The Greater Lebombo Conservancy (GLC) is a handful of privately-owned Mozambique parks bordering the Kruger National Park’s (KNP) western boundary. Kruger’s intensive protection zone, where the world’s largest population of rhinos are kept, is directly opposite the southern section of the GLC. Mozambican poachers traditionally streamed through these reserves into the KNP, creating an unmanageable problem and a detrimental rhino death rate in the area.
Environmental Management Conservation Trust (EMCT) started operating in the southern area of the GLC in 2015 (until August 2018), based out of Sabi Game Park. We targeted the greatest threatened area in order to create a buffer zone between KNP and the poaching syndicates who operated on Kruger’s doorstep.
A tremendous 75% decrease in rhino poaching activity was experienced in areas of operation. Furthermore, in all areas of operation, EMCT zeroed elephant and bush-meat poaching while only losing one rhino to poaching in its last 18 months of operation.
In 2013, rhinos were declared extinct in Mozambique. Fast forward to present day and one can find a healthy population of rhino in areas controlled and managed by EMCT.
To date, hundreds of poachers have been apprehended and 40+ firearms confiscated, all of which had the potential of killing dozens of wildlife throughout the area, had they not being caught.
