Located in southern Malawi and bordered by the Shire River, Liwonde National Park is characterised by lush floodplains and dense woodlands, providing a fertile landscape that supports an abundance of wildlife.
Since African Parks entered into a management partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) for Liwonde in 2015, effective biodiversity conservation and community development initiatives have driven a remarkable recovery of wildlife populations. The park has also been the site of key wildlife reintroductions, further strengthening its ecological integrity, and has become a major source of animals, including elephant, for other reserves in Malawi. Between 2016 and 2022, cheetah, lion, black rhino and wild dog were reintroduced to Liwonde, while the park provided more than 600 elephant to other protected areas.
As the park has become an anchor in the region, communities living on its periphery are also benefitting from education and healthcare support, while income-generating activities, such as fishing farming and beekeeping, contributing to thousands of livelihoods each year.
In 2018, the area’s overall conservation footprint was increased by 60% when a partnership agreement was signed for the management of the contiguous Mangochi Forest Reserve .
