Community Conservancies in Eswatini (2026)

Quick Answer: Community Conservancies in Eswatini Today

Community conservancies in Eswatini form the frontline of wildlife protection within the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area, a tri-national landscape spanning Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini covering 11,236 km². These community-managed protected areas employ rangers, support local livelihoods through tourism and sustainable harvesting, and participate in cross-border anti-poaching operations. The Eswatini National Trust Commission (ENTC), in partnership with local communities and international organisations, has prioritised ranger capacity-building and revenue-sharing models to align conservation with economic resilience.

Why Community Conservancies Matter in Eswatini

Eswatini's protected area network covers 4.26% of terrestrial and inland water, with terrestrial protected areas representing 18.55% of land area. Within this landscape, community conservancies serve as critical buffers between core national parks—including Hlane Royal National Park, Mlawula Nature Reserve, Mbuluzi Game Reserve, Shewula Mountain Reserve, and the Inyoni Yami Swaziland Irrigation Scheme (IYSIS)—and surrounding communal lands where human-wildlife conflict and poaching pressures are highest. Unlike state-managed parks alone, community conservancies embed conservation into local economies: rangers are drawn from neighbouring villages, tourism revenue is shared with households, and wildlife harvesting (venison sales, skin products) provides affordable protein while reducing poaching incentives.

The Lubombo region holds intrinsic cultural value to the Swazi nation; it is traditionally used as the annual venue for butimba, a royal hunting event led the King of Eswatini. This integration of cultural practice with modern conservation reflects a unique governance approach in which conservation is not imposed externally but woven into community identity and benefit-sharing.

Key Institutions Governing Community Conservancies

Three principal bodies oversee biodiversity conservation and community conservancies in Eswatini:

• Eswatini National Trust Commission (ENTC): Established under the National Trust Commission Act, the ENTC is an independent statutory body under the Ministry of Tourism and Environment Affairs. It proclaims and manages national parks, reserves, museums, and monuments, and serves as a delegated authority for transboundary conservation initiatives.
• Big Game Parks: A delegated authority under the Game Act, Big Game Parks manages state-owned protected areas and pioneered eco-tourism models in Eswatini, beginning with Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Eswatini Environment Authority: Supports environmental policy and manages the Eswatini Environmental Fund (EEF), which aggregates financing from government concessions, environmental fines, and development partner grants to support sustainable livelihoods and environmental sustainability.

The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area: Regional Context

The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) was formally established through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini in 2000, and was formally approved at a trilateral Ministerial meeting in 2004. This transboundary framework encompasses five distinct conservation zones and includes the first marine TFCA in Africa (Ponta do Ouro–Kosi Bay), where turtle monitoring programmes link across borders. Peace Parks Foundation has been involved in supporting the Lubombo TFCA since 2002, facilitating conservation finance, community development programmes, and inter-governmental coordination.

Within Eswatini's component, the core conservation areas—Hlane, Mlawula, Mbuluzi, Shewula, and IYSIS—are now the focus of a government initiative to establish a "BIG 5 National Park," which essentially expands the core area of the Lubombo Biosphere Reserve and increases resources and effort allocated to protection and community engagement.

Community Conservancy Ranger Networks and Training

Rangers are the operational backbone of community conservancies. In 2022, at least 53 rangers drawn from community conservancies within Eswatini's Lubombo TFCA—including Mhlumeni Bush Camp and Shewula Mountain Camp—participated in human rights training in law enforcement, delivered through a partnership between the ENTC and Participatory Ecological Land Use Management (PELUM). This training was funded under a COVID-19 Response Grant from KfW (German development bank) via the SADC TFCA Financing Facility.

The same funding mechanism supported additional ranger capacity-building across four domains:

• Driving in difficult terrain (4×4 off-road driving)
• Snake handling and identification
• River guide training
• Level one first aid
• Training on controlling alien invasive plants

These practical skills address the real operational challenges rangers face in remote, biodiverse landscapes where wildlife monitoring, emergency response, and habitat management are daily requirements.

COVID-19 Recovery and Alternative Livelihoods

The pandemic created a dual crisis: tourism revenue collapsed, threatening ranger salaries and park operations, while communities lost alternative income sources. In response, the ENTC and PELUM, with funding from KfW's SADC TFCA Financing Facility, launched a COVID-19 Response Grant programme in the Lubombo TFCA. The objectives were to close the financing gap, support anti-poaching operations, and sustain community livelihoods.

Outputs delivered included:

• One vehicle, ranger uniforms, and protective equipment purchased for the ENTC
• Provision of rations and protective equipment for anti-poaching patrols
• Support for community livelihoods, including mushroom farming initiatives

The mushroom farming component is particularly significant: it provides year-round income independent of tourism cycles and reduces pressure on communities to harvest wildlife unsustainably. This model exemplifies how community conservancies can diversify income and build resilience to external shocks.

