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Contents
Introduction
One of the boldest and most exciting cross-border initiatives currently unfolding in Southern Africa is the establishment, development and management of Transfrontier Parks and Transfrontier Conservation Areas.
Transfrontier Parks
Essentially, a Transfrontier Park is an area comprising two areas, which border each other across international boundaries and whose primary focus is wildlife conservation. Authorities responsible for the respective areas formally agree to manage the areas as one integrated unit according to a streamlined management plan. The authorities also undertake to remove all human barriers within the Transfrontier Park so that animals can roam freely.
Transfrontier Conservation Areas
A Transfrontier Conservation Area on the other hand usually refers to a cross-border region whose different component areas have different forms of conservation status such as national parks, private game reserves, communal natural resource management areas and even hunting concession areas. Although fences, major highways, railway lines or other forms of barriers may separate the various parts, these areas nevertheless border each other and are jointly managed for long-term sustainable use of natural resources. As opposed to Transfrontier Parks, free movement of animals between the different parts that constitute a Transfrontier Conservation Area may not always be possible.
Strategic Objective
The establishment and development of Transfrontier Conservation Areas as a vehicle for conservation and sustainable use of biological and cultural resources has the objective of facilitating and promoting regional peace, co-operation and socio-economic development. It taps on the notion that nature knows no boundaries.
Community involvement is key to the success of the TFCA programme. With their involvement the TFCA's are bestowed with the legitimacy that they deserve. From a tourism point of view, it is envisaged that Transfrontier Parks and Transfrontier Conservation Areas will enable tourists to drive across international boundaries into adjoining conservation areas of participating countries with minimal hurdles or bother.
Equally important, it is anticipated that these Transfrontier Parks and Transfrontier Conservation Areas will provide jobs and revenue generating opportunities for many local people living within and around them. It sounds logical therefore to presuppose that improving the lives of rural communities will in turn further contribute towards biodiversity conservation by demonstrating the economic and social advantages that can be achieved through wildlife conservation.
It is important to understand that the vision of cross-border collaboration gives effect to the stated objectives of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which aims at promoting synergy in regional initiatives for economic, social and conservation benefits over the subcontinent.
In this context, it can be said that the establishment, development and management of Transfrontier Conservation Areas forms part of broader aims of trans-boundary ecosystem management, integration of conservation with development, promoting regional cooperation and socio-economic development in the Southern African sub-continent. Furthermore the TFCA programme forms an integral part of NEPAD, which also aims to bring Africans together.
Update on current Transfrontier Conservation Areas Initivatives
There are six identified Transfrontier Conservation areas and five of them have memorandum of understanding. Limpopo-Shashe Transfrontier Conservation Area is on the horizon and is currently being negotiated.
1. Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Conservation Park
6,222 km2 in extent with 1,902 km2 (31%) in South Africa, and the remainder (69%) in Namibia.
2. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP)
37,991 km2 in extent, with 9,591 km 2 (27%) in South Africa and the remainder in Botswana.
3. Limpopo-Shashe Transfrontier Conservation Area
4,872 km2 in extent, 2,561 km2 (53%) in South Africa, 1,350 km2 (28%) in Botswana, and 960 km2 (19%) in Zimbabwe
4. Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park
(Formerly Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou Transfrontier Park)
35,000km2 in extent of which 10,000 km2 is in Mozambique, 20,000 km2 in South Africa and 5,000 km2 in Zimbabwe.
5. Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area
4,195 km2 in extent, of which 317 km2 (8%) is in Swaziland, 2,783 km2 (66%) is in Mozambique, and 1,095 km2 (26%) is in South Africa.
6. Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area
8,113km2 in extent of which 5,170 km 2 (64%) is in Lesotho and 2,943 km2 (36%) is in South Africa.
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