Group calls for better road to Kasungu National Park

Kasungu Wildlife Conservation for Community Development Association has expressed concern over the poor road network leading to Kasungu National Park. The association’s board chairperson Malidadi Langa told a stakeholders meeting in Kasungu that the poor road infrastructure from Kasungu Town remains a major challenge discouraging domestic tourists from visiting the park. “The park is failing to generate substantial revenue due to poor road network.

We ask the government to rehabilitate the road to make the park more accessible for domestic tourists,” he said. The community-led association works with local communities to conserve the park and surrounding areas by ensuring that people actively participate in conservation efforts. Department of National Parks and Wildlife deputy director William Mgoola said Malawi is making positive strides in environmental conservation with support from such local conservation organisations.

“We have already completed the design for an eco-lodge at Ng’ombelumeni within Kasungu National Park. We believe that improving such infrastructure will help the country generate adequate foreign exchange earnings,” he said. International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) field operations manager Gervaz Thamala bemoaned cases of vandalism of the newly constructed perimeter fence.

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He said about 4.5 kilometres (km) of the fence has already been vandalised, just one year after commissioning it. With funding from Ifaw, the government has so far constructed 135km of the planned 140-km perimeter fence with the remaining five kilometrs facing resistance from communities that encroached on the park, particularly in T/A Chisinga.

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