Kasanka Trust Ltd.

The Kasanka Trust has been established in 1986 to protect Kasanka National Park. It signed an agreement with Zambia’s National Parks & Wildlife Service whereby Kasanka Trust undertook responsibility for the financing of the management and control of KNP and for the development and promotion of tourism in the national park (the first Zambian PPP).

Kasanka National Park

employed and trained local people as scouts to protect the habitats and wildlife, drawing on their special knowledge and creating much needed employment.

implemented outreach programs in the surrounding communities to educate people in conservation, help develop new sustainable income sources, and uplift healthcare and education.

made Kasanka National park an important sanctuary for endangered species, an international tourist destination, and a catalyst for conservation and rural development in Northern Zambia.

As an implementing agency the Trust has:

Funding for these activities has come from a variety of sources:

Charitable donations from individuals and organisations in Zambia and through the Kasanka Trust registered charities in UK and Netherlands (our conservation trusts).

Government and multilateral donors for (community) projects. Income from tourism for a large proportion of the park management

costs.

Expenditure

Approximately US$330,000 per year

Chart exc. Tourism operations:

New developments

In 2007 the Zambian government asked Kasanka Trust to expand operations to the rehabilitation of the nearby Lavushi Manda National Park.

Lavushi Manda National Park

GEF / World Bank for expansion

In 2008 Kasanka Trust received via the World Bank Zambia a Global Environmental Facility (GEF) grant of US$65.000 as a Project Preparation Grant (PPG).

The PPG is to prepare a feasible and cost-efficient medium sized project design for a three/four-year project to extent Kasanka management to Lavushi Manda National Park (and integrate the two parks in the greater Bangweulu Ecosystem with Chikuni Partnership Park (African Parks)).

The World Bank will bring support to get started (US$835.000) but the Trust needs partners to provide counterpart funding to match their input (>US$1.000.000), while at the same time maintain and improve the protection of Kasanka NP.

Is it time to set up a park conservation trust or to professionalize and/or restructure the British and Dutch trusts?

My objective for the training is therefore to:

Learn about CTFs to be able to advice the Zambian, British and Dutch Kasanka Trusts on the way forward.