Lifeblood to a Wilderness: The Niassa Reserve of Northern Mozambique (7-minute Video)

The Niassa Reserve is situated in the far north of Mozambique, with the Rovuma River forming the borderline with Tanzania.

It is the biggest wildlife sanctuary in the country, covering an area of about 16,200 square miles, about the size of Switzerland.

Although it was proclaimed in 1954 as the country's first game reserve, it had no formal protection until recently.

The Niassa Reserve is split into 17 blocks with different land-use classifications, including hunting, conservation and strictly protected areas.

The Lugenda Wildlife Reserve (Luwire) stretches over a million acres within Niassa and has around 200 miles of Lugenda River frontage along its northern border.

When Derek Littleton arrived in the area in the 1990s, there was zero infrastructure and much work to be done.