Wuparo Conservancy was started by the Mayeyi Traditional Authority in 1997 after they found that the community was not reaping the benefits of the natural resources found between the Lupala and Mudumu national parks.
The IRDNC in conjunction with the Directorate of Resource Management in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), helped the community set up the conservancy and over the past few years the Wupero conservancy had contributed to several developments in the region, including an increase in tourism, employment for some youth and the provision of environmental education for pupils at schools in the Sangwali district.
The community is also involved in the Elephant Pepper Chilli Project that promotes chilli pepper production by the communal farming community in areas of Southern Africa. The project intervenes where conflicts exists between wildlife and farmers. The project facilitates improvement of the livelihood of the communal farmers by the development of chilli pepper as a cash crop by providing technical and professional advice. Via the Chilli Pepper Company, the project assists the farmers with marketing the crop through the Elephant Pepper range of products.
The steering committee for the conservancy also has plans to set up a campsite in future.
