Statement on Leigh Day allegations

IFAW has provided a comprehensive legal response to false and unfounded allegations by English law firm Leigh Day, which wrongly alleged that it is liable for tragic events of human-wildlife conflict (HWC) in and around the Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area (MAZA TFCA), following the 2022 translocation of elephants and other wildlife from Liwonde National Park to Kasungu National Park (KNP) by Malawi's Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW).

IFAW continues to focus on its longstanding support to the Governments of Malawi and Zambia in their work to mitigate HWC and promote human wildlife coexistence in the area under its flagship "Room to Roam" programme.

The two Governments have also put their position on record, each making clear that ownership and management of national parks and wildlife, including liability for HWC, is a sovereign issue for which there are well-established domestic avenues for disaster relief and claims against the state.

The 2022 translocation was a sovereign act of the Government of Malawi, undertaken in agreement with the Government of Zambia, pursuant to the 10-year-old international treaty establishing the MAZA TFCA. The plan to translocate wildlife to KNP was longstanding and was conceived before IFAW became involved in the landscape. Translocation is a part of Malawi's approach to wildlife management, with no fewer than eight translocations having been undertaken in the last eight years.

In the context of its wider work in the landscape, IFAW was honoured to be able to provide financial support and technical support for the translocation alongside other organisations. IFAW's mandate does not and never has included the management or operation of National Parks or the control of wildlife.

For well over 10 years, IFAW has been supporting the governments of Malawi and Zambia to build capacity, address HWC, tackle illegal wildlife crime and promote human-wildlife coexistence, which is critical for MAZA TFCA's success in delivering a landscape where animals and people can thrive together. As part of these efforts, IFAW is proud of its ongoing investment in Kasungu District to tackle illegal wildlife crime and HWC, which is critical to the restoration of KNP as a premier tourism destination and economic driver.

IFAW is disappointed that Leigh Day has sought to bring such an ill-advised for-profit litigation in the English courts, seemingly to benefit from London-level fees. Were there any substance to this claim, Malawi is the proper place for the matter to be heard. We hope that Leigh Day will now drop its opportunistic efforts so that the full focus and resources of IFAW, Government and other partners in the landscape can be channelled towards supporting local communities on initiatives that promote human-wildlife coexistence.

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For further information, please contact: rcorrea@ifaw.org