Liwonde National Park
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Liwonde National Park, also known as Liwonde Wildlife Reserve, is a
national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
in southern
Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
, near the
Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
border. The park was established in 1973, and has been managed by the nonprofit conservation organization African Parks since August 2015. African Parks built an electric fence around the perimeter of the park to help mitigate human-wildlife conflict. In early 2018, the adjacent Mangochi Forest Reserve was also brought under African Parks' management, almost doubling the size of the protected area.


Description and geography

Liwonde National Park is in Southern Region
Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
, just south of
Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fr ...
, near the
Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
border. It lies largely within the
Machinga District Machinga is a district in the Southern Region of Malawi. The capital is Machinga. The district covers an area of 3,771 km.² and has a population of 369,614. Demographics At the time of the 2018 Census of Malawi, the distribution of the ...
, but also is in the
Mangochi District Dedza district is one of twelve districts in the central region of Malawi. The capital is lilongwe. The district covers an area of 6,273 km.² and has a population of 610,239. The Mangochi District is a hub of commerce. It is a transit ...
. The
Balaka District Balaka is a district in the Southern Region of Malawi. The capital is Balaka. The district covers an area of 2,193 km.² and has a population of over 310,000. The district's population is increasing at a rate of 2.3% per annum. Major att ...
lies along its western border.Snyman, Susan. "Household spending patterns and flow of ecotourism income into communities around Liwonde National Park, Malawi." Development Southern Africa 30, no. 4-5 (2013): 640–658. The reserve covers of woodlands and dry
savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...
. A 30 km section of the
Shire River The Shire is the largest river in Malawi. It is the only outlet of Lake Malawi and flows into the Zambezi River in Mozambique. Its length is . The upper Shire River issues from Lake Malawi and runs approximately before it enters shallow Lake Malo ...
runs through the park including a section of the shore of
Lake Malombe Lake Malombe is a lake in southern part of Malawi, on the Shire River, in the Southern Region. It is located at around , about south of much larger Lake Malawi. It has an area of about . In recent years the number of fishermen on the lake rose s ...
, 20 km south of
Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the East African Rift system, located between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. It is the fifth largest fr ...
. A section was added in 1977 on the northern edge of the park which connects it with Mangochi Forest Reserve. Liwonde National Park, and the contiguous Mangochi Forest Reserve, are managed by African Parks in collaboration with local communities represented by the Upper Shire Association for the Conservation of Liwonde National Park (USACOL) and 31 Village Natural Resources Committees surrounding Liwonde. Liwonde has a perimeter, which was unfenced until the nonprofit organization African Parks confirmed plans to construct a fully fenced border in 2015, which has since been completed.


History

Liwonde was established in 1973. When the park was gazetted, many inhabitants were forced to relocate to border communities outside the park, which has resulted in villages in the periphery of the park having relatively high population density compared to the rest of the country. Before the park was created, the land was used for agriculture, largely subsistence. Cotton, maize, tobacco, and rice were the main crops and fishing was another important industry. African Parks took over management of Liwonde in August 2015, after being enlisted by Malawi's Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW). Rebuilding the park's fence was a top priority for the organization, in order to reduce
human–wildlife conflict Human–wildlife conflict (HWC) refers to the negative interactions between human and wild animals, with undesirable consequences both for people and their resources, on the one hand, and wildlife and their habitats on the other ( IUCN 2020). HW ...
by keeping animals within Liwonde's boundaries and to reduce poaching. This fence is monitored 24/7 to ensure animals stay in and poachers stay out Fencing the park cost US$1.6 million and took approximately 18 months to complete. In 2015, USACOL contributed K8.3 million from the
United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...
for the park's conservation. The project, which reportedly lasted from April to December, was managed by USACOL and CBNRM, both of which are part of the Coordination Union for the Rehabilitation of the Environment. According to CBNRM's national coordinator, the project encouraged local communities to "participate in the conservation and management of natural resources".


Fauna

Liwonde has a population of approximately 17,800 large mammals, and hosts more than 380 bird species. Large mammals include African buffalo,
antelope The term antelope is used to refer to many species of even-toed ruminant that are indigenous to various regions in Africa and Eurasia. Antelope comprise a wastebasket taxon defined as any of numerous Old World grazing and browsing hoofed mammals ...
(including
Common eland The common eland (''Taurotragus oryx''), also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is a species of the family Bovidae and genus '' Taurotragus''. An adult male is ...
, the endangered
sable antelope The sable antelope (''Hippotragus niger'') is an antelope which inhabits wooded savanna in East and Southern Africa, from the south of Kenya to South Africa, with a separate population in Angola. Taxonomy The sable antelope shares the genus ''Hi ...
, and
waterbuck The waterbuck (''Kobus ellipsiprymnus'') is a large antelope found widely in sub-Saharan Africa. It is placed in the genus '' Kobus'' of the family Bovidae. It was first described by Irish naturalist William Ogilby in 1833. Its 13 subspecies ar ...
),
baboon Baboons are primates comprising the genus ''Papio'', one of the 23 genera of Old World monkeys. There are six species of baboon: the hamadryas baboon, the Guinea baboon, the olive baboon, the yellow baboon, the Kinda baboon and the chacma ba ...
s,
black rhinoceros The black rhinoceros, black rhino or hook-lipped rhinoceros (''Diceros bicornis'') is a species of rhinoceros, native to eastern and southern Africa including Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania ...
,
bushbuck The Cape bushbuck (''Tragelaphus sylvaticus'') is a common and a widespread species of antelope in sub-Saharan Africa.Wronski T, Moodley Y. (2009)Bushbuck, harnessed antelope or both? ''Gnusletter'', 28(1):18-19. Bushbuck are found in a wide ra ...
,
elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...
s,
hippopotamus The hippopotamus ( ; : hippopotamuses or hippopotami; ''Hippopotamus amphibius''), also called the hippo, common hippopotamus, or river hippopotamus, is a large semiaquatic mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of only two extan ...
, impala,
kudu The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus '' Tragelaphus'': * Lesser kudu, ''Tragelaphus imberbis'', of eastern Africa * Greater kudu, ''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'', of eastern and southern Africa The two species look similar, th ...
,
monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomple ...
s, and
warthogs ''Phacochoerus'' is a genus in the family Suidae, commonly known as warthogs (pronounced ''wart-hog''). They are pigs who live in open and semi-open habitats, even in quite arid regions, in sub-Saharan Africa. The two species were formerly co ...
. The park is home to dozens of other
grazing In agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to roam around and consume wild vegetations in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by human gut) cellulose within grass and other ...
mammal species, as well as
crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term crocodile is sometimes used even more loosely to inclu ...
s. Liwonde has been very active in conservation efforts and animal relocation programs. Since 1990, elephants, black rhinoceros, elands, impalas, kudu, sables, warthogs, waterbuck, and zebra have been relocated to or from the park. In 2020, an aerial survey estimated there were approximately 600 elephants, 1,300 buffalo, 1,000 sable, 6,600 waterbuck, and 2,500 hippopotamus.


Elephants

The park is known for elephant viewing and conservation efforts. African Parks helped park officials relocate 70 elephants from Liwonde and
Mangochi Mangochi is a township in the Southern Region of Malawi. Located near the southern end of Lake Malawi, in colonial times it used to be called Fort Johnston. As of 2018 it has a population of 53,498. History Mangochi was founded by colonial adm ...
to the
Majete Wildlife Reserve Majete Wildlife Reserve is a nature reserve in southwestern Malawi, established as a protected area in 1955. The reserve's animal populations were decimated during the late 1970s and 1980s due to poaching and other human activities. Majete has bee ...
in 2008. During June–August 2016 and 2017, African Parks relocated approximately 500 elephants from Liwonde and Majete to
Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve (also known as Nkhotakota Game Reserve or Nkhotakota Wildlife Preserve), is the largest and oldest wildlife reserve in Malawi, near Nkhotakota. The park's hilly terrain features dambos and miombo woodlands as the domin ...
, and a further 34 elephants from Liwonde to
Nyika National Park Nyika National Park is Malawi’s largest national park, with an area of 3200 km2 (1250 mile2). Location and road access The park covers practically the whole of the Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi, about 480 km north of Lilongwe and 60 km ...
. The $1.6 million project was funded by
Nationale Postcode Loterij The Nationale Postcode Loterij (National Postcode Lottery) is the biggest charity lottery in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1989 by Novamedia, a marketing agency that sets up and runs charity lotteries. Forty percent of the proceeds of this l ...
and the Wyss Foundation, among other donors. Another relocation occurred in July 2022, when 250 elephants were moved to
Kasungu National Park Kasungu National Park is a national park in Malawi. It is located west of Kasungu, about 175 km north of Lilongwe, extending along the Zambian border. Kasungu National Park, established in 1970, is the second-largest in Malawi at , with an ...
.


