Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe have agreed to manage trans-boundary conservation through the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.
Nkasa Rupara is situated in the centre of the KaZa TFCA and forms a corridor for elephant, buffalo, roan and sable antelope movement from Botswana into Angola and Zambia. KaZa includes 22 protected areas which cover 280 000 square kilometers.
KaZa aims to broaden the protected areas network, increase biodiversity, expand historical game migration routes and draw more tourists to the area. In a place where local people often bear the costs of living with wildlife, KAZA aims to make the protection of wildlife and wild places economically more attractive to rural communities.
Park management
Nkasa Rupara National Park is one of five national parks in north-eastern Namibia. It is managed as a unit with Bwabwata National Park, Khaudum National Park, Mangetti National Park and Mudumu National Park.
Since 2006, the NamParks Project (formerly BMM Parks Project), co-funded by the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW, has helped develop these parks. Funding has been used to set up tourism, business and management plans, improve infrastructure, translocate animals back into their natural habitat and develop partnerships between Government and communities to manage parks with other land units.
Nkasa Rupara National Park forms part of the Mudumu South complex. Complexes group formally protected areas, conservancies and forestry management areas into single units to manage resources across park and conservancy boundaries.
Stakeholders work together on law enforcement and anti-poaching, fire management (early burning), game monitoring and wildlife translocations. This approach is known as integrated park management.
Park development
A ranger station is situated at Shizinze. The staff of Namibia’s Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) carry out patrols, monitor and count game and control poaching. It works closely with local conservancies to manage and protect this park.
NamParks Project and the MET funded a new bridge to improve access to the park and have bought vehicles and equipment for patrols. Nkasa Rupara has several tourism and hunting concessions. These provide income for the State and for neighbouring communities. A tourism lodge benefits surrounding communities.
