Who is COMACO

Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) is a multi-stakeholder program initiated and stewarded by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)in close consultation with Community Resources Boards of Luangwa Valley, District Council authorities, and key Government institutions, such as Zambia Wildlife Authority and Ministries of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Local Government.A widerange of other collaborating partners provide technical support services to COMACO.

As a program, COMACO oversees the development of a limited-by-guarantee, non-profit company called Conservation Farmer Wildlife Producer Trading Centre (CTC), whose Articles of Assocation require all net revenue gainsbe reinvested in food security, rural incomes and conservation. Rural people benefit fromthis companyby joining a COMACO-registered producer group, which requires group members to learn improved farming skills and adopt by-laws that refrain group members from using snares or otherpractices destructive to their natural resources. COMACO facilitates the formation of Producer Group Cooperatives among the different producer groups for each COMACO trading depot. Producer group members are entitled to improved producer prices and producer bonus prices for complying to their by-laws.

The CTCboard members oversee management to ensure the companyoperates with a net revenue gain and in a fully accountable and transparent way in meetingcompany objectives. Board members consist of WCS, Community Resources Boards, Local District Councils and Producer Group Cooperatives. BACK TO TOP