Transformed Poachers
- 65 transformed poachers supported by farmer cooperatives to use a non-lethal technique of scaring large mammals from farm fields by blasting red-hot chili, saving farmers their livelihoods without killing wildlife-
COMACO started operating in Luangwa Valley to help wildlife poachers learn new skills to protect wildlife.
Our mission was to help wildlife poachers learn new skills that would offer their families better ways of fulfilling their livelihoods needs than by killing wild animals. In return we asked them to surrender their guns and sign a pledge never to return to poaching again. Since then, we have transformed over 1,878 poachers.
Together those transformed poachers have created the first ever Transformed Poachers Association of Zambia. Their mission is to conserve the natural resources and wildlife here in Zambia, put a stop to poaching of any sort and other activities that are harmful to the environment, all while educating others on the importance of conservation. As this process continues, we believe it is possible to greatly reduce the threat of poaching and the high cost of wildlife law enforcement.
Energy
In partnership with CQuest, COMACO has distributed 97,463 fuel-efficient cookstoves that are monitored annually for their use and maintenance.
Women’s Empowerment
52% of COMACO farmers and half of all cooperative leaders are women, figures that would have been unimaginable twenty years ago.
Manufacturing as a Tool for Conservation
We supply over 8,000 tons of nutritious food products to Zambia’s cities and towns annually under the brand It’s Wild!.
Carbon Project
We worked with local chiefs to establish Community Conservation Areas designed to safeguard Zambia’s forests and the wildlife within them.
Cooperatives
We helped establish 103 community-run cooperatives in 84 chiefdoms across Eastern, Central and Muchinga Provinces of Zambia.
Transformed Poachers
COMACO started operating in Luangwa Valley with a mission to help wildlife poachers learn new skills to fulfil their livelihoods and protect wildlife.
Agroforestry
In the 2020/2021 season, we partnered with 72,000 farmers in Eastern and Muchinga provinces to plant over 46 million Gliricidia Sepium trees.
Beekeeping
We work with over 7,000 farmers in the Luangwa Valley not only to protect landscapes and forests, but also to improve household nutrition and income.
