The Project aimed at mitigating the countries natural resources from unsustainable land use practices and encroachment into key protected areas including poaching and killing of wild animals. SSLLP provided livestock to Natural Resources Management groups with the aim of reducing the malpractice of killing wild animals while maintaining good nutrition of the people through consumption of livestock and livestock production . The protected areas targeted include Nyika-Vwaza Complex in Rumphi district, Nkhotakota game reserve, Mkuwazi forest reserve and Ntchisi forest reserve. The project started in September 2009 and ended in September 2012, with a no cost extension to September 2013. The main objectives included:

• Improved governance of protected areas (PAs) through a participatory, decentralized structure that provides economic incentives to support sustainable natural resource management;
• Improved rural livelihoods around the borders of protected areas under a framework that promotes increased food security, diversification; sound resource management ; and
• Increased rural incomes through enterprise development among local problems and entrepreneurs to produce, process and market agricultural and natural products

SSLLP’s involvement in the project was the provision of livestock to the NRM groups in order to reduce the malpractice of killing wild animals while maintaining good nutrition of the people through consumption of livestock and livestock products. SSLLP’s activities heightened on Farm Diversification by integrating improved livestock among targeted households with sound husbandry and veterinary to increase income and animal protein in the diet, to reduce dependence on rain-fed crops, and to decrease interest in poaching for bush meat. The focus was poultry, guinea fowl, rabbits, pigs and goats to facilitate entry into livestock based on low cost & fast returns (rapid growth & reproduction). The total budget for SSLLP’s activity was $656, 506.00. By the year 2012, 7,691differentlivestock species (goats, pigs and indigenous chickens) had been distributed and grown to 13,412.