Buntu Biosphere Reserve Foundation

Mission

Strengthening Community Appreciation, Affection, Advocacy and Action.

Buntu Biosphere Reserve Foundation, is a non-profit organization promoting sustainable environmental initiatives that are directed towards community Knowledge Building, Voice Amplifying, Governance Strengthening and Venture Supporting.

Our Focus Areas

Scope

Our Focus Areas

We believe in and commit to supporting community engagements that inspire and promote sustainable environment initiatives that are directed towards Knowledge Building, Voice Amplifying, Governance Strengthening and Venture Supporting, because the community’s knowledge of itself, -of its environment, -of science and the political-economy, empowers both its stewardship as well as its entitlement.

Education in Climate Change Finance

Buntu Biosphere Reserve Foundation has joined a consortium of educational and climate change entities, led by Amaris Great Achievers Academy, seeking to launch a series of seven TEVETA approved short courses, in Climate Change Finance with support from the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment. The courses will provide credit bearing and skills competence based certification. The fields of coverage will be: Climate Change Finance and Low Carbon Economy. The courses should be enrolling once approvals are finalised with the TEVETA, expected in 2025.

Ngwenya (Blue Water) Dam

Supporting publication efforts by Foresight Analytix to produce and run the story of the Ngwenya Dam, with respect to the livelihoods it supports and the lives the Dam has taken, the threats it presents and opportunities perceived by surrounding community members, and to also profile the roles and actions of concerned authorities in the Jack Compound peri-urban area.

Buntu Museum and Learning Centre

Consultations are on-going with the Wildlife and Environment Conservation Society of Zambia with a view to entering a Memorandum of Understanding that will provide a partnership to establish the Buntu Biosphere Reserve Foundation’s Museum and Learning Centre which will broadly seek to promote popular use of local knowledge by strengthening communities in how they commercialize ecological services within their cultural, historical and natural environmental contexts, in the Kafue Flats Biosphere Reserve.

Non-Timber Forest Products

Promoting Forest Africa production of value-added local products on the Baobab as the primary input. Amongst the product lines are drinks, jams, yogurts, oils with bio-waste recycled into charcoal briquettes. Species of fruit used apart from Baobab include Ngai and Msekese species. These natural local products are supports for the livelihood of the communities they are drawn from and also result in a healthier uptake.

Traditional Leadership Seed Banks

Support the mobilization of communities in planting the 50 varieties of Zambian fruit trees in each chiefdom to preserve tree species, promote biodiversity, livelihoods and nutrition, as part of Biocarbon sequestration using immediate contributors to dietary value chains-based fruits for the manufacture of indigenous drinks and beverage products. This work is being driven in collaboration with Forest Africa Limited, Moraya Gardens, renowned visual artist Mwamba Mulangala and Chief Ishima of Zambezi in North Western Province.

Community Aquaculture

The promotion of aquatic biodiversity by investing in community ownership of aquaculture practices through support to Itezhi-Tezhi Fisheries Ltd. In collaboration with Rural Net Associates and Block Chain Aquaculture Ltd. The objective of this support is to contribute to the community’s reduced dependence on the natural fish stocks of the Kafue River and Itezhi-Tezhi Dam by increasing community based caged- and ponded-fish production, which will also result in increased local community livelihoods and improved household nutrition.

Organic Fertilizer made out of Hydrolysate Fish Products

Support the uptake of Green and Organics Bio-Fertilizer made of Hydrolysate fish, which works to naturally revitalize and enrich plants directly through foliar enrichment and also through soil structure strengthening, a product of Moraya Gardens and partners. This fertilizer has great value in restoring soil integrity and has been approved by Zambia Environmental Management Authority and trialed, tested and recommended by the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute.

Biodiversity Conservation Planning Guidelines

The Foundation met separately with both the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Elijah Muchima, MP and the Hon. Garry Nkombo, MP. Both met with Buntu Biosphere Reserve lending their support to our objectives and the Ministry of Lands receiving our proposal to seek a Regional Integrated Development Plan for the Kafue Flats Biosphere Reserve as a unitary and integrated Conservation Plan which they advise will need to be considered by the National Biodiversity Technical Committee.

Partner Products

By Forest Africa

By Moraya Gardens

ALL PROJECTS