Timeline of Conservation in Africa

After an initial period of unrestricted colonial timber-logging and hunting, the Cape Colony's Government appoints the very first profesional nature conservator, Johann Fredrick Meeding, who was task with limiting deforestation.

President Paul Kruger establishes the reserve to protect local food supplies, but also to secure a potential route to the sea for the landlocked Transvaal Republic.

The Umfolozi Junction Reserve and the Hluhluwe Reserve (now part of Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park) are established to protect the last remaining southern white rhinos, by then hunted to near extinction and numbering less than 100.

Sabie Game Reserve is established by President Paul Kruger, to preserve the dwindling numbers of big game along the Sabie River. This decision was inspired by the success of local farmers, who had been fencing their properties to restrain their herds and brought the added benefit of protecting ground game.

Originally called the Society for the Preservation of the Wild Fauna of the Empire, Fauna & Flora was established to protect southern Africa's large mammals, mainly by lobbying colonial governments into creating game reserves. Kruger National Park in South Africa and Serengeti National Park in Tanzania were among the first parks created through the championing of the Society.

A species of Erica that was naturally restricted to the city of Cape Town and is now classified as extinct in the wild. It is now being brought back into cultivation in various botanical gardens around the world and it is especially cherished at Cape Town's Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. It has also been re-established in the Sand Pain Fynbos Reserves within Cape Town.

Now called Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP), it was established to protect the area where Lake Albert flows into the White Nile.

The first Kafue Game reserve was established after the forced relocation of the Nkoya people. It became a national park in the 1950s, through championing of renowned conservationist Norman Carr. In the 21st century, the Nkoya people have called for the establishment of a new province, to improve local administration.

Virunga National Park, formerly known as Albert National Park, was established with the aim of studying and protecting wildlife and native populations of Central African foragers. The park was significantly expanded throughout the 20th century, at the cost of evicting indigenous people.

Created through the incorporation of the Sabie and Shingwedzi Game Reserves. Local farmers were offered land outside the park in exchange for their original properties, which became part of the Park. This move cost the government aproximately £2 million in 2026 value.

A body under the supervision of the South African Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. As of July 2026, it is responsible for the management and protection of over 40,000 km2 of national parks, nature reserves and marine protected areas.

Mainly known for establishing (and naming) Kruger National Park, the act represented the effort to nationalise game reserves and preserve the landscape "just as the Voortrekkers saw it".

Now known as Hwange Game Reserve, it was established by the Rhodesian government as a hunting ground for colonialist, it became a national park in 1950 and its mission switched to conservation and tourism.

The Convention Relative to the Preservation of Fauna and Flora in their Natural State was the first international agreement addressing conservation in Africa. Signed exclusively by colonial powers and their representatives, it was the first in history to specifically protect a plant species (Welwitchia) and it has been called "the Magna Carta of wildlife conservation". Despite its innovative nature, it is important to highlight that the primary driver of this convention was the preservation of big game for entertainment and sporting purposes, with the wellbeing of the broader African ecosystem not being addressed.

Protected since 1935, it was declared a biosphere reserve in 1977 and in 2023 it was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List for its unrivalled biodiversity and importance as a habitat for forest elephants. In the early 2000s, a series of Ebola outbreaks killed 70-95% of Odzala-Kokoua's gorillas. The number of gorillas has since increased through conservation efforts, but the population has not yet fully recovered.

One of Africa's oldest protected areas, it lies in the transition zone between the Guinea-Congolian and the Guinea-Sudanese savanna. In 1980 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it has been periodically included in the speclialised List of World Heritage in Danger. In 2017, following a National Geographic documentary titled The Protectors: Walk in the Rangers' Shoes, the Tribeca Film Festival posthumously awarded the Disruptor Award to rangers killed protecting Garamba.

Initially proposed by the SPFE to protect the area from population growth and economic development, it was created at the cost of restricting the movement of the resident Maasai people. In 1959, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area was created as a split off from the Park, in order to accommodate the tranditional land interests of the Maasai. Since 1981, it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site Categori II protected area.

Located in the High Atlas mountain range, it is an Important Bird Area. It is also an important area of Berber culture, particularly around the village of Imlil.

