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.
