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The trustees and staff of Kasanka Trust would like to start this news page by wishing everyone a Happy New Year (and even new millennium!) with a special greeting to all our supporters who keep the vital conservation and development work going out here in Zambia!
The Trust’s primary work is protecting the integrity of Kasanka National Park and all it’s ecosystems. For the habitat this means preventing agricultural incursions and controlling bush fires. (See article on controlled burning). Anti-poaching patrols are the biggest element of this work, and without them the wildlife would soon return to the very low levels seen before the project started. During 2000, scouts arrested 93 poachers, and confiscated 8 firearms, 855 wire snare traps, and 34 fishing canoes. As well as their policing duties, scouts also participated in wildlife census activities under the supervision of the Wildlife Resource Monitoring Unit of the Environmental Council of Zambia. We are still awaiting the final results from this year’s survey, but indications are that most large mammals are increasing in number.
The colony of straw-coloured fruitbats has now moved on as they do every year. In fact their arrival and departure dates have been the same within a couple of days for the last 3 years. Where they go still remains a mystery, but researchers Chris and Tilde Stuart (South African wildlife authors) have been doing preliminary research on them and are hoping to raise funds to put satellite tags on some bats during their next visit. This will allow the bats to be monitored going out to feed and more importantly we should find out where they spend the rest of the year.
Kasanka Trust’s original management agreement ran from July 1990 to July 2000 and negotiations are going on to finalise a new agreement for the next 10 years. In the meantime, the Trust was granted an extension with a written assurance from the Zambia Wildlife Authority that they were pleased with work to date and that they had every intention of renewing the agreement. The main cause of the delay has been the re-organisation of the old National Parks and Wildlife Service into the new semi-autonomous ZAWA. This process has proved very disruptive and left little time for negotiation of agreements such as ours.
All this work inside the park and with the local community depends on the generosity of our supporters. If you believe in preserving the remaining wilderness areas in the world, and helping the disadvantaged local inhabitants to develop in balance with their environment, then we ask you to give to our charity. The Zambian government, whilst giving support and encouragement to our project, cannot provide the huge resources needed for proper healthcare and education let alone wildlife conservation. As a small organisation we’re able to keep administration costs so low that 100% of all donations you can give will be spent in the field in Zambia. By giving to us you will have a chance not only to decide how your money is spent (conservation, health, education), be kept up to date on progress but will also be very welcome to visit Kasanka and see the big effect a little money can have.
If you think you can help click here! HAPPY NEW YEAR! Edmund Farmer, Park Manager, 9/1/00
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2000
has been a very productive year here. Anti-poaching, park infrastructure
and community development have all been well supported by our donors.
Tourism has also come on in leaps and bounds with a record number of
visitors bringing in consistently good income to support the
conservation work
£50
will buy new uniform and boots for a scout. £10 a month will buy food
and supplies for a 10-day patrol by 6 scouts. £150 pa for 5 years will
put one child through Secondary school. This includes board &
lodging, travelling, uniforms etc. £50 pa will support a day student at
one of the ‘middle basic’ schools in Kafinda for the first 2 years
of secondary education. £600 pays one additional teacher's salary for a
year. £1,750 will pay for a planned and costed 2-year adult literacy
programme. Smaller sums can go to the purchase of books, writing
equipment, and the other countless items of the necessary paraphernalia
of running any school.