Majete Wildlife Reserve (201404)
Malawi, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1c, A1d
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Majete Wildlife Reserve
Central coordinates: Latitude: -15.9215, Longitude: 34.6194
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 90 to 880
Area of KBA (km2): 714.54226
Protected area coverage (%): 96.35
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: Majete Wildlife Reserve is situated in the Southern Region of Malawi. The major part lies within the Chikwawa District (about 90%) and the extreme northern section lies within the Mwanza, Blantyre, and Neno Districts. It was gazetted as a Wildlife Reserve in 1976 with 704km2. It is characterised by undulating, hilly terrain. The highest point in Majete is Kapirimbewe, located in the north-west at 880 metres above mean sea level (mamsl), while the lowest point is at the Mwembezi River exit in the north-east at 90 mamsl.
The reserve’s animal populations ranging from common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) to African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana), black rhino (Diceros bicornis), lion (Panthera leo), spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) and leopard (Panthera pardus) were decimated between late 1970s and early 2000s due to poaching and other anthropogenic activities. In 2003, the government of Malawi entered into a Public Private Partnership (PPP) with the African Parks Network (APN), currently managing the Reserve. The management partnership has seen the habitat restoration and reintroduction of all the decimated animal species including the Southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa), and cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus).
The Reserve is currently one of Malawi's Big Five parks. It has over 300 species of birds, including four species of vultures, the Bateleur eagle, and the African fish eagle. The vegetation type is the Miombo community, which covers 35.9% of the area and intergrades into savannah woodlands.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: Majete Wildlife Reserve qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) of international significance, with four mammal species and one bird species meeting different thresholds of the global KBA standard. The four mammal species are Diceros bicornis, which triggers the KBA under A1a and A1c; Panthera leo, under A1d; Lycaon pictus, under A1a; and Loxodonta africana, which meets A1c. The bird species is Trigonoceps occipitalis, which meets criterion A1c.
Additional biodiversity: The Reserve is one of the two Big Five parks in Malawi. It hosts a variety of large mammals with viable populations of the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana), lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus), Southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), African wild dog (Lycaon pictus), Temminck's pangolin (Smutsia temminckii), nyala (Tragelaphus angasii), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer), hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus), sable antelope (Hippotragus niger), impala (Aepyceros melampus), common eland (Tragelaphus oryx), plains zebra (Equus burchelli), warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), bushpig (Potamochoerus larvatus), spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), and waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) among others. Apart from the large mammals, Majete also has over 300 recorded species of birds, including four species of vulture, the bateleur eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus), African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer), Livingstone's flycatcher (Erythrocercus livingstonei), Bohm's bee-eater (Merops boehmi), African cuckoo-hawk (Hierococcyx), southern ground hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri), and the collared pratincole (Glareola nuchalis).
The Shire River traverses the eastern portion of the reserve, offering a suitable habitat for hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus), and various ichthyofauna, including Mozambique tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus).
The vegetation type falls into Miombo community, including broad-leaved relatively dry woodlands, and intergrades to savannah.
Manageability of the site: Through a public-private partnership (PPP) model with the Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), African Parks administers Majete Wildlife Reserve as a single unit. This model combines the strengths of a conservation organization with government oversight for sustainable management, benefiting wildlife and local communities. African Parks signed a 25-year management agreement with DNPW, from 2003 to 2028, subject to renewal. Through this agreement, African Parks obtained the operational authority and responsibility to manage the reserve including all conservation activities and security. DNPW retain land ownership, policy, and all rights attached to the land. African Parks helped restore Majete’s biodiversity by re-introducing over 3,200 animals from 17 species, including lion, black rhino, elephant and cheetah.
African parks invested significantly in infrastructure and restoration activities. Through the partnership, Majete is now a model park for habitat and species restoration.
Supersedes another site: N/A
Other site values: There are no Indigenous people or customary user rights inside the protected area. However, the primary land use outside the reserve is subsistence agriculture dominated by livestock production and smallholder cultivation. Surrounding communities are allowed to harvest resources such as thatch grass and fruits within designated resource use zones under the resource use program. Communities are also allowed to hang bee hives within the resource use zone and the reserve assists with processing and marketing. These initiatives aim to strengthen relations between the reserve and border communities, promoting conservation while improving community livelihoods
Delineation rationale: Align with the Majete Wildlife Reserve boundary (WDPA ID: 2319) and the boundary description in the Majete Park Plan of 2000 (annex 1, page 56). It was gazetted under the Laws of Malawi, Cap.66:03, Proclamation of Alteration of Boundaries (Majete Game Reserve), on 29 September 1976, published as Government Notice No. 146 of 1976. On the northwestern side, the boundary description follows the Chipudzi stream, leaving out a section as seen in the background map for World Database for Protected Area (WPDA) sites.