Intentionally only fenced on three sides, to allow wildlife to migrate between the Park and the neighbouring Kitengela plains. Despite it's struggles as a small park in proximity to a major city, it holds the crown of one of Kenya's most successful rhinoceros sanctuaries.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature - originally called the International Union for the Protection of Nature (or IUPN) - works in the field of nature conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources. It is best known for compiling and publishing the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Actually two separate parks, Tsavo East and Tsavo West. They are separated by the A109 Road, which connects Nairobi and Mombasa. Tsavo East is mainly flat with dry plains crossed by several rivers, converging into the Athi-Galana-Sabaki River. Tsavo West is more mountainous, and it hosts some of the most famous rock-climbing locations in Africa, including the impressive 300m high east face of Kichwa Tembo. On clear days, Mount Kilimanjaro is often visible from the parks.

With the establishment of his namesake company, British conservationist Norman Carr transforms his vision of Conservation through Tourism into a tangible attempt to draw attention to the needs of nature and wildlife on the African continent.

The organisation was created in 1858 to establish a zoo in Frankfurt Am Main. 1958 marks the year their effort shifted to protecting nature and wildlife, through the efforts of Bernhard Grzimek, who campaigned to put nature conservation on the political agenda and spread awareness among the masses through television shows, magazines and books.

TANAPA is a state-owned enterprise responsible for managing Tanzania's 21 National Parks, which together cover about 15% of the Country's land area. It's mandate includes conserving and managing wildlife and biodiversity and enforcing national laws and regulations. It does not have mandate over Tanzania's game reserves, or the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

1995 saw the beginning of the contruction of the Kariba Dam across the Zambesi River. The project included the flooding of the Kariba Gorge, home to the native Tonga people as well as thousands of wild animals. The operation lasted 5 years and saw the relocation of over 6000 individual animals, such as elephants, antelopes, rhinos, leopars, lions, zebras, warthogs, birds and snakes.

By the early 1900s the population of Southern White Rhinos had fallen to fewer than 100 individuals, due to uncontrolled hunting. The first half of the 20th century, saw the establishment of small protected areas, and the population grew to about 400 individuals, but their habitat was still severely restricted to these reserves. In 1960, conservationist Ian Player launched Operation Rhino, aiming to capture rhinos through modern chemical capture (with anaesthetic darts, compared to the use of traps) and translocate them to protected areas across their historical range of inhabitation.

Previously the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation, AWF is Africa's oldest and largest international conservation organisation. Their mission is to put wildlife and wild lands on the stage of economic assets, thus promoting cultural, economic and political choices aiming at sustainability, to enable land use compatible with wildlife, effective protected area management and improved enforcement of wildlife protection laws.

"The survival of our wildlife is a matter of grave concern to all of us in Africa. These wild creatures amid the wild places they inhabit, are not only important as a source of wonder and inspiration, but are an integral part ofour natural resources and our future livelihood and wellbeing. In accepting the trusteeship of our wildlife, we solemnly declare that we will do everything in our power to make sure that our children's grandchildren will be able to enjoy this rick and precious inheritance. The conservation of wildlife and wild places calls for specialist knowledge, trained manpower, and money, and we look to other nations to cooperate with us in this important task - the success or failure of which not only affects the continent of Africa, but the rest of the world as well." Mwalimu Julius K. Nyere, first President of the United Republic of Tanzania

The College of African Wildlife Management (Mweka College) was founded in Tanzania and it is still a leading training institution in the field of Tourism Management, Conservation, Ecology and Wildlife Management.

The Karisoke Research Centre was founded by american primatologist Dian Fossey in the rainforest of the Ruhengeri province. Its mission to this day is the study of gorillas and the combating of poaching. After her murder in 1985, Fossey was buried at Karisoke, where she had herself established a cemetery to remember gorillas killed by poachers.

The African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources superseeded the London Convention of 1933. The Algiers Convention took place in response to the pressure arising post-independence for African sovereign Nations to increase their conservation effort. It has since been updated with the Maputo Convention of 2003.

Considered the most widely recognised global indicator for tracking changes in biodiversity over time. It is managed in partnership between the WWF and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

The Game Rangers’ Association of Africa (GRAA) is the oldest, largest and most representative ranger association in Africa. Over 1800 members have joined the GRAA since 1970, representing more than 26 countries. Their scope is to provide networks, support and representation for rangers across Africa. Since the Third World Congress of the International Ranger Federation (September 2000), GRAA has been acknowledged as the voice of Ranger in Africa.

Founded by American ethnologist Cynthia Moss, the project focuses elephants' social behaviour, age structure and population dynamics. It is the longest running study of elephant behaviour in the wild and to this date, it has collected data on life history and association patterns for more than 2000 individual elephants.

