,653 km²
Population 66,000
Biome Miombo-Mopane woodland and savanna
Key Species The ‘big five’ game: elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard and lion; Cookson’s wildebeest
Conservation Relevance Key Biodiversity Area, Important Bird Area, Ramsar Site, Source of 4 of the 6 perennial rivers of the Luangwa river
Managing Authority Department of National Parks and Wildlife
Partner Frankfurt Zoological Society
Funding Partner Wyss Foundation
Africa's Wilderness at its Best
Legacy Landscapes Fund Project Candidate | Status 05/2021
North Luangwa gains its outstanding global value from the Luangwa River, which has shaped a rich and biodiverse landscape over millennia, and its pristine wilderness, giving the park its very special character.
The remote North Luangwa National Park in Zambia is one of the finest wilderness experiences in the entire Southern African region, boasting the “big five” – elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard, and lion – as well as the endemic Cookson’s wildebeest.
In 2003, an ambitious translocation was started to reintroduce the black rhino back into the park. As a result, the North Luangwa National Park harbors Zambia’s only black rhino population and is now home to Zambia’s highest elephant population.
North Luangwa National Park is the anchor of the transboundary conservation initiative, the Malawi Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area encompassing more than 32,000 km².
Key Threats
- Bushmeat and ivory poaching and illegal high-value timber extraction
- Land conversion and encroachment
- Uncontrolled fires and agricultural effects on hydrology
Key Activities
- Natural resource management, law enforcement, and protection
- Support and diversify livelihoods of local communities
- Develop Community governance and ownership for natural resources
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