Coastal East Africa
Results
WWF has collaborated with governments, other conservation groups, industries and communities to improve the lives of thousands of rural people since 1962. These partnerships have helped the local people to capitalize on their most abundant asset—natural resources.
Mozambique’s Lake Niassa was officially declared a reserve by the Government of Mozambique on June 10, 2011. The declaration will help protect the species and natural habitats of one of the largest and most biologically diverse freshwater lakes in the world and provide security to the people who depend on the lake for their food and livelihoods.
View the photo gallery to learn more about the declaration and discover the natural beauty of Lake Niassa:
Lake Niassa
Watch this video to hear WWF’s Peter Bechtel explain why the protection of Lake Niassa is so important:
Other Notable Accomplishments:
1960s
- Facilitated the longest continuous monitoring and protection program for loggerhead and leatherback turtles
1970s
- Helped establish Kenya’s Lake Nakuru National Park and the Shimba Hills National Reserve
1980s
- Began first project in Mozambique, a survey of potential national parks and reserves
1990s
- Led efforts to establish and implement marine reserves in Kenya’s Lamu Archipelago and Tanzania’s Mafia Island Reserve
- Established a project for the conservation and management of the Selous Game Reserve, including a management plan for the endangered black rhino
- Pioneered an ambitious large-scale approach for conserving marine life in eastern Africa
2000s
- Established Quirimbas National Park in Mozambique, the largest marine protected area in Africa, through a community-driven process
- Advocated mandatory use of turtle exclusion devices in fishing nets in Mozambique, saving an average of 5,000 turtles each year
- Helped alleviate human-elephant conflict with “chili bombs,” saving the lives of hundreds of elephants and subsistence farmers
- Contributed to the development of a sustainable financing strategy for Mozambique's conservation areas
Learn more
WWF's Peter Bechtel: Working for wildlife and communities
