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Can tourism reverse the impact of poaching in Zambia and Zimbabwe?

Traps rigged by humans are killing animals in Liuwa Plain National Park. Support Daan, who works with extensive data analysis to protect these animals.

Daan Smit

Donate to Daan - An Ecologist Fighting to Protect Cheetahs

SDG 15 Life on Land

## In short
Daan is the Project Manager for the ZCP Greater Liuwa Project and an Ecologist fighting to protect cheetahs and other carnivores of Zambia from poachers and deadly wire snares.

**Working in the field**
I’ve been part of the ZCP team since 2013. I started as an intern and today I oversee field logistics, research, training, community outreach and education for me and the team in Liuwa.

**Poaching a serious issue**
Climate change is changing Zambia, we can expect more extreme weather conditions. A drought can limit food supply and thereby it can pose a serious threat to the lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs of the region as people turn to poaching for food. Wildlife, including cheetah, get caught in horrific wire snares which either kills them or leaves them badly injured. We as ZCP do not only study these animals we also attend to the animals that get caught in wire snares though our rapid veterinary response teams.

**Studying Zambia's last cheetahs**
The focus of my work is to conserve the Liuwa Ecosystem. We study carnivore and wildebeest demographics, their movements and we identify their threats to guide, evaluate and inform the management of the park. A big part of my work is focusing on cheetah, the more we know about what they eat and how they use the landscape, the better we can protect them. 


## My organization
The Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP) is a Zambian-registered non-profit organization dedicated to conserving large carnivores and the ecosystems they reside in through a combination of conservation science, conservation actions, and a comprehensive education and capacity-building effort. We work in close collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to accomplish the following goals:

- To safeguard large carnivores, their prey and habitat through research, conservation and education. 
- To utilize large carnivores and their prey as flagship species for large landscape conservation.
- To provide information and recommendations to the DNPW and support efforts to conserve wildlife and ecosystems.
- To increase knowledge and understanding of large carnivore, large herbivore dynamics and interrelationships and contribute to conservation of these species as a whole.
- To build capacity with Zambian organizations and governmental agencies for conservation of large carnivores and herbivores, their ecological functions and habitats.

The Zambian Carnivore Programme follows a three-pronged interdisciplinary approach to fulfill its goals. The success of this work fundamentally rests on our diverse and effective collaborations with local, national and international partners, agencies, organizations and institutions that collectively provide the expertise, resources and energy to address the myriad conservation challenges facing Zambia and the region.

**Our work**
We work with conservation of large carnivores and the ecosystem they reside in through science, action, and local leadership. Some of the animals we work with include (but are not limited to), lions, leopards, and wild dogs. However, we also work to engage the community through initiatives such as conservation clubs, citizen science, women in wildlife conservation and graduate education. 

- Conservation Science: We live in an era of rapid, human-induced ecological change, necessitating accurate and current scientific information to guide, inform and evaluate conservation efforts. Our collaborative long-term studies of large carnivores, their prey, habitat, and the factors limiting and threatening them are therefore of critical importance.
- Conservation Action: Our conservation actions address the immediate threats to species and ecosystems as identified by our conservation science. We collaborate with an array of local partners to help ensure that threats are addressed through initiatives ranging from supporting anti-poaching and wildlife crime prevention, to connectivity, land-use planning, species reintroductions, mitigating human-wildlife conflict and disease mitigation.
- Conservation Capacity: Sustainability of conservation efforts rely heavily on local leadership and the capacity of Zambian organizations and individuals to successfully research and manage carnivores and their habitats, as well as on local community support for carnivores and wildlife.
- Large Landscape Conservation: Zambia is the “Crossroads for Connectivity”, and large carnivores are the poster children for large landscape conservation. Zambia borders to eight different countries, connecting Eastern and Southern African populations, sharing four Transfrontier Conservation Areas, and having over 30 % of its land managed for wildlife uses. 

