Mozambique safari operator wins conservation award
Zambeze Delta Safaris received recognition at COP17 for combining trophy hunting with wildlife restoration and community development.
Zambeze Delta Safaris, a Mozambique-based company led by Mark Haldane, won a conservation award on October 22, 2026, at the U.N. Biodiversity Conference, COP17, in Yerevan, Armenia. The company integrates regulated trophy hunting with wildlife restoration, anti-poaching initiatives, and community development in a region of Mozambique previously devastated by civil war.
Haldane expressed that receiving the award was a humbling experience, stating he never imagined such recognition. The award coincides with COP17's review of global biodiversity targets, including Target 9 on sustainable wildlife management benefiting communities. Astrid Schomaker, executive secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, praised the win as something to celebrate.
Since Zambeze Delta Safaris began operations in Coutada 11 in 1994, African buffalo numbers have surged from approximately 1,100 to 35,000, and sable antelopes increased from 40 to 4,000. 24 lions reintroduced in 2018 have grown to about 120. A 2026 review of studies in sub-Saharan Africa found positive outcomes for wildlife or local people in nearly two-thirds of documented trophy-hunting cases.
Why it mattersMozambican wildlife populations have significantly increased due to the conservation efforts of Zambeze Delta Safaris.