Anti-Poaching Operations and Law Enforcement

Poaching remains a persistent threat to wildlife in community conservancies, particularly for high-value species. Rangers conduct regular patrols, gather intelligence, and coordinate with law enforcement authorities. The human rights training delivered in 2022 was designed to ensure that rangers carry out law enforcement duties—arrests, searches, interrogations—in compliance with national and international human rights standards, reducing corruption and building community trust.

Community conservancies participate in anti-poaching operations both within their boundaries and through transboundary patrols. The Lubombo TFCA framework enables rangers from Eswatini conservancies to coordinate with counterparts in South Africa and Mozambique, closing cross-border poaching routes and sharing intelligence on trafficking networks.

Tourism, Revenue-Sharing, and Community Buy-In

Sustainable tourism is a cornerstone of community conservancy financing. Visitor fees, guided walks, and cultural experiences generate revenue that is shared with participating households and reinvested in ranger salaries, equipment, and community services. This creates an economic incentive for communities to protect wildlife and landscapes rather than convert them to alternative land uses.

Big Game Parks has pioneered this model in Eswatini, particularly through Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, which hosts nature-based events and cultural tourism activities. Community conservancies within the Lubombo region similarly offer guided hikes, bird-watching, and cultural experiences that allow visitors to engage directly with conservation and local communities.

Additionally, successful wildlife management generates surplus animals. Rather than allowing overpopulation or culling waste, Big Game Parks and community conservancies sell venison at subsidised rates to local communities, making wild protein affordable and reducing poaching incentives. Skins, horns, and hides are utilised for cultural crafts and other products, maximizing the economic value of sustainable harvesting.

Institutional Financing and the Eswatini Environmental Fund

The Eswatini Environmental Fund (EEF), operated by the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, is the primary domestic financing mechanism for conservation. It aggregates funding from government concessions, environmental fines, and development partner grants. This fund supports protected area operations, community conservation initiatives, and sustainable livelihood projects across the country.

International financing also flows through multilateral mechanisms: the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has funded the Strengthening National Protected Areas Systems (SNPAS) project, which enhances protected area management and community engagement across Eswatini. The World Bank's Wildlife Conservation Bond represents a newer outcome-based financing model that channels private capital to conservation, with success metrics tied to quantifiable conservation results.

However, financing remains constrained. Community conservancies often operate with minimal budgets, relying heavily on tourism revenue that fluctuates seasonally and can be disrupted by external shocks (as the pandemic demonstrated). Diversifying revenue streams—through conservation bonds, payment for ecosystem services, and sustainable harvesting—is critical to long-term sustainability.

Challenges and Ongoing Threats

Human-Wildlife Conflict: As communities and wildlife share landscapes, conflict is inevitable. Elephants and other large herbivores raid crops; predators occasionally attack livestock or people. This creates tension and can undermine community support for conservation if compensation and conflict-mitigation measures are inadequate.

Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade: Despite ranger efforts, poaching persists, particularly for high-value species. Transboundary poaching networks exploit weak governance in some areas and the high international demand for wildlife products (rhino horn, pangolin scales, ivory). Addressing this requires sustained investment in ranger capacity, inter-agency coordination, and prosecution of traffickers.

Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: While core protected areas are gazetted, surrounding communal lands face pressure from agriculture, urban expansion, and infrastructure development. This fragmentizes wildlife corridors and limits the movement of large herbivores and carnivores, reducing ecosystem function and increasing conflict.

Climate Change: Droughts, erratic rainfall, and changing vegetation patterns affect wildlife populations and community livelihoods. Conservancies must adapt management practices—water provision, grazing management, fire regimes—to maintain ecosystem resilience, but doing so requires technical capacity and resources.

Financing Gaps: Community conservancies remain underfunded relative to their conservation importance. Tourism revenue is volatile; government budgets are constrained; and international donor support is unpredictable. Sustainable financing models are still emerging in Eswatini.

Results and Progress (2022–2026)

Despite challenges, measurable progress has been made:

• Ranger Capacity: At least 53 rangers from community conservancies received formal human rights and law enforcement training (2022), alongside skills training in off-road driving, first aid, and habitat management.
• COVID-19 Resilience: Community conservancies maintained operations during the pandemic through emergency funding, enabling continuity of anti-poaching patrols and ranger employment while supporting alternative livelihoods (mushroom farming).
• Transboundary Coordination: The Lubombo TFCA framework has strengthened inter-governmental coordination and ranger collaboration across borders, enabling more effective law enforcement and wildlife management.
• Institutional Maturity: The ENTC, Big Game Parks, and community conservancies have developed clearer governance structures, standard operating procedures, and revenue-sharing models, improving transparency and accountability.

However, these gains remain fragile. Sustained funding, political commitment, and community engagement are essential to consolidate progress and expand conservancy networks.

