Musekese Conservation: Protecting a Living Landscape

When guests arrive at Musekese Camp, surrounded by the wild expanse of Kafue National Park, it’s easy to see why this vast landscape may have needed the assistance of what was to become Musekese Conservation. What began as a small, field-based initiative led by the founders of Classic Zambia has grown into one of Zambia’s most dynamic conservation organisations — protecting wildlife, supporting communities, and securing the long-term future of the Greater Kafue Ecosystem.

Today, Musekese Conservation (MC) is a powerful example of how tourism and conservation can work hand in hand to protect one of Africa’s largest and most intact wilderness areas.

From Foundation to Expansion

Established in 2018, Musekese Conservation’s roots lie in the Musekese–Lumbeya section of Kafue National Park — the only part of the park east of the Kafue River and an area twice the size of Kenya’s Maasai Mara. Once under severe pressure from poaching and bushmeat hunting, this landscape is now a model of recovery. Early support from the safari sector provided rations, uniforms, and basic field equipment for wildlife officers. Soon, a permanent base, patrol teams, boats, and aircraft followed.

By 2022, Musekese Conservation had six fully equipped anti-poaching units operating in the area, helping stabilise wildlife populations and attract new tourism investment. But the conservation challenge didn’t stop at the park boundary.

In 2023, as management of Kafue National Park transitioned under a new co-management structure with African Parks and the Zambian Government, MC shifted its operational focus beyond the park — into the Game Management Areas (GMAs) that surround it. These are the critical buffer zones where wildlife and people coexist, and where conservation and community livelihoods meet.

A New Frontier: The GMAs

In partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), Musekese Conservation expanded its work into Mumbwa and Kasonso–Busanga GMAs. These areas are vital corridors connecting the core of Kafue with the surrounding communities — but also under the most intense pressure from encroachment, deforestation, and illegal resource use.

The results have been remarkable.Within the first year, MC reduced deforestation in Mumbwa GMA by more than 50 percent through a combination of visible patrol presence, community partnerships, and satellite-based monitoring. In 2024, MC constructed a new operations base and trained over 35 community scouts, providing meaningful local employment while building conservation capacity from within.

In Kasonso–Busanga, MC’s work represents the first consistent conservation presence in over a decade — protecting key elephant corridors, re-establishing patrol coverage, and employing teams of trained scouts in collaboration with the Mubambe Community Resource Board (CRB). It’s a story of restoration, resilience, and community-led stewardship.

The Musekese–Lumbeya Heartland

Despite the expansion, the Musekese–Lumbeya region remains the organisation’s research anchor — a living laboratory for large carnivore ecology and ecosystem monitoring. It’s a place of exceptional biodiversity: leopard densities here are among the highest recorded anywhere in the Greater Kafue Ecosystem (and potentially Southern Africa), lion numbers are steadily increasing, and endangered species like cheetah and wild dog are reclaiming their place in the landscape.

Long-term monitoring shows lion densities rising from 1.02 to 1.84 lions per 100 km² between 2022 and 2024, with average pride sizes nearly doubling. These figures aren’t just statistics — they represent years of patient fieldwork, improved protection, and coordinated management between MC, the Zambian Carnivore Programme, Panthera and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW).

Science at the Core

At the heart of Musekese Conservation’s work is research and data. Over 400 camera traps now monitor more than 1,000 km² of the Musekese–Lumbeya landscape. Teams track seven lion prides, six wild dog packs, and six cheetahs, building detailed profiles of each individual animal. This data guides management decisions for the entire park and contributes to peer-reviewed scientific publications shaping large-carnivore conservation across Africa.

But science here isn’t confined to researchers — it’s shared with visitors, guides, and communities. Through citizen-science projects, guests at our very own Musekese Camp contribute their sightings and photographs, helping build individual ID catalogues of lions, leopards, and wild dogs. It’s a hands-on way for safari guests to become active participants in conservation.

Conservation with Communities at the Centre

Effective conservation in Zambia’s GMAs depends on people. Musekese Conservation now employs and supports over 130 individuals across the landscape, many of them from local chiefdoms. Collaboration with CRBs and traditional leaders ensures communities play an active role in managing and benefiting from natural resources.

Projects like Kids in the Kafue — run in partnership with Classic Zambia Safaris — give schoolchildren their first experience inside the national park, nurturing a new generation of conservationists. Meanwhile, local women’s groups are being supported through sustainable farming initiatives, showing that conservation success and community well-being can grow together.

Women Leading the Way

Once a male-dominated field, conservation across the Greater Kafue Ecosystem is changing. At Musekese Conservation, women now make up over 20 percent of the workforce, including rangers, field ecologists, and managers. In 2024, MC entered its first all-women team in the international Tusk Wildlife Ranger Challenge — a milestone that symbolises empowerment and the inclusive future of conservation in Zambia.

Tourism and Conservation: A Lasting Connection

Musekese Conservation’s story is deeply intertwined with Classic Zambia Safaris. While the two operate independently — MC as a Public Benefit Organisation, and CZ as a safari company — their missions are closely aligned. A portion of every guest’s stay at Classic Zambia camps contributes directly to conservation, helping to fund ranger salaries, research equipment, and community programmes.

Guests staying at Musekese Camp can visit the MC Research Base, meet the team, and see the work firsthand. Through citizen-science contributions, donations, or simply by sharing the story of what they’ve witnessed, each visitor becomes part of something much bigger — a living example of how responsible tourism can drive lasting impact.

Looking Ahead

Musekese Conservation has reached an exciting new chapter. The next phase focuses on sustainable growth, refining operations across the GMAs, strengthening research, and developing long-term funding models — from carbon and biodiversity credits to expanded tourism partnerships. The goal is simple but powerful: to ensure that conservation efforts not only protect wildlife, but also create enduring value for the people who share this landscape.

As Phil Jeffery, co-founder of Musekese Conservation and Classic Zambia Safaris, puts it:

“We’ve never seen ourselves as working alone; we’re just one piece of a much bigger picture. Conservation is about collaboration, trust, and shared purpose — and everyone who visits or supports us becomes part of that story.”

Be Part of the Story

Guests at Classic Zambia Safaris play a direct role in protecting one of Africa’s most extraordinary wildernesses.Every safari helps fund ranger patrols, community outreach, and wildlife research across the Greater Kafue Ecosystem.

Learn more or support the work of Musekese Conservation:

www.musekeseconservation.org