A €3 million investment by the SADC TFCA Finance Facility, IUCN, and FZS Zambia will provide safe, modern housing for scout families in North Luangwa. The project relocates households from overcrowded and ecologically sensitive areas into a purpose-built estate, improving wellbeing, reducing human-wildlife conflict, and strengthening conservation in one of Zambia’s most important ecosystems.
Building Safe Homes for Scouts in North Luangwa
Currently, 75 small houses at Mano Headquarters – originally built for scouts on duty – are permanently occupied by scout families, including school-age children. This has unintentionally created a densely populated village in the still-intact eastern portion of Mukungule Game Management Area (GMA). The settlement increases pressure on natural resources, encroaches on the national park boundary, threatens a key perennial river, and places families in direct conflict with roaming wildlife. Additionally, the access to health care and adequate schooling is very limited and with no public transport available at Mano the settlement is straining capacity to manage human needs such as access to these essential services and economic opportunities
To address these challenges, the project will develop a fully serviced scout housing estate, in an already converted section of the GMA. This purpose-built facility will include high-quality family accommodation, ranger housing, operational infrastructure, utility connections as well as solar infrastructure, and secure perimeter fencing – creating a safe, functional, and dignified living environment for scouts and their families. The location offers access to a clinic, secondary schools, churches, mobile network coverage, electricity, and economic opportunities – none of which are currently available to these households.
By moving families to this safer and better-connected area, the project is expected to significantly improve wellbeing, reduce risks posed by wildlife, and enhance scout motivation and performance by allowing them to focus on their duties in the park, knowing their families and safe and supported. Importantly, the relocated scout presence will also strengthen rapid enforcement of the GMA’s land-use plan in areas where unplanned land conversion is accelerating
The North Luangwa ecosystem is one of Zambia’s most ecologically intact landscapes and supports a wide range of globally important species, including elephant, lion, leopard, and the country’s only black rhino population. This rugged and remote area forms the core of the Malawi-Zambia TFCA and is defined by its north-south ecological connectivity, largely maintained through the surrounding GMAs. Preserving the integrity of this landscape is critical not only for wildlife conservation, but also for the long-term viability of community-based natural resource management and a wildlife-based economy in Mukungule. As implementation begins, this investment offers a rare opportunity to address both conservation and community development priorities through one coherent, landscape-level intervention
The SADC TFCA Financing Facility is a regional financing mechanism for SADC TFCAs, supported through the partnership of SADC Secretariat and International Co-operating Partners (ICPs). Funding for this project is made possible through the Financial Cooperation of BMZ and KfW. IUCN is the Project Executing Agency for the SADC TFCA Financing Facility.