
Author: Vanessa Wematu Akibate, Communications Officer, UNDP Zambia
Wildlife conservation is crucial for a sustainable future, but it can sometimes threaten the livelihoods of communities that share the same habitat. Climate change, particularly the consequences of drought in the southern Africa region, has further exacerbated this challenge, leaving communities to question: What can we do to preserve both wildlife and human lives?
Initiatives like the UNDP Crowdfunding Academy provide innovative solutions by empowering local communities to access alternative funding sources. These resources can help address global challenges like wildlife conservation and climate resilience while ensuring sustainable livelihoods for those most affected.
It was a day like any other. Virginia Mweemba was returning from a good sales day at the market. She sold fresh onions, leafy greens, tomatoes, and other vegetables harvested from her own garden to customers from across Livingstone and Kazungula. Her focus now was to get home, prepare dinner for her family, and rest up for the next day. But when she got home, her garden had been destroyed, her entire assortment of vegetables had been uprooted, trampled over, and eaten. Unfortunately for her, the culprit stood nearby, slowly making their way through her community in search of more vegetable gardens and homes with water. She stood a few meters away from this frightful sight, frozen in place. “It was an elephant,” she recalled.