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20 years of SADC TFCA Investment: German Development Cooperation support to sustainable cross-border management of shared natural resources
| Author: | German Development Cooperation |
| Language: | English |
| Topic: | |
| Type: | Regional plans |
| Last updated: | 8 November 2024 |
The core mandate of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs), as outlined in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) TFCA Programme, is to promote sustainable use and conservation of shared natural and cultural resources through harmonised, joint cross-border initiatives. This implies effective governance and management, socio-economic development, financial sustainability, climate resilience, and regional learning and integration. TFCAs are, therefore, bold conservation initiatives due to their size, complexity and vision.
2020 marked exactly 20 years since former Presidents Festus Mogae of Botswana and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa officially launched the first SADC TFCA - the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Since then, 18 cross-border areas have been listed as SADC TFCAs, out of which 12 have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) or Treaties. The German government strongly believes in the TFCA concept as an integrated conservation approach and has supported SADC TFCAs from as early as 2002. In 2012, the German Development Cooperation (GDC) and SADC initiated a joint Transboundary Use and Protection of Natural Resources Programme (GDC/SADC – TUPNR) implementing activities at the regional and the local TFCA level together with SADC Member States with a wide range of implementing partners and local Community-based Organisations (CBOs). Today, the GDC/SADC-TUPNR Programme and its partners are a major initiative supporting the implementation of the SADC TFCA Programme1, the SADC Climate Change Strategy2, the SADC Law
Enforcement and Anti-Poaching (LEAP) Strategy3 and the SADC Tourism Programme.4 Currently, the Programme specifically focuses on six TFCAs:
(i) Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA,
(ii) Great Limpopo TFCA (GLTFCA),
(iii) Malawi-Zambia TFCA,
(iv) /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (ARTP),
(v) Lubombo TFCA (LTFCA) and
(vi) Maloti-Drakensberg TFCA (MDTFCA).
2020 marked exactly 20 years since former Presidents Festus Mogae of Botswana and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa officially launched the first SADC TFCA - the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Since then, 18 cross-border areas have been listed as SADC TFCAs, out of which 12 have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) or Treaties. The German government strongly believes in the TFCA concept as an integrated conservation approach and has supported SADC TFCAs from as early as 2002. In 2012, the German Development Cooperation (GDC) and SADC initiated a joint Transboundary Use and Protection of Natural Resources Programme (GDC/SADC – TUPNR) implementing activities at the regional and the local TFCA level together with SADC Member States with a wide range of implementing partners and local Community-based Organisations (CBOs). Today, the GDC/SADC-TUPNR Programme and its partners are a major initiative supporting the implementation of the SADC TFCA Programme1, the SADC Climate Change Strategy2, the SADC Law
Enforcement and Anti-Poaching (LEAP) Strategy3 and the SADC Tourism Programme.4 Currently, the Programme specifically focuses on six TFCAs:
(i) Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA,
(ii) Great Limpopo TFCA (GLTFCA),
(iii) Malawi-Zambia TFCA,
(iv) /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (ARTP),
(v) Lubombo TFCA (LTFCA) and
(vi) Maloti-Drakensberg TFCA (MDTFCA).
