We are proud to extend the impact of Mulberry Mongooses' donations to include Conservation Lower Zambezi. CLZ are a team of brave and passionate conservationists working hard to help protect the beautiful Lower Zambezi.
To celebrate we are doubling donations from our online orders for October and November. $10 from any online sale will go towards essential anti-snare patrol work. It is a true privilege to support these wonderful not for profits that make many sacrifices to safeguard our iconic wildlife.
Who is Conservation Lower Zambezi?
Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) is a non-profit committed to the protection of wildlife and to the sustainable use of natural resources in the beautiful Lower Zambezi. They work in collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW).
What do CLZ do?
A lot is the short answer! But if you fancy learning more…
They adhere to 3 key pillars under which they do an enormous amount of good:
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Their Wildlife Protection Programme
CLZ provides financial, logistical and technological support for:
- Foot Patrols – which police the environment against wildlife crime such as snare poaching.
- ‘Eyes-in-the-skies’, or aerial support, to detect illegal activities and for monitoring wildlife movements.
- A Detection and Tracking Dog Unit - 4 handlers and 2 dogs that move between trafficking ‘hotspots’. The highly trained dogs are imprinted with the scent of ivory, pangolin scales, bush meat, firearms and ammunition.
- Investigations and Intelligence Unit - supporting the Investigations and Intelligence Unit (IIU) in covert operations.
- Their Environmental Education Programme
CLZ aims to raise awareness and to build a generation of local community members that take pride in Zambia’s natural heritage and feel responsible for its protection. To achieve this they run:
- School Visits - where children and teachers are invited to spend 3 nights at CLZ’s Environmental Education Centre. The children develop passion for their wildlife through going on game drives, boat rides and through wildlife learning activities.
- Outreach Programmes - CLZ’s environmental educator visits specific schools sharing information on the environment & HIV protection.
- Teacher Training - each year 24 teachers from the Conservation Clubs attend a 3-night teacher-training workshop at CLZ’s Environmental Education Centre.
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Their Community Support Programme
In places like Zambia, where humans and wildlife coexist and fend for space and natural resources, providing support to the community forms a key component of wildlife protection. The support they give involves:
- Human Wildlife Conflict Patrols (HWCP) - during the peak HWC season CLZ deploy a Village Scout team in the community providing a trained and armed response unit for HWC incidents.
- Chilli Farming - CLZ and Awelyhave been assisting and educating farmers on the use of chilli-fences as a mitigation method to deter elephants from their fields.
- Anti-Snare Campaign - CLZ and Awelyhost an educational Anti-Snare Campaign annually.
- Rubatano Day - ‘Rubatano’ means unity in the local language and is the name given to CLZ’s annual community sports day bringing together local netball and football teams to compete and enjoy.
- The Mbeli Women’s Group - CLZ supports the ‘Mbelis’ (meaning ‘moving forward’), a women’s group learning to create and sell craft items, thus generating income and empowerment.
And if that is not enough they are also involved in…
Research & Reintroduction
CLZ assists in the rescue and rehabilitation of injured and orphaned animals and where possible they strive to ensure the animals are released back into the wild.