From “pitiful state” to partnership: how private conservation groups are stepping in to save africa’s struggling national parks

Upemba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo tells a story of conservation crisis and innovative solutions. By the early 2010s, this protected area had become emblematic of Africa’s struggling parks—rangers faced deadly attacks from armed militias, poaching ran rampant, and wildlife populations plummeted. The situation deteriorated so severely that after the park’s chief warden was killed in an ambush in 2012, the Frankfurt Zoological Society abandoned its conservation efforts, leaving Upemba in what one expert called a “pitiful state.”

Enter Forgotten Parks, founded by Robert Muir in 2016 specifically to tackle such neglected conservation areas. The organization stepped into the void left by traditional conservation groups, signing a groundbreaking 15-year agreement with the DRC government in 2017 to directly manage Upemba National Park. This arrangement represents part of a growing trend across Africa, where governments struggling with limited resources or security challenges are partnering with foreign NGOs to manage their protected areas.

According to a 2024 study published in PNAS, this public-private partnership model has expanded rapidly, with over 127 protected areas across 16 African countries now operating under similar arrangements. Organizations like Forgotten Parks and the more established African Parks are filling critical gaps where governments cannot effectively manage day-to-day conservation operations. Christine Lain, who serves as Forgotten Parks’ DRC director and current manager of Upemba, offers insights into how these partnerships are reshaping African conservation—potentially providing a lifeline for parks that might otherwise be lost to conflict and neglect.