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

This case study describes the community-led restoration of the Nsongwe River in southern Zambia. After years of degradation and deforestation, a small group of residents began desilting and reforesting the waterway. This effort has since been scaled up through the Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative, a partnership between the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and WWF Zambia, supported by Global Affairs Canada, to implement nature-based solutions for climate adaptation.

• The Nsongwe River suffered significant environmental degradation, characterized by the drying of the waterway, the filling of deep pools with soil and sand, and the clearing of the surrounding lush forest. This deforestation led to increased bank erosion and the loss of critical wildlife habitats, specifically for hippos and fish.
• Initial community-led restoration efforts over 13 years successfully restored a 300-metre stretch of the riverbank by removing soil deposits and planting native hydrophilic plants. To protect these works, water for cattle was pumped from a well to a drinking trough located away from the river. These actions restored some buried natural springs and attracted wildlife, including a crocodile.
• The Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative, involving IISD and WWF Zambia with funding from Global Affairs Canada, is scaling up these nature-based solutions. The project aims to restore the Nsongwe River and its tributaries, the Lubemba and Lutwa streams, including the restoration of 400 hectares of forest and the construction of fire breaks along a 50-metre buffer zone on both sides of the river.
• The CAPA project employs technical assessments to guide restoration, including hydrological assessments to identify areas for desilting and the construction of check dams to control water velocity and conserve soil. It also conducts risk assessments focusing on climate, biodiversity, and gender risks.

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} }