How Responsible Safari Visitors Support Community Conservancies

When you book a safari or guided experience at a community conservancy in Eswatini, your fees directly support ranger salaries, equipment, and community benefit-sharing. Specific ways travellers contribute:

• Direct Employment: Your guide or ranger is likely a community member trained in wildlife ecology, languages, and hospitality. Your visit justifies their salary and career.
• Revenue-Sharing: Portion of fees are allocated to participating households and community projects (schools, clinics, water systems).
• Incentive Alignment: When wildlife generates income, communities are incentivised to protect it rather than poach or convert habitat.
• Capacity-Building: Tourism revenue funds ranger training, equipment, and technology that improve anti-poaching effectiveness.
• Advocacy: Visitors who learn about conservation challenges become advocates for policy change and funding at home.

You can book ethical, community-conservancy-supporting safaris through SafariFind, which curates operators committed to transparent benefit-sharing and conservation outcomes. Look for operators that publish ranger wages, community revenue allocation, and conservation metrics.

Future Outlook: The BIG 5 National Park Initiative

Eswatini's government is now prioritising the establishment of a "BIG 5 National Park," which will essentially expand the core area of the Lubombo Biosphere Reserve by consolidating Hlane, Mlawula, Mbuluzi, Shewula, and IYSIS into a single managed landscape, with community conservancies forming a buffer zone. This initiative aims to increase resources, improve inter-agency coordination, and enhance protection of the region's iconic wildlife (lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, leopard).

Success depends on sustained financing, ranger recruitment and training, community engagement, and political will. If realised, this expansion could serve as a model for transboundary conservation in southern Africa and demonstrate that community-inclusive protected area expansion is both ecologically and economically viable.

Last Reviewed August 2026

Conservation data changes — refer to the cited sources below for the latest figures, funding announcements, and policy updates from the ENTC, Eswatini Environment Authority, and the Lubombo TFCA Secretariat.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a community conservancy in Eswatini?

A community conservancy is a protected area managed jointly by local communities, government agencies (primarily the ENTC), and sometimes private conservation organisations. In Eswatini, community conservancies like Shewula Mountain Camp and Mhlumeni Bush Camp employ local rangers, generate tourism revenue shared with participating households, and conduct wildlife protection and sustainable resource management within the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area.

How many rangers work in Eswatini's community conservancies?

At least 53 rangers from community conservancies within Eswatini's Lubombo TFCA received formal human rights and law enforcement training in 2022. The exact total number of rangers employed across all community conservancies is not specified in current public data, but rangers form the primary human resource for anti-poaching patrols, wildlife monitoring, and community liaison.

What funding supports community conservancies in Eswatini?

Community conservancies are financed through multiple streams: tourism revenue (visitor fees, guided experiences), sustainable harvesting (venison sales, skins, horns), the Eswatini Environmental Fund (EEF), and international grants. During COVID-19, the SADC TFCA Financing Facility provided emergency grants from KfW (German development bank) to support ranger operations and alternative livelihoods like mushroom farming.

Are community conservancies part of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area?

Yes. Community conservancies in Eswatini form part of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA), a tri-national landscape spanning Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini covering 11,236 km². The TFCA was formally established in 2000 and includes core protected areas (Hlane, Mlawula, Mbuluzi, Shewula, IYSIS) and surrounding community-managed zones.

What training do community conservancy rangers receive?

Rangers receive training in human rights and law enforcement (to ensure compliance during arrests and patrols), 4×4 off-road driving, snake handling and identification, river guide training, first aid, and invasive plant control. This training is delivered through partnerships between the ENTC, PELUM, and international organisations, often funded by development partners.

How do community conservancies reduce poaching?

Community conservancies employ rangers who conduct regular anti-poaching patrols, gather intelligence on trafficking networks, and coordinate with law enforcement agencies. They also reduce poaching incentives by providing alternative income through tourism, sustainable harvesting (venison, skins), and community benefit-sharing. Transboundary coordination within the Lubombo TFCA enables rangers to close cross-border poaching routes.

Can tourists visit community conservancies in Eswatini?

Yes. Community conservancies like Shewula Mountain Camp and Mhlumeni Bush Camp offer guided hikes, bird-watching, cultural experiences, and wildlife viewing. Tourism revenue directly supports ranger salaries and community benefit-sharing. Booking through ethical operators committed to transparent revenue allocation maximises conservation impact.

What is the Eswatini Environmental Fund?

The Eswatini Environmental Fund (EEF), operated by the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, aggregates financing from government concessions, environmental fines, and development partner grants. It supports conservation areas, community conservation initiatives, and sustainable livelihood projects across Eswatini.

Is there a BIG 5 National Park being created in Eswatini?

Yes. The Government of Eswatini is prioritising the establishment of a "BIG 5 National Park," which will expand the core area of the Lubombo Biosphere Reserve by consolidating Hlane, Mlawula, Mbuluzi, Shewula, and IYSIS. Community conservancies will form a buffer zone around this expanded core, increasing protection and resource allocation.

What are the main threats to community conservancies in Eswatini?

Key threats include poaching and illegal wildlife trade, human-wildlife conflict (crop raids, livestock predation), habitat fragmentation from agriculture and development, climate change (droughts, erratic rainfall), and financing gaps. Sustained investment in ranger capacity, inter-agency coordination, and community engagement are essential to address these challenges.