Black rhinoceros

In 1993, a pair of black rhinoceros were moved from South Africa into a fenced sanctuary within the park, a project funded by J&B London and J&B Circle of Malawi (now called the Endangered Species of Malawi). The first calf was born to the pair in 1996 and a second pair was introduced into a second sanctuary in 1998. In 1999, a second calf was born. The Liwonde Rhino Sanctuaries led to the growth of a number of other species, particularly buffalo, eland, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, roan antelope, zebra, and sable antelope, allowing for animals of those species to be moved to other parks, particularly
Kasungu National Park Kasungu National Park is a national park in Malawi. It is located west of Kasungu, about 175 km north of Lilongwe, extending along the Zambian border. Kasungu National Park, established in 1970, is the second-largest in Malawi at , with an ...
. The fence surrounding these two sanctuaries was removed in 2000, opening the rest of the park to these and other animals which were living in the sanctuaries, and the rhinoceros conservation effort within the park continues. In November 2019, 17 black rhinos were transported from
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
to the park. The translocation was carried out by African Parks, in conjunction with WWF South Africa, the DNPW, and
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is a governmental organisation responsible for maintaining wildlife conservation areas and biodiversity in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Their headquarters is in Queen Elizabeth Park situated on the northern slopes o ...
.


Predators

In May 2017, African Parks relocated seven
cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...
s from South Africa, becoming Malawi's first wild cheetahs in twenty years. These were the first large predators to be reintroduced to the park, after being absent from this part of the country for around a century.
Endangered Wildlife Trust The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that str ...
's Cheetah Metapopulation Project and DNPW assisted with the relocation. Since 2017, the cheetah population has increased to 21 individuals. Liwonde park officials had hoped to introduce female lions in 2012. The last reported sighting of a male lion was in 2015. Park officials still planned to reintroduce lions and
leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...
, as of 2017. In early 2018, African Parks reintroduced 9 lions into Liwonde. The DNPW, the Dutch Government, and the Lion Recovery Fund assisted with the relocation. The lion population has since adjusted well, and the first cub was born in 2020. In an effort to boost the park's hyaena numbers, six animals were reintroduced from a private property in Kasungu, bringing the population to about 25. In July 2020, a pack of eight
African wild dog The African wild dog (''Lycaon pictus''), also called the painted dog or Cape hunting dog, is a wild canine which is a native species to sub-Saharan Africa. It is the largest wild canine in Africa, and the only extant member of the genus '' Ly ...
s was reintroduced in the park, following decades since their local extinction. The pack adapted well to its new environment, and six weeks after their relocation, the first litter of pups was confirmed to be born. Tragically, in November 2022 the pack were all killed following the intentional poisoning of a waterhole within Liwonde National Park.