Conceived by participants of the Wilderness Leadership Schooltrails, their foundational mission is the creation of public awareness for the importance of wilderness and advocating against threats like de-proclamation and coal mining. Their innovative approach to conservation won them the 2008 Rolex Laureate award for enterprise.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora is a multilateral treaty championed by IUCN to protect endangered plants and animals from the threat of unregulated international trade. The convention opened for signatures in 1973 and CITES entered into force in 1975. CITES issues permits and certificates for the import/export of plants and animals and it affords protection to more than 40000 species.

The Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, is DRC's national institution responsible for managing the Country's protected areas. In addition to the conservation and management of the ecosystem and biodiversity, the ICCN also promotes scientific research and sustainable tourism, as well as the management of wildlife breeding and capture facilities.

Part of the rehabilitation process that created Pilanesberg National Park, Operation Genesis saw the construction of a 110 km long game fence, the rehabilitation of local farmland, and the translocation of some 6000 individual animals of 22 different species. All together, the creation of Pilanesberg saw the creation of a fully functional ecosystem from scratch.

Mountain gorillas today only live in the wild in the Virunga Mountains region, spanning Zaire, Rwanda and Uganda and in the Bwindi Forest Reserve of Uganda. The 1981 census of the whole Virunga population was the first carried out in almost a decade and it resulted in a total gorilla population of 242-266, assuming a possible 10% undercount. The historically low result of the 1981 census highlighted the importance of conservation efforts and partnership between national authorities and NGOs such as the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

The historic amendment allowed Regional Economic Integration Organisations (REIO), such as the European Union, to have the same status as member States and to be a Party to the convention. Since then, REIOs have been able to vote at CITES meeting, with the number of votes representing the number of members in the REIO.

Now called Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF), it is the largest NGO in Mauritius to be exclusively aiming to preserve the island Nation's endangered plant and animal species. MWF's first success stories involved the rescue of the Mauritius Kestrel, Echo Parakeet and Pink Pidgeon from the brink of extinction.

The Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources gave rural communities the authority to manage and profit directly from local wildlife and ecotourism. It represented a monumental shift from the colonial-era protectionist approach to a community-led one. CAMPFIRE's strategy is based on the work on community-level conservation groups. These manage wildlife, control grass burning and tree cutting, and promoting voluntary participation of community members.

Kenyan state corporation under the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife. In recent years, Kenyan presidents have twice participated in the public destruction of elephant ivory and exotic animal skins. To the suggestion Kenya should instead sell the seized ivory and reinvested the profit internally, in 2016 President Kenyatta replied "Kenya is making a statement that for us ivory is worthless, unless it is on our elephants." The 2016 pile was estimated to have an illegal market value of 150 million USD.

The international ban, a response to unprecedented poaching levels in the 1970s and 80s, was actually received with protest by some African countries. Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe had already implemented national elephant protection programs and their numbers had improved to a degree that those country had to implement elephant population control measures. The ban was modified in 1997 to grant those three nations authorisation for a one-time sale of ivory to Japan, totalling 50 tons. To this day, the international sale of elephant ivory is still illegal.

According to the International Rhino Foundation, by the early 1990s only 2300 Black Rhinos survived in the wild. Luckily, subsequent conservation efforts have since supported population recovery. Despite the effort of IRF and many others, the Western Black Rhino was declared extinct in 2011.

These are community-based institutions, delegated by the Namibian Government to administer wildlife in a defined area. Their scope includes benefit distribution, game management and financial autonomy. Each conservancy is self-governing and most of them generate income through photographic and hunting tourism.

The Foundation aims to re-establish, renew and conserve large ecosystems in Africa through the creation of of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs). There are currently 18 TFCAs in southern Africa and the Peace Parks Foundation has been involved in the establishment of ten of these, such as the Maloti-Drakensberg Park, the Kavango-Zambesi TFCA and the upcoming Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.

Now called Department of National Parks and Wildlife of Zambia. It is responsible for the management of 20 National Parks, 36 Game Management Areas and one bird sanctuary, altogether covering 30% of Zambia's land mass.

The signing of the treaty between Botswana and South Africa for the management of the two countries' adjacent parks (Gembsok in Botswana and Khalakhari in South Africa), created a single ecological unit, called Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, the first moden "peace park". This led to massive, multi-nation corridors like the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (linking South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe) to restore historic wildlife migration routes.

