Conservation Impacts l COMACO l Zambia

Wildlife - Law enforcement and strict regulations governing the use of wildlife have limited support among rural poor and do little to build local understanding for why conservation is good, especially when such approaches, from the perception of local people, limit options for a better livelihood. COMACO achieves conservation differently by building stronger linkages between improved land use practices and increased market incentives that lead to increased wildlife production and habitat protection. This impact on conservation is evident from COMACO's capacity to lower such threats to wildlife, such as snaring, illegal hunting, and the local manufacturing of illegal firearms. *To view these results please click here - (Adobe .Pdf)*
Forests and watersheds - COMACO also seeks to manage forest and watershed resources across large landscapes utilized by rural communities. Often such resources have an important ecological link to wildlife areas in terms of helping sustain spring-fed watering holes or the perennial flow of streams and rivers. In addition to providing important habitat for wildlife, these forests and watersheds can sustain important sources of income from such products as honey, timber and wild fruits, if managed properly. *To view these results please click here - (Adobe .Pdf)*
Fisheries - The COMACO approach to reducing threats to wildlife and forests can also apply to naturally-stocked fisheries. Poverty and hunger can force people to over-exploit their local fisheries with undersized-mesh fishing nets to earn money needed to buy food from shortfalls caused by poor farming or to meet domestic needs when other income sources are lacking. The impact on fisheries when harmful fishing practices are used and can be devastating and can lead to increased exploitive pressures on other renewable resources like wildlife. COMACO is trying to reverse these trends in the Luangwa and Zambezi Rivers, where fish populations could sustain long-term local economies if managed properly.
Soils - Good management of soils is key to protecting Zambia's living, natural landscapes. If rural communities are careless and allow their soils to wash away or become sterile from over-use by nutrient-demanding crops, then pressure to clear new farmland escalates into a runaway disaster for natural resources. Keeping soils fertile and productive is at the core of COMACO's approach to conservation. COMACO does this in various ways: local production of fertilizer through composting, non-burning of fields, emphasis on soil-enriching food and cash crops, and conservation farming. *To view these results please click here - (Adobe .Pdf)*