Limpopo National Park recently hosted a delegation from BIOFUND for an inaugural meeting, as the first recipient of funding support for critical operations. Beneficiaries will include local communities, thanks to community development programmes, and the mitigation of human-wildlife conflict with improved fence maintenance. Tourists will also benefit, as existing infrastructure, such as roads and camps, will be upgraded.
The funds will provide continuity to the park’s community programme, which includes irrigation, environmental education, conservation agriculture and community liaison activities, mostly for the 18 communities living in the buffer zone of the park, along the Limpopo River.
nfrastructure assets will be maintained, repaired and upgraded, as needed. This will include the repair of the bridge over the Madonse River, in the centre of the park, which had been damaged by floods, and tourism infrastructure such as the 4 x 4 trail camps at Mamba and Sandalo. The funding support also covers general park management infrastructure, road and perimeter fence maintenance, which are essential to proper park management and operations.
Limpopo National Park was established in 2001 and forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.
About BIOFUND
The Foundation for the Conservation of Biodiversity (BIOFUND) was created in 2011 according to the world best practice principles for conservation trust funds, dedicated to long-term sustainability of conservation finance. BIOFUND is a non-profit, private entity, legally registered in Mozambique as an independent trust. The income of the trust fund is allocated to Mozambique’s conservation area network, based on criteria and conditions set by the various stakeholders that include the National Administration of Conservation Areas (ANAC), donors, local governments and communities. BIOFUND also has broader objectives in the conservation of biodiversity, as set out in its articles of incorporation. One of the most important of these, is the integration of conservation and conservation principles into national development planning, national institutions, and the hearts of individual citizens.
BIOFUND has received technical and financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, through KfW, Agence Française de Développement, United Nations Development Programme / Global Environment Facility (UNDP / GEF), World Bank / GEF, United States Agency for International Development, Conservation International / Global Conservation Fund (CI/GCF), and World Wide Fund for Nature. Peace Parks Foundation was a proud supporter of BIOFUND’s launch.
Story by Carla Selyer
Operations Manager
Limpopo National Park