Entrance to Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve

PAW: Who We Are & What We Do
The Project African Wilderness team consists of Africans and Europeans working hard to save the Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve, one of nine of Malawi's National Parks and Reserves and part of the natural wilderness in sub Saharan Africa. Alongside this, we are developing small scale eco-tourism and a big community development programme.
In the UK, we are a registered charity that fundraises, promotes and educates in conservation. We operate mostly with unpaid professional staff and are supported by a regeneration company, arc4, who provide part-time admin, an office base and equipment. In Malawi, we have a registered not-for-profit limited company called the Mwabvi Wildlife and Community Trust (MWCT). This organisation is our delivery partner on the ground, together we employ 57 staff members at our base at Chipembere Camp, Chimphanga village, near Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve.
PAW has signed a long-term agreement with the Government of Malawi (GoM) to take on the conservation and eco-tourism development of the Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve. This is part of the Government's plan to introduce partnerships in each of their parks to provide funding and promote tourism. PAW and the MWCT carry out conservation and development work in and around Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve. MWCT work hand in hand with the Department of National Parks Wildlife team on anti-poaching and access control.
The core of our work is our conservation work at Mwabvi. Our long term plans include:

* Basic infrastructure work to maintain the roads to and within the Reserve. We are already putting in game viewing roads and trails, signposts and information boards.

* Fire prevention and protection measures linked to access roads.

* Fencing the whole of the Reserve to protect villagers whose land abuts the Reserve.

* Restocking the Reserve with indigenous mammals.

* Providing permanent water supplies for animals and people.

* Developing information booklets and maps for visitors and students.

Our plans for development within Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve help protect it and provide income to help our work. We have already:

* Created a high quality campsite at Migudu and a small permanent lodge at Mwabvi Gorge

* Built a permanent water hole and several game viewing hides.

* Set up a conservation training and volunteering programme at Chipembere Camp, our base outside Mwabvi Wildlife Reserve.

The Traditional Authorities and local people are keen to see us succeed and bring in social and economic benefits. They work with us through MWCT on a range of projects, from vegetable gardens to training and lodge management.