Chad Ends Partnership with African Parks Conservation Group

The Chadian government has terminated its agreement with African Parks, the conservation organisation responsible for managing two of the country’s protected sites.

It cited concerns over poaching and insufficient cooperation as the reason for the termination.

Environment Minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous confirmed in an official letter on Monday that the 15-year mandate covering the Ennedi Natural and Cultural Reserve and the Greater Zakouma Ecosystem, which includes Zakouma and Siniaka-Minia national parks, would end.

The ministry said; “the charity had failed to curb poaching effectively and had not fully collaborated with authorities in the management of the reserves.”

African Parks, a non-profit organisation founded in 2000 to protect Africa’s national parks and promote conservation, said; it had begun talks with the ministry to understand the government’s position and explore the best way forward to support the continued protection of these landscapes that are critical to conservation.”

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, who has served on the board of African Parks since 2016 and as president until 2023, is a member of the organisation’s governing board. African Parks oversees 22 national parks and protected areas across 12 African countries and manages more than 20 million hectares of land with the aim of making parks “ecologically, socially and financially sustainable.”

The Chadian government linked the resurgence of poaching in the reserves to limited investment by the charity.

African Parks also came under scrutiny earlier this year after allegations of community abuse in a park it manages in the Republic of Congo.

The decision marks a significant change in Chad’s approach to managing its natural reserves and conservation partnerships in the region.