Kalwazi Wildlife and Forest Reserve

The Kalwazi Wildlife and Forest Reserve is a strictly protected conservation area in Tanganyika Province, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although officially named a wildlife and forest reserve, it is classified administratively as a Total Game Reserve, placing it under a high-protection regime focused on wildlife preservation, forest conservation, and ecosystem integrity. Kalwazi protects an ecologically important forest–savanna transition zone linking southern Congo landscapes with the broader Tanganyika–Katanga conservation system. The reserve plays a critical role in protection of forest and woodland biodiversity, safeguarding wildlife habitats outside national parks, watershed protection for tributaries feeding Lake Tanganyika, and carbon storage and climate regulation through intact forest systems.