Then called Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou Transfrontier Conservation Area, it was established by an agreement signed by the governments if Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique. In total, the Greater LimpopoTransfrontier Park covers an area of 99 800 km2, making it only slightly larger than South Korea.

Not to be confused with SANParks, African Parks is an NGO that focuses on biodiversity conservation through protected area management. As of October 2025, it manages 24 protected areas in 13 countries, including Benin, Central African Republic and South Sudan.

AWF record three sightings of elephants in the Central Kajido District of the Kilimanjaro Heartland for the first time in 30 years.

Facing severe funding challenges, the Malawian government partnered with African Parks to rehabilitate the severely poached Majete Wildlife Reserve. This public-private partnership model has since been used to rescue and manage over 20 parks across the continent. Majete itself is one of the model's best success stories, the park having since achieved Big Five game status.

Another successful example of NGO Management Model and perhaps Africa's greatest wildlife restoration story. A partnership between the Government of Mozambique and the Carr Foundation, they work together to rebuild Gorongosa National Park's infrastructure, restore wildlife and spur local economic development.

Their main goal is supporting game reserves by providing tracking and monitoring services free of charge, thus easing the financial burden on organisations that would ortherwise not have the funds or capacity to run effective monitoring projects.

The African Wildlife Capital by AWF is Africa's first conservation-focused impact-investment vehicle. Since its inception, it has executed deals for a total of 7 million USD, financing various enterprises such as the Bale Mountain Lodge, Ethiopia's first high-end ecotourism facility; and COMACO Ltd, a community-based food processing and distribution business in Zambia.

The Kavango Zambezi transboundary landscape is situated in the Kavango and Zambezi river basins where the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe converge. It spans an area of 516 406 km² and includes 36 proclaimed protected areas such as national parks, game reserves, forest reserves, community conservancies and game/wildlife management areas.

Since taking over the management of Majete National Park in Malawi, African Parks supported its elephant population from completely hunted out to a healthier 400. Inspired by Majete's success, in 2016 African Parks took over the management of Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve and has arranged the translocation from Liwonde to Nkhotakota of 520 elephants, with measurable results on new births and tourism.

The African Wildlife Economy Institute is a think-do-tank within the Faculty of AgriSciences at Stellenbosch University. They promote a wildlife-based economy to sustainable growth without sacrificing economic development.

Wild Dogs (sometimes known as Painted Wolves) are among Africa's most at-risk carnivores, with only about 6600 individuals remaining. They had been absent from Gorongosa for more than 25 years before this extraordinary project reintroduced a pack of 14 into the Park, the first ever introduction of wild dogs into Mozambique. The pack has since welcome two litters of pups!

The Universal Ranger Support Alliance (URSA) was launched in July 2020 and is a collaborative initiative of eight conservation organisations that have come together to deliver a “new deal” for wildlife rangers, including the development of global welfare standards and a code of conduct.

In a historic single operation, 30 southern white rhinoceroses were flown via a chartered Boeing 747 from South Africa to Akagera National Park in Rwanda. The translocation established a new, secure breeding node for the species in East Africa.

Building on prior successes, African Parks conservationists translocated 263 elephants and 431 other wild animals from Liwonde National Park to Kasungu National Park. The move alleviated intense human-wildlife conflict and ecological pressure caused by surging human populations around Liwonde's borders.

The first ever continent-wide gathering of leaders, citizens and interest groups to discuss the role of protected areas in conserving nature, safeguarding wildlife and conserving Africa's cultural heritage and traditions.

The Northern White Rhino was hunted out of the DRC in the early 2000s. 2023 saw the return of the mighty White Rhino to Garamba, at the apex of a months-long effort managed by African Parks, as part of their Rhino Rewilding Initiative, in partnership with ICCN and support from local communities and conservation experts. This is an example of utilisation of the southern subspecies of Rhino to fill ecological niches left vacant by centuries of indiscriminate and uncontrolled hunting.

In total, 1,567 wildebeest and 172 zebra were moved between Liuwa Plain and Kafue National Parks, while additional animals were moved to Lusaka National Park and Sioma Ngwezi National Park as part of broader restoration efforts across Zambia.

2016 saw the last black rhino lost from Matusadona National Park. In the ten years since, while black rhinos were being protected in other parks across Zimbabwe, Matusadone received an injection of investments to improve roads, bridges, communication systems and law enforcement capacity. This created the perfect new home for the 17 black rhinos that were translocated to the park in early June 2026.