Birds

Biome-restricted bird species in the park include:
white-starred robin The white-starred robin (''Pogonocichla stellata'') is a species of bird in the Old World flycatcher and chat family Muscicapidae. It is also sometimes more simply called the starred robin. It is monotypic within the genus ''Pogonocichla''. Ther ...
,
brown-headed parrot The brown-headed parrot (''Poicephalus cryptoxanthus'') is a south-eastern African parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropic ...
,
brown-breasted barbet The brown-breasted barbet (''Lybius melanopterus'') is a species of bird in the Lybiidae family. It is found in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, and Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya M ...
, pale batis, Dickinson's kestrel,
Lilian's lovebird Lilian's lovebird (''Agapornis lilianae''), also known as the Nyasa lovebird, is a small African parrot species of the lovebird genus. It is mainly green and has orange on its upper chest and head. It is 13 cm (5 inches) long and is th ...
,
Böhm's bee-eater Böhm's bee-eater (''Merops boehmi'') is a species of bird in the family Meropidae. It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked c ...
,
racket-tailed roller The racket-tailed roller (''Coracias spatulatus'') is a species of bird in the family Coraciidae. It is found in southern Africa from Angola, south-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Tanzania to northern Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi a ...
,
pale-billed hornbill The pale-billed hornbill (''Lophoceros pallidirostris'') is a species of hornbill in the family Bucerotidae. It is found in Angola, DRC, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a ...
, Kurrichane thrush,
Arnot's chat Arnot's chat (''Myrmecocichla arnotti''), also known as the white-headed black-chat, is a species of bird in the chat and flycatcher family Muscicapidae. The species is found in southern Africa from Rwanda and Angola to South Africa. Taxonomy Th ...
, white-bellied sunbird, black-eared seedeater, broad-tailed paradise whydah, Meves's starling. The park is the only location in Malawi where Lilian's lovebird and the brown-breasted barbet are found. According to African Parks, there are at least six different species of vultures in Liwonde, four of which are critically endangered. In 2011, Birdlife International and the Good Gifts Catalogue raised funds to survey and monitor the threatened Lilian's lovebird. Park rangers and local students worked with the Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi to research Lilian's lovebirds in 2012. There have been repeated requests to allow birds in the park to be captured for trade, especially Lilian's lovebird, but these have thus far been denied.


Human–wildlife conflict

Interactions between people and wild animals in and around the park has resulted in significant human–wildlife conflict, particularly with elephants. In 2015, poachers killed at least two elephants, and a rhinoceros calf had to be saved from a wire snare trap. Park officials have used an aircraft to steer elephants back into the park from neighboring areas, and patrol the park's waters by boat to reduce
illegal fishing Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries. Illegal fishing takes ...
. In September 2015, park officials confirmed the deaths of three poachers inside, and four people outside, the park as the result of crocodile and elephant attacks. The incidents occurred within seven weeks of one another. African Parks' chief executive officer called the attacks "almost unprecedented", but also said conflicts between animals and people were one reason the Malawi government invited the organization to manage the park. Since African Parks assumed management of the park in 2015, incidences of human-wildlife conflict have greatly reduced.https://www.africanparks.org/sites/default/files/uploads/resources/2018-07/Annual%20Report%202017%20-%20Liwonde.pdf Fifty elephants and two rhinoceros in Liwonde were killed by poachers between 2014 and 2017, and rangers recovered between 18,000 and 23,000 snares in the park from 2015 to 2017. African Parks has made over 100 arrests and installed 120 km of electric fencing in an effort to reduce conflict and poaching. During 2016–2017, the organization received funding from
World Wildlife Fund The World Wide Fund for Nature Inc. (WWF) is an international non-governmental organization founded in 1961 that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. It was formerly named the Wo ...
and a $5 million grant from
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
to assess the viability of using drones as tools in law enforcement. These attempts proved successful, and as a result, not a single rhino or elephant has been poached in Liwonde since 2017.


Flora

Mopane ''Colophospermum mopane'', commonly called mopane, mopani, balsam tree, butterfly tree, or turpentine tree, is a tree in the legume family (Fabaceae), that grows in hot, dry, low-lying areas, in elevation, in the far northern parts of southern A ...
is the most common large plant species in the park. The epiphytic
orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
, ''
Microcoelia ornithocephala ''Microcoelia'' is a genus of orchids native to sub-Saharan Africa as well as to Madagascar and other islands of the Indian Ocean. #'' Microcoelia aphylla'' (Thouars) Summerh. - from Kenya and Uganda south to KwaZulu-Natal, plus Madagascar, Mau ...
'' is nearly endemic to the park, also being recorded on nearby Sambani Hill. Other plants in the park include:
acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...
s,
miombo The Miombo woodland is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome (in the World Wide Fund for Nature scheme) located primarily in Central Africa. It includes four woodland savanna ecoregions (listed below) characterized b ...
, '' Albizia harveyi'', ''
Adansonia digitata ''Adansonia digitata'', the African baobab, is the most widespread tree species of the genus '' Adansonia'', the baobabs, and is native to the African continent and the southern Arabian Peninsula (Yemen, Oman). These are long-lived pachycauls; ...
'', reedbeds along the rivers, evergreen forests fringing tributaries, ''
Vachellia xanthophloea ''Vachellia xanthophloea'' is a tree in the family Fabaceae, commonly known in English as the fever tree. This species of ''Vachellia'' is native to eastern and southern Africa (Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Eswat ...
'' (fever tree), '' Borassus'' (Palmyra palm),
caper ''Capparis spinosa'', the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds (capers), used as a seasoning ...
s, ''
Hyphaene coriacea ''Hyphaene coriacea'', the lala palm or ilala palm is a species of palm tree native to the eastern Afrotropics. It occurs in eastern Africa from Somalia to Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, and is also found in the coastal flats of Madagascar and on ...
'' (Lala palm), and ''
Kigelia ''Kigelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae. The genus consists of only one species, ''Kigelia africana'', which occurs throughout tropical Africa. The so-called sausage tree grows a poisonous fruit that is up to long, ...
'' (sausage trees).


