General Meeting May 2019

May 28th was a cool and windy day by the pool area of Southern Sun, but the atmosphere among members was warm, although a bit sad as well, because it was time to say goodbye to two members who will be leaving Lusaka in the coming months; Martina Scammacca (from Italy) and Camilla Anderson (from Sweden). We thank them warmly for their contribution for DISA and wish them all the best in the future!

As our guest speaker of the month we were happy to have Nikita Iyengar from Conservation Lower Zambezi.

Below a short summary of Nikita's presentation - Conservation Efforts in the Lower Zambezi - in her own words:

I work at Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) as a PR and Fundraising Officer. While moving from New Your City to the Lower Zambezi was a big change, it is so incredibly beautiful here and the work is extremely fulfilling that the change was worth it after all.

Nikita in her "more natural habitat" with a pangolin, the scaly anteater, which is believed to be the world's most trafficked non-human mammal, poached for it's scales and meat

Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) is a non-profit organization committed to the protection of wildlife and to the sustainable use of natural resources in the Lower Zambezi. Established in 1994, CLZ is centered around three pillars of support: Wildlife Protection, Environmental Education and Community Engagement. 

The organization works in collaboration with Zambia's local wildlife authority - the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) to ensure the sustainability of animals in the Lower Zambezi Valley and their ecosystems.

Over the years, CLZ has increased their efforts including more foot patrol and aerial patrol efforts as well as more specialized units and intelligence led operations. All these efforts have led to a significant decrease in the poaching of elephants and an increase in the number of poachers arrested and the confiscation of illegal products.

CLZ's Environmental Education Programme has manged to inspire many children in the community that have gone on to work in the sector and see the benefits of keeping wildlife alive.

For more information about what we do, please visit the CLZ website: www.conservationlowerzambezi.org

Members, please note: the next General Meeting will take place August 27th!