African Parks, a non-profit park management organisation, has signed a 20-year agreement with the government of Malawi to manage and operate Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.
The Public Private Partnership Commission declared African Parks the preferred partner to manage the two protected areas after evaluation.
Liwonde National Park in southern Malawi supports the largest remaining population of elephants in the country as well as one of two populations of Black rhino.
Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, in the central region, consists of a large portion of Lake Malawi and is home to elephant, warthog, baboon, antelope and various bird populations.
Peter Fearnhead, African Parks CEO, said: "Our aim is to completely restore the biodiversity in both Liwonde and Nkhotakota, enhance the tourism product and experience, reduce the extensive human-wildlife conflict, ensure the sustainable use of natural resources and contribute to the socio-economic development of local communities living around the two areas.”
African Parks will invest R226 million ($18 million) into the two parks over a five-year period.
