Partners and Key Funders

Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW)

The DNPW is the statutory organisation in charge of national parks, wildlife reserves and sanctuaries, as well as wildlife management on communal lands in Malawi, while The Department of Forestry is responsible for the management of all forest reserves in the country. We began our work with the DNPW in Majete Wildlife Reserve in 2003, in Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve and Liwonde National Park in 2015, and most recently in Mangochi Forest Reserve in 2018. The Public-Private Partnership Commission (PPPC) has played an instrumental role, particularly in the conclusion of the more recent projects.

The Wyss Foundation

The Wyss Foundation is a private charitable foundation dedicated to supporting innovative, lasting solutions that improve lives, empower communities, and strengthen connections to the land. The Foundation’s relationship with African Parks began in 2015 with a grant to support the restoration of Akagera National Park, followed by a significant investment in Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve, both in Malawi.

In 2017, The Wyss Foundation made a ground-breaking commitment of US$65m to provide ongoing support for Akagera and the Malawi parks, along with start-up funding for five new parks. This enabled the addition of Pendjari and W National Parks in Benin, Bazaruto Archipelago National Park in Mozambique, Iona National Park in Angola, and Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe.

In 2021, the Wyss Foundation furthered its support of African Parks with another extraordinary commitment of US$108m, which will provide for the continued support of current Wyss-funded parks as well as start-up funding for five more new parks.

WWF

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has been supporting African Parks since 2007, with the goal of promoting the African Parks management model across Africa. WWF Zambia contributes to core operating costs and conservation projects at Liuwa Plain National Park and Bangweulu Wetlands. WWF the Netherlands provides support to the Zambian parks and Odzala-Kokoua National Park. WWF Belgium became a strategic funding partner in 2017 supporting the Malawi parks and Liuwa Plain.