Photo credit: Gorongosa Restoration Project
Partner organisation: Gorongosa Restoration Project
Location: Mozambique
Twenty years ago, Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique faced a dire situation. A 1994 animal survey, the first since the civil war, revealed devastating losses: only 7,000 animals remained, including 100 elephants, 300 reedbuck, 100 waterbuck, and just a handful of zebras and small antelope. Fast forward to 2022, and the park’s transformation is nothing short of extraordinary. An aerial survey documented over 100,000 large animals—actual counts, not estimates—despite covering only 59% of the park. This resurgence underscores one of Africa’s greatest wildlife restoration stories.
In 2008, the Government of Mozambique and the Carr Foundation launched the Gorongosa Project, a 20-year public-private partnership to manage the park and support neighboring communities. The collaboration’s success led to an extension of the agreement in 2018 for another 25 years, cementing Gorongosa’s future as a beacon of hope for conservation.
Photo credit: Gorongosa Restoration Project
Gorongosa’s innovative approach combines wildlife protection with community upliftment, ensuring the park’s sustainability. This 21st-century conservation model focuses on four key areas:
- Conservation: Safeguarding Gorongosa’s wildlife and landscapes to preserve this natural treasure for future generations.
- Community: Offering educational programs, healthcare, and agricultural support to improve the lives of local families.
- Science: Conducting research to understand the intricate web of life within the park and guide conservation efforts whilst training the next generation of Mozambican scientists.
- Sustainable Tourism: Developing eco-tourism to create jobs for local residents and generate revenue that directly supports the park’s initiatives. Every visitor contributes to this remarkable conservation journey.
Photo credit: Gorongosa Restoration Project
Gorongosa’s success has not gone unnoticed. Hailed by National Geographic as “the greatest wildlife restoration in history”. A new resource guide and toolkit from the World Bank and the Global Wildlife Program highlights the park as a model of “Collaborative Management Partnerships”—public-private agreements that drive conservation and inclusive development.
Just this year in February, they were awarded the BBVA Foundation Worldwide Award for Biodiversity Conservation— a recognition of the successful ecological recovery of Gorongosa National Park over the past 20 years. Dr. Susana Carvalho, Director of the Gorongosa Paleo-Primatology Program, was joined by several Mozambican colleagues as she accepted the award on behalf of the entire team. “Our work is guided by a simple yet powerful belief: that people and nature can thrive together,” said Carvalho in her speech. “This award is a true celebration of our collective efforts. It reminds us of the importance of working together on the conservation of natural wonders such as Gorongosa and shows that nature can rebound if given a chance.”
Photo credit: Gorongosa Restoration Project
As the abundant wildlife has returned, Gorongosa have kept local communities – especially those that live within the park – central to their work. A beautiful example are the beehives that have been placed in a circle around villages; providing honey and pollination to nearby crops, but acting as a ‘coexistence facilitator’. As curious elephants cross these borders, they receive a warning to stay out in the form of a sting on the ear! This way, the increasingly healthy populations of elephants and local people both enjoy each other’s company – at a safe distance. Harmonious coexistence is core to the rewilding movement.
In parallel, the project has sought to ground its strategies on robust science by promoting research on Gorongosa’s extraordinary biodiversity. The research program has documented the existence of almost 8,000 species within the bounds of the park, of which some 200 were previously unknown to science.
We are delighted to have them as one of our newest Alliance Partners, and Gorongosa continues to inspire global efforts to balance wildlife preservation with humanity.
See it with your own eyes on Gorongosa’s Youtube.