Approximately 10 square kilometres on the northeastern bank of the Shire River from Grid Reference XT 864 544, to Grid Reference XT 876 413 below Kapichira Falls were added but are yet to be officially gazetted. This section is under protection, enclosed by a fence, and supports a substantial population of prominent mammal species.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Majete Wildlife Reserve is predominantly a terrestrial savanna habitat characterized by tropical dry deciduous woodland, miombo, grassland, and shrubland. Riverine and riparian thickets are present along the two perennial rivers, Mkulumadzi and Shire, which support diverse aquatic biodiversity.
The reserve's topography varies. The eastern lowlands are relatively flat and feature few rocky outcrops, whereas the western uplands are hilly and contain numerous rocky outcrops.
The reserve has 4 ecosystem types: the Shire catchment rivers, deciduous and thicket, and the North Zambezian undifferentiated woodland.
Land use: Malawi's National Parks and Wildlife Act and the National Wildlife Policy regulate land management and utilization in the reserve, restricting the land to conservation purposes.
The resource use program and the fire management plan designated specific areas for controlled resource harvesting to balance ecological sustainability with resource use while integrating fire management strategies to reduce the risk of wildfires. For this reason, the first few hundred metres from the boundary inward are zoned for resource use, allowing regulated harvesting.
Ranger camps, tourism infrastructure, environmental education centres, and office blocks are strategically positioned within utility areas where infrastructure development for management and visitor use purposes are allowed. Behind the administration camp are special areas of public importance such as the Kapichira Hydro Electric Power station and the Shire Valley Irrigation Program canal intake.
Over 300km of road network facilitates management, monitoring, and tourism activities. The wilderness and semi-wilderness areas are reserved for wildlife conservation, with minimal infrastructure development permitted.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Grassland | 5 | Grassland – Subtropical/tropical high altitude |
| Shrubland | 5 | Shrubland – Subtropical/tropical dry |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 5 | Wetlands (inland) – Permanent rivers/streams/creeks (includes waterfalls) |
| Savanna | 85 | Savanna - Dry |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: External pressures—The increasing conservation and biodiversity island, as more land is depleted outside the periphery of Majete, puts pressure on the reserve's resources through deforestation, charcoal production, and siltation.
Wildlife management—Managing the growing populations of elephants and predators in a closed system presents a challenge. This has compelled the reserve to translocate some elephants and wild dogs to other protected areas and to contracept lions.
Under community engagement - Growing and maintaining emotional ownership and benefits flown to community members is essential.
The eastern side of the Shire River is not proclaimed. It may be subject to human activities such as agriculture or development without the same level of conservation oversight as an officially declared protected area.
Lastly, regarding law enforcement, depleted natural resources outside the reserve will exponentially increase the threat to its resources.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Other options | Other threat | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: A brief history of Majete Wildlife Reserve: https://www.africanparks.org/brief-history-majete-wildlife-reserve
DNPW. (2005). Majete Wildlife Reserve. A Park Plan, November 2000. First Draft (15 June 2005), November 2000, 156. Unpublished
UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2024), Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) [Online], December 2024, Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net.
Nieman, W. A., van Wilgen, B. W., & Leslie, A. J. (2021). The structure and composition of the woody plant communities of Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi. Bothalia, 51(2). https://doi.org/10.38201/btha.abc.v51.i2.7
Schulze, E. & Wood, C. 2024. Aerial Survey Report 2024: Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi. Report
prepared for African Parks. Chikwawa, Malawi: Majete Wildlife Reserve. Unpublished
Sievert, O., & Hay, C. (2018). Majete Wildlife Reserve Aerial Survey – November 2018. Report
prepared for African Parks. Chikwawa, Malawi: Majete Wildlife Reserve. Unpublished
Contributors: Michael Thamala, Majete Wildlife Reserve.
John Adendorff, Majete Wildlife Reserve.
Craig Thomas, Majete Wildlife Reserve.
Tiwonge Mzumara-Gawa, Malawi University of Science and Technology.
Fred Barasa Munyekenye, Birdlife International.