Majete Wildlife Reserve

Majete Wildlife Reserve, MW

About

Majete Wildlife Reserve is a nature reserve in southwestern Malawi, established as a protected area in 1955. The reserve's animal populations were decimated during the late 1970s and 1980s due to poaching and other human activities. Majete has been managed by African Parks since 2003, when the nonprofit conservation organization entered into a public–private partnership with the Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW). Since then, wildlife has been restored, the park has achieved big five game status, and tourism has increased. == Description and geography == Majete Wildlife Reserve is a 270-square-mile (700 km2) protected area in the lower Shire River valley, near Blantyre (Malawi's second largest city) and the Kapachira Falls. Majete's entrance includes a heritage centre, which displays confiscated trapping devices for capturing buffalo and other animals, and homemade muzzleloaders retrieved from poachers. 30 square miles (78 km2) of the park's core sanctuary area are reserved for visitors participating in safaris. == Flora and fauna == The nature reserve features savanna and woodland ecosystems, including riparian forest. Plants in Majete include Acacia, Brachystegia, Sterculia, and tall grasses.The park has more than 12,200 animals, as of late 2016. Majete became Malawi's first big five game reserve (referring to African buffalo, African elephants, African leopards, lions, and rhinoceros) when the nonprofit conservation organization African Parks reintroduced lions in August 2012. SOURCESWikipedia