THE SOCIETY’S HISTORY
The Society first came into being in 1953 as the Game Hunting
and Preservation Association. In recent years, however,
emphasis has shifted towards a wider range of environmental and
conservational issues.
In 1957 the Society mobilised
international resources to rescue animals that would have
otherwise been drowned or stranded by the rising waters of the
newly created Lake Kariba. When the rescue work of Operation
Noah was completed, the assets were sold and the proceeds
used to create the Wildlife Trust Limited whose purpose
was one of supporting the work of the Society. Around the same
time, came a name change to the Wildlife Conservation Society
of Northern Rhodesia.
In 1964, alongside a newly independent nation, the Wildlife
Conservation Society of Zambia was born with the first
Republican President, Kenneth Kaunda, as patron. Two years later
Treetops and Nyamaluma School Conservation Camps
were constructed within the Kafue National Park and the Luangwa
Valley respectively.
The first Chongololo Clubs were formed in 1972 and the
first Chongololo magazines printed and distributed within the
same year. This was made possible with help from the then
Ministry of Education,
World Wildlife Fund and Roan Consolidated Mines.
Our Chongololo programme was furthered in 1978 with the launch
of the Chongololo Club of the Air (CCOA) radio programme.
This was launched with the support of the Bata Shoe Company and
Mrs. Bata herself. The current cumulative membership of the CCOA
is 70,000 making it one of the largest environmental radio clubs
in Africa.
In 1980 Conservation Clubs were launched in secondary schools.
This initiative was given further support in 1986 with the
launch of the Chipembele Magazine. Aimed at the secondary
school age group this project was made possible by support from
the World Wide Fund for Nature.
On the 5th of June, 1990, the Chongololo Programme was awarded
the
Global 500 Award by the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP). This was for its sustained contribution to promoting
environmental protection through awareness.
It was five years later, in 1995, that the Society's focus
changed to reflect the shift in emphasis from solely wildlife to
broader environmental issues. Thus, on the World Environment
Day, the Society came to be what it is today - the Wildlife and
Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia.
To
read about the Society's present and future activities, please
click here.
