Hope Springs: How one community brought a river back from the brink

A small group of community members in southern Zambia spent 13 years restoring a 300-metre stretch of the Nsongwe River through desilting and reforestation, which successfully revived natural springs and attracted wildlife. This local effort has been scaled up by the Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative, supported by IISD, WWF Zambia, and Global Affairs Canada. The expanded project now includes restoring the river and its tributaries (Lubemba and Lutwa streams), restoring 400 hectares of forest, and constructing check dams and fire breaks to improve water recharge and protect biodiversity in the Kavango–Zambezi landscape.

• Over 13 years, a small community group successfully restored a 300-metre section of the Nsongwe River by removing soil deposits and planting native hydrophilic plants, which revived buried natural springs and created a 'cool, green haven' that has attracted a crocodile.
• The Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative, involving IISD, WWF Zambia, and funding from Global Affairs Canada, is scaling up these nature-based solutions to restore the Nsongwe River and its tributaries, the Lutwa and Lubemba streams.
• The expanded restoration project includes the rehabilitation of 400 hectares of forest along the river and the creation of 50-metre buffer zone fire breaks to ensure water recharge and flow during dry seasons.
• Technical interventions implemented by the CAPA Initiative include hydrological assessments to guide the construction of check dams designed to control water velocity, conserve soil, and improve land quality.

APA

Sekirime, S. (2024). Hope Springs: How one community brought a river back from the brink. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/nsongwe-river-zambia-restoration-capa

Chicago

Sekirime, Susan. Hope Springs: How one community brought a river back from the brink. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2024. https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/nsongwe-river-zambia-restoration-capa.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sekirime |first1=Susan |title=Hope Springs: How one community brought a river back from the brink |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=19 September 2024 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/nsongwe-river-zambia-restoration-capa |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sekirime2024hope, author = {Sekirime, Susan}, title = {{Hope Springs: How one community brought a river back from the brink}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/success-story/nsongwe-river-zambia-restoration-capa}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }