Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 5 hrs ago
Mozambique safari operator wins 2026 Markhor conservation award
Zambeze Delta Safaris won the 2026 Markhor Award at the U.N. biodiversity conference, COP17, in Yerevan, Armenia.
The company, led by professional hunter Mark Haldane, works in Mozambique’s Zambezi Delta, an area where wildlife was severely depleted by civil war.
Its work combines regulated trophy hunting with wildlife restoration, anti-poaching and community projects.
The company says buffalo numbers rose from about 1,100 to 35,000 and sable antelopes from 40 to 4,000; lions were reintroduced in 2018.
Those figures have not all been independently verified, though Mozambique’s biodiversity foundation has documented substantial wildlife recovery.
Trophy hunting remains controversial, including over how much revenue reaches local communities; Haldane says Mozambique’s law directs 20% of government revenue from concessionaires to them.
COP17 governments are reviewing progress toward 2030 biodiversity goals, while a U.N. assessment warns the world is off track; Haldane hopes to extend the conservation work beyond Coutada 11.
Zambeze Delta Safaris, a Mozambican safari operator, won the 2026 Markhor Award for its conservation work.
The award was presented on Oct. 22 at the U.N. Biodiversity Conference, COP17, in Yerevan, Armenia.
The company combines regulated trophy hunting with wildlife restoration, anti-poaching work and community development in the Zambezi Delta.
Figures in the company’s award nomination report major increases in buffalo and sable antelope populations, though Mongabay said it had not independently verified all the figures.
Trophy hunting remains controversial, including over how much revenue reaches local communities.
- Who
- Zambeze Delta Safaris, led by professional hunter Mark Haldane, won the award.
- What
- It received the 2026 Markhor Award for contributions to conservation through sustainable wildlife management.
- When
- Oct. 22, 2026.
- Where
- The U.N. Biodiversity Conference, COP17, in Yerevan, Armenia.
- Why
- The award recognizes contributions to conservation through sustainable wildlife management.
Zambeze Delta Safaris
trophy-hunting critics
Conservation approach
Zambeze Delta Safaris
The company combines regulated trophy hunting with wildlife restoration, anti-poaching efforts and community development.
trophy-hunting critics
Critics question who benefits from trophy hunting and whether revenue reaches local communities.
Community benefits
Zambeze Delta Safaris
Haldane said Mozambique’s law directs 20% of government revenue collected from concessionaires to local communities.
trophy-hunting critics
A 2013 study in Mozambique’s Niassa National Reserve found that little of the revenue from one leopard went back to local communities.
Haldane began working in Coutada 11 after years of conflict had severely depleted wildlife populations.
Twenty-four lions were reintroduced to the area.
Zambeze Delta Safaris received the Markhor Award at COP17 in Yerevan.
- Award
- 2026 Markhor Award
- Recipient
- Zambeze Delta Safaris
- Award date
- Oct. 22, 2026
- Award location
- Yerevan, Armenia
- Buffalo population
- About 1,100 to 35,000, according to the company’s award nomination
- Sable antelope population
- 40 to 4,000, according to the company’s award nomination
What people are saying
There is no other way to describe it than it’s a truly humbling feeling
In my wildest dreams I never imagined this or anything close to this.
Look after nature and she will bounce back.
Here is something we can celebrate