A major gap in painted wolf conservation is being addressed in north-east Nambia.
The landscape, including Khaudum National Park and Nyae Nyae Conservancy Complex, is home to an estimated 100 painted wolves.
Its location within the greater Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) could make it important for contributing to the crucial connectivity between painted wolf populations across southern Africa.
Understanding and protecting this population could help maintain the movement, connectivity and genetic exchange needed for the species to thrive across the wider region.
However very little is known about the painted wolves in the area. At the same time, emerging pressures associated with livestock, persecution and habitat conditions have been identified.
With catalyst funding from the Painted Dog Fund, the Kwando Carnivore Project and Painted Wolf Foundation have partnered to establish a dedicated painted wolf conservation effort in north-east Namibia. The project is the first of this scale in the country.
Kwando Carnivore Project (KCT) is an established presence in the landscape, with strong government and community partnerships built through their successful ongoing carnivore conservation and conflict mitigation work.
This new project aims to establish ongoing monitoring, assess emerging threats and develop appropriate mitigation measures, while building on KCT’s existing landscape restoration efforts to improve the prey base and conditions for painted wolf recovery.
Painted wolves require species-specific knowledge and experience in order to successfully conserve them. PWF will provide technical support and these crucial skills to the conservation team, enabling them to build the successful and dedicated painted wolf conservation project this landscape needs. By strengthening local painted wolf conservation capacity and closing the conservation gap, this partnership could help secure a new stronghold and support vital connectivity for the species across the wider region.
Images supplied by Kwando Carnivore Project.
