The inaugural Southern African Development Community (SADC) Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA) Conference commenced in Harare, Zimbabwe.
In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary for Environment, Climate, and Wildlife, Ambassador Tadeous Chifamba, said SADC member states have a shared vision to foster integrated and effective management of transboundary landscapes and seascapes.
“Without adequate resources, our efforts to conserve and manage these vital ecosystems will fall short. In this regard I urge all of you to put your best feet forward and come up with sustainable financing frameworks to ensure the TFCA programme is sustainable now and into the future. We need to consider how we can rope in the private sector and ensure TFCAs attract not only grants but also private capital,” he said.
The key objectives of the SADC TFCA program include showcasing 25 years of TFCA achievements, strengthening political commitment among SADC member states, and mobilising investment for conservation, local communities, and sustainable development, as well as strengthening SADC’s biodiversity economy for prosperity.
The five-day gathering, which runs until Friday, marks 25 years of regional cooperation in biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and ecotourism.
The event is running under the theme: “SADC Transfrontier Conservation Areas: 25 Years of Cooperation for Regional Integration and Sustainable Development.”
Chifamba called for stronger cooperation and partnership among stakeholders in wildlife conservation to foster integrated and effective management of transboundary landscapes and seascapes, ensuring that they thrive for generations to come.
“As we celebrate 25 years of the SADC TFCA programme, we must also focus on enhancing local community engagement and beneficiation. There can be no conservation without local communities who, since time immemorial, have lived and carefully conserved the natural resources that we so dearly enjoy today,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary, who is also the Chairperson of Senior Officials forthe Committee for Environment, Natural Resources and Tourism, called on the conference delegates to consider innovative ways of ensuring communities are well capacitated, supported and directly benefit from the TFCA programme.
Head of Cooperation of the European Union Delegation to the Republic of Zimbabwe, Franck Porte, hailed the TFCA Conference as a significant milestone in the SADC regional conservation efforts, emphasising that cross-border conservation initiatives are vital for safeguarding the planet’s rich natural heritage while driving regional integration.
He highlighted the EU’s support for TFCAs through the Global Gateway flagship initiative called NaturAfrica, which focuses on three pillars of Biodiversity Conservation, Green Economy and Governance and Partnerships, each essential to building resilient, inclusive and sustainable ecosystems.
On his part, Udo Volz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Zimbabwe, highlighted that the progress made in the SADC region in establishing and developing TFCAs is a prime example to the rest of the world.
He said this contributed significantly to the 30 by 30 target of the Global Biodiversity Framework which calls for 30% of the earth’s land and sea to be conserved through the establishment of protected areas and other area-based conservation measures.
The Country Director of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) for Zimbabwe, Itai Chibaya, said TFCAs are no longer just conservation zones, but corridors of connectivity, linking nations, cultures, ecosystems, and economies.
“Today, the SADC region leads the world in demonstrating that when Africa unites for nature, prosperity follows. TFCAs exemplify regional integration in action—not only in conference halls, but in the savannahs and forests where real people live, herd, farm, and thrive,” he saod.
Director of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the SADC Secretariat, Domingos Gove, highlighted the historical development of TFCAs started in 2019 with the first SADC TFCA, the Kgalagadi TFCA between Botswana and South Africa. Since then, the SADC Region has established 13 TFCAs, namely:
- Lubombo TFCA comprising Eswatini, Mozambique and South Africa),
- Ponta de Ouro-Ismangaliso TFCA;
- Maloti-Drankesberg between Lesotho and South Africa,
- Chimanimani TFCA between Mozambique and Zimbabwe,
- Great Limpopo TFCA covering Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe,
- Ai/Ais-Richtersveld TFCA between Namibia and South Africa,
- Greater Mapungubwe TFCA between South Africa and Zimbabwe,
- KAZA covering Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe,
- Malawi–Zambia TFCA between Malawi and Zambia,
- Niassa–Selous TFCA between Mozambique and the United Republic of Tanzania,
- Iona–Skeleton Coast between Angola and Namibia,
- Lower Zambezi–Mana Pools between Zambia and Zimbabwe, and
- ZIMOZA TFCA covering Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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