Economy

Tourism makes up approximately 97% of the total revenue generated by the park, with 58% of that coming from concession fees from the private lodges in the park.Novelli, Marina, and Amy Scarth. "Tourism in protected areas: Integrating conservation and community development in Liwonde National Park (Malawi)." Tourism and Hospitality Planning & Development 4, no. 1 (2007): 47–73. The nearest township to the park is Liwonde, and there is mixed evidence that the economic benefits of the park have a great impact beyond the park boundaries. The park has many characteristics of an enclave resort, but there are small enterprises such as Makanga Women's Group and Njobvu Cultural Village Lodge which market goods and services to park tourists. Before the building of a fence, people living near the park argued in support of its construction, saying that the animals were damaging their crops. Proposals have been made by the Malawi Minister of Finance for revenue generated by the park to be divided between the park and local communities, although implementation was delayed.


Tourism

Mvuu Lodge
("mvuu" means "hippopotamus" in
Chewa Chewa may refer to: *the Chewa people *the Chewa language Chewa (also known as Nyanja, ) is a Bantu language spoken in much of Southern, Southeast and East Africa, namely the countries of Malawi , where it is an official language, and Mozambiq ...
), located on the banks of the Shire River, is the only lodge in the park, as of February 2015. The lodge, established in 1995, is operated by Central Africa Wilderness Safaris, a company known for its sustainable practices and willingness to support local communities and conservation efforts. Mvuu Lodge has a sister property calle
Mvuu Camp
Boat safaris provide guests with opportunities to view wildlife. The lodge and camp employed 110 people, as of 2015, including: 14 guides, 4 mechanics (and a boat mechanic), 3 carpenters, 2 tailors, a builder, an electrician and assistant, and a shoemaker and has 56 beds as well as camp sites. Previously, a second lodge, the Chinguni Hills Lodge, operated in the southern part of the park. Opened in 2000, this lodge had 44 beds plus camp sites and focussed on budget and mid-range markets in comparison with Mvuu's high end focus.


Conservation partnerships

African Bat Conservation conducted research in Liwonde in 2014 and worked with the park on the National Bat Monitoring Programme, which evaluates the diversity and size of bat populations, until 2016. Carnivore Research Malawi worked with the park to evaluate carnivore density and distribution, particularly for the
spotted hyena The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus ''Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUC ...
population, until 2016. In 2021, the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust assumed responsibility for the monitoring of a number of species in Liwonde National Park on behalf of African Parks. Their programme focuses on the reintroduced carnivores, plus a range of ecologically and nationally important species. The Liwonde National Park Conservation Programme, which seeks to improve the park's management and security and support nearby communities, is a collaboration between the International Fund for Animal Welfare and DNPW. Projects have included
fish farming upright=1.3, Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture) at Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye">mariculture.html" ;"title="Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture">Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture) at Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye, Scotland Fish farming or ...
,
hydroponics Hydroponics is a type of horticulture and a subset of hydroculture which involves growing plants, usually crops or medicinal plants, without soil, by using water-based mineral nutrient solutions in aqueous solvents. Terrestrial or aquatic plan ...
, human–wildlife conflict and poaching reduction efforts, and skills training.


Further reading

*


References


External links

*
Liwonde
at African Parks
Liwonde National Park
at
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{{authority control African Parks (organisation) Geography of Southern Region, Malawi National parks of Malawi Protected areas established in 1973 Important Bird Areas of Malawi