The Conservation Champions 2025 report documents what field biologists and wildlife authorities know well: the most effective anti-poaching operations in Africa are funded and executed by safari operators. Their teams maintain year-round patrol coverage, respond to incursions, remove snares, and keep vast areas from collapsing under illegal hunting pressure.
Examples across the report include:
- Mozambique (Panyame Conservancy):
A 40-member anti-poaching unit conducted 38 patrols in three months, removed 302 snares, and arrested multiple poachers. Water- and land-based patrols also reduced illegal netting along Lake Cahora Bassa. - Mozambique (Luwire / Niassa Special Reserve):
Patrol teams logged nearly 70,000 man-hours in 2024. Only one wire snare was detected all year—an extraordinary outcome in a region once known for heavy poaching. - Namibia (Dzoti Conservancy):
Ondjou Safaris funds a 15-person anti-poaching team and directs one-third of all hunting revenues into equipment, field supplies, and patrol operations. - Tanzania (Kilombero North Safaris):
Across multiple WMAs, operators supply motorcycles, vehicles, radios, GPS units, training, and compensation systems, keeping critical corridors between Ruaha, Serengeti, and Amboseli functional. - Tanzania (Luganzo Game Reserve):
Robin Hurt Safaris’ teams destroyed 60,000 snares over several decades, preventing an estimated 300,000 wildlife deaths and stabilizing elephant, lion, and buffalo populations.
Takeaway
Across the continent, concession-based anti-poaching systems outperform regions where hunting operators are absent. When operators leave, poaching rises, wildlife declines, and habitat erodes. When operators stay, wildlife rebounds. The pattern is consistent and documented: sustainable use is not a theory—it is a proven field-level conservation tool.