Information surfaced about sexual and physical violence perpetrated by rangers.
For 15 years, African Chad collaborated with the non-profit conservation organization African Parks, but this autumn the government suddenly withdrew its cooperation. What happened? What does African Parks do? And what does the British prince have to do with it?
Retrospective
African Parks was established in 2000 in response to the reduction of protected areas due to "ineffective management and lack of funding." The first country where African Parks launched its activities was Malawi in 2003.
The state transferred control of the Majete Wildlife Reserve to the organization, retaining ownership rights. At that time, the state of the reserve was described by the press as "abandoned and ravaged by poachers," but by 2006, Malawians saw results — a restored elephant population. The success convinced the country's government to grant the organization two more areas in 2015: Liwonde National Park and Nkhotakota Wildlife Reserve.
It was here that Prince Harry became involved with the organization. In July 2016, he joined a group of experts for the "500 Elephants" project, under which more than 520 elephants were relocated from one Malawian park to another. This complex elephant logistics was explained by the desire to restore the population in Nkhotakota — by 2016 it had dwindled to less than 100 individuals due to poaching, while the population in Majete and Liwonde not only recovered but even created a surplus.
Today
The official website states: African Parks manages 24 protected areas covering more than 20 million hectares in 13 countries: Angola, Benin, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, the Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Rwanda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Among the organization's activities are:
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ecological sustainability — combating poaching, reintroduction, restoration and support of vulnerable species, reducing carbon dioxide emissions
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socio-political sustainability — environmental education, support for sustainable resource extraction
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economic sustainability — ensuring eco-friendly tourism, employment for local populations, investment support for governments
What Happened in Chad... and Beyond
On October 6, 2025, African Parks received an official notification from the Minister of Environment, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development of Chad about the government's unilateral decision to terminate two mandates issued to the organization. The ministry stated that the issue was due to the rise in poaching, insufficient funding, and alleged contract violations.
This is not the only scandal associated with African Parks. Periodically, information has surfaced online about sexual and physical violence perpetrated by rangers against members of the Baka people in Congo. After numerous questions to Prince Harry, the organization commissioned an independent investigation and acknowledged abuses of power in the spring of 2025. However, the investigation's results were not made public.
Accusations of Neocolonialism
Dutch journalist Olivier van Beemen went even further, publishing a book titled "In the Name of Nature: An Investigation into the Neocolonial Practices of the NGO 'African Parks'." Based on field research, van Beemen claims that the militarized conservation strategies of African Parks, supported by philanthropy and tourism revenues, not only displace local communities from protected areas but also contribute to "green colonialism."
The organization responded to van Beemen's accusations, noting in the book "hundreds of factual inaccuracies." The key argument of African Parks against the accusations of neocolonialism was... involvement in the affairs of local community NGOs.
Chad restored ties with African Parks on October 17, beginning negotiations on new agreements for joint management of current projects. The EU significantly influenced this decision by suspending grant support for the African country for 90 days.
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