In short
Daan is the Project Manager for the ZCP Greater Liuwa Project and an Ecologist fighting to protect cheetahs and other carnivores of Zambia from poachers and deadly wire snares.

Working in the field
I’ve been part of the ZCP team since 2013. I started as an intern and today I oversee field logistics, research, training, community outreach and education for me and the team in Liuwa.

Poaching a serious issue
Climate change is changing Zambia, we can expect more extreme weather conditions. A drought can limit food supply and thereby it can pose a serious threat to the lions, leopards, hyenas and wild dogs of the region as people turn to poaching for food. Wildlife, including cheetah, get caught in horrific wire snares which either kills them or leaves them badly injured. We as ZCP do not only study these animals we also attend to the animals that get caught in wire snares though our rapid veterinary response teams.

Studying Zambia's last cheetahs
The focus of my work is to conserve the Liuwa Ecosystem. We study carnivore and wildebeest demographics, their movements and we identify their threats to guide, evaluate and inform the management of the park. A big part of my work is focusing on cheetah, the more we know about what they eat and how they use the landscape, the better we can protect them.

My organization
The Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP) is a Zambian-registered non-profit organization dedicated to conserving large carnivores and the ecosystems they reside in through a combination of conservation science, conservation actions, and a comprehensive education and capacity-building effort. We work in close collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to accomplish the following goals:

To safeguard large carnivores, their prey and habitat through research, conservation and education.
To utilize large carnivores and their prey as flagship species for large landscape conservation.
To provide information and recommendations to the DNPW and support efforts to conserve wildlife and ecosystems.
To increase knowledge and understanding of large carnivore, large herbivore dynamics and interrelationships and contribute to conservation of these species as a whole.
To build capacity with Zambian organizations and governmental agencies for conservation of large carnivores and herbivores, their ecological functions and habitats.

The Zambian Carnivore Programme follows a three-pronged interdisciplinary approach to fulfill its goals. The success of this work fundamentally rests on our diverse and effective collaborations with local, national and international partners, agencies, organizations and institutions that collectively provide the expertise, resources and energy to address the myriad conservation challenges facing Zambia and the region.

Our work
We work with conservation of large carnivores and the ecosystem they reside in through science, action, and local leadership. Some of the animals we work with include (but are not limited to), lions, leopards, and wild dogs. However, we also work to engage the community through initiatives such as conservation clubs, citizen science, women in wildlife conservation and graduate education.

Conservation Science: We live in an era of rapid, human-induced ecological change, necessitating accurate and current scientific information to guide, inform and evaluate conservation efforts. Our collaborative long-term studies of large carnivores, their prey, habitat, and the factors limiting and threatening them are therefore of critical importance.
Conservation Action: Our conservation actions address the immediate threats to species and ecosystems as identified by our conservation science. We collaborate with an array of local partners to help ensure that threats are addressed through initiatives ranging from supporting anti-poaching and wildlife crime prevention, to connectivity, land-use planning, species reintroductions, mitigating human-wildlife conflict and disease mitigation.
Conservation Capacity: Sustainability of conservation efforts rely heavily on local leadership and the capacity of Zambian organizations and individuals to successfully research and manage carnivores and their habitats, as well as on local community support for carnivores and wildlife.
Large Landscape Conservation: Zambia is the “Crossroads for Connectivity”, and large carnivores are the poster children for large landscape conservation. Zambia borders to eight different countries, connecting Eastern and Southern African populations, sharing four Transfrontier Conservation Areas, and having over 30 % of its land managed for wildlife uses.

Traps rigged by humans are killing animals in Liuwa Plain National Park. Daan works with extensive data analysis to protect wild dogs, lions, hyenas, and cheetahs in the Greater Liuwa ecosystem.

Project Manager & Ecologist

Traps rigged by humans are killing animals in Liuwa Plain National Park. Daan works with extensive data analysis to protect wild dogs, lions, hyenas and cheetahs in the Greater Liuwa ecosystem.

Donate now to save cheetahs

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