Quiçama National Park

Geography

The park is bordered on the west by 120 km of the Atlantic Ocean's coast. The Cuanza River forms the northern boundary, while the Longa River constitutes the southern border.

History

What is now Quiçama National Park was formed as a game reserve in 1938. In January 1957, it was proclaimed a national park by the Portuguese administration of the Overseas Province of Angola.

The park once was home to an abundance of large game animals such as elephants and Giant Sable, but after wide-scale poaching during 25 years of civil war, the animal population was virtually eliminated.

In 2001, the Kissama Foundation, a group of Angolans and South Africans, initiated 'Operation Noah's Ark' to transport animals, especially elephants, from neighboring Botswana and South Africa. These animals, who were from overpopulated parks in their home countries, adapted well to the move. Noah's Ark was the largest animal transplant of its kind in history and has given the park momentum to be restored to its natural state.

Since 2005, the protected area and surroundings is considered a Lion Conservation Unit.

In 2025, the park was designated as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO.

References

References

1. "Kissama National Park {{!}} Alliance of National Parks".
2. (24 July 2014). "Rebuilding Kissama". Mongabay.org.
3. IUCN Cat Specialist Group (2006). Conservation Strategy for the Lion ''Panthera leo'' in Eastern and Southern Africa. IUCN, Pretoria, South Africa.
4. (27 September 2025). "The Bright Side: UNESCO designates 26 new biosphere reserves including France's Lake Bourget".