The Lugenda Foundation: Community-Led Conservation in Mozambique(5-minute Video)

Managing 4,500 square kilometers of wilderness, the Lugenda Wildlife Reserve faces unique challenges, including limited tourism revenue, unstable regional conditions, and the presence of over 5,000 community members living within its boundaries.

The Lugenda Foundation was established in June 2023 as a fully compliant Mozambican entity serving as a conduit for strengthening partnerships and philanthropic investment in conservation and community development.

It operates on a unique model that combines commercial safari operations with philanthropic funding, channeling all profits directly back into community development initiatives. Key initiatives include climate-smart agriculture training, protected agricultural units, and community empowerment programs that help local farmers increase yields while protecting crops from wildlife.

Key Operations and Achievements:

1. Community Employment: The foundation employs 150 full-time staff members and 150-300 seasonal employees from local communities.
2. Direct Community Benefits: As of 2024, the Lugenda Wildlife Reserve's commercial profits are invested directly into communities, including direct cash benefits to 1,203 households.
3. Conservation Success: The Niassa Reserve has achieved seven consecutive years without elephant poaching, a remarkable achievement considering the severe poaching crisis that occurred between 2011 and 2018.
4. Innovative Programs:
   • Formation of all-female community troops and community guardians for conservation monitoring.
   • Climate-smart agriculture demonstration projects.
   • The "Yao Crochet" project supports local women artisans.
   • Conservation art projects are creating elephant sculptures from confiscated materials used in the poaching trade.
5. Unique Model: Unlike many reserves where communities exist in buffer zones, the Lugenda Wildlife Reserve community is situated right in the heart of the reserve, with six villages comprising over 5,000 individuals that benefit from a 50,000-hectare community-dedicated corridor.
6. International Support: The foundation has partnered with a US 501(c)(3) to facilitate trust-based philanthropic funding, with support from organizations including USAID, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Irish Aid, and the European Union.

The Lugenda Foundation represents an innovative transition of ownership and conservation responsibility to the community, making it a pioneering model for community-based conservation in Africa.

Discover how this organization is pioneering a community-based approach to natural resource management, transforming local residents from beneficiaries into primary stakeholders in conservation.