Peter Fearnhead, African Parks CEO: Matusadona Revival Validates African Parks Model

By Ross Moyo

African Parks CEO Peter Fearnhead first came to Matusadona in the early 1990s and watched black rhino vanish. He helped save the last survivors. Today he returned as a partner in their revival.

Fearnhead says Matusadona’s collapse in the 1990s shaped African Parks’ founding thesis: protected areas fail without long-term management, funding and community alignment. That thesis now has a case study.

“I was in Matusadona in the early 1990s and witnessed the loss of black rhino. I also took part in the effort to try and save them. The management and funding challenges faced by the park at the time were an important driver in conceptualising African Parks as an organisation. It is therefore personally gratifying to have been a partner in the revival of Matusadona, together with ZimParks, local communities and so many dedicated people. Once again, the black rhino is an icon in this magnificent landscape,” said Peter Fearnhead, CEO of African Parks.

Since 2019, African Parks has managed Matusadona under a 20-year agreement with ZimParks. The model invests in law enforcement, infrastructure and livelihood programs to reduce risk and increase resilience.

The rhino reintroduction is the flagship output. Animals from Imire and Matobo were airlifted to Lake Kariba and placed in bomas for acclimatisation before release into a 175km² Intensive Protection Zone.

Each rhino is fitted with GPS tracking. That tech enables real-time monitoring, rapid response and data for adaptive management. It is conservation run like infrastructure.

Funding came from the EU, Global Wildlife Fund, Thomas and Sara de Swardt, with preliminary preparation by Rhino Recovery Fund. Long-term partners include Wyss Foundation, Stichting Natura Africae, Pangolin Crisis Fund and Elephant Crisis Fund.

For African Parks, Matusadona proves the model scales across Africa. Long-term investment + partnerships + community buy-in rebuild iconic protected areas after collapse.

Fearnhead says the revival is not just about rhino. It is about restoring Matusadona’s brand as a premier conservation landscape in southern Africa.

“Once again, the black rhino is an icon in this magnificent landscape,” he said. That icon status now has data, security and funding behind it.