SANF 25 no 13 by SARDC Writer
In the vast wilderness of southern Africa, wildlife moves freely, unhindered by artificial boundaries. This natural harmony underscores a powerful truth: ecological conservation knows no borders.
This sentiment was echoed by Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA) Council of Ministers meeting in Harare on 22 May.
“We must learn from the animals… they move across our borders, which means there are no borders,” Murwira declared, emphasising that national boundaries are merely administrative, serving as bridges rather than barriers to regional unity.
The minister’s words encapsulated the essence of the SADC TFCA Programme (2023–2033), which calls for decisive action in strengthening governance frameworks, securing sustainable financing through innovative mechanisms such as green bonds and public-private partnerships and fostering community inclusion.
TFCAs are conservation initiatives that straddle national boundaries, thus falling under joint administration and re-establishing the ecological integrity that has been separated by artificial, though legal boundaries.
“We should integrate the TFCA agenda into wider frameworks of regional development, including those addressing food security, climate adaptation, economic diversification and youth employment,” Murwira urged the 16 SADC member states.
He noted that for the region, conservation is not just about safeguarding flora and fauna – it is about protecting its heritage.
“Our heritage is our power. Our heritage is our home. Our heritage is our soil, water, planet, people, and knowledge,” Murwira stated.
Over the years, SADC’s conservation initiatives have demonstrated the tangible benefits of transboundary cooperation.
Southern Africa’s coordinated approach to conservation has yielded significant success, with the population of the endangered black rhino nearly tripling over the past three decades.
The surge, from 2,400 in 1995 to approximately 6,400 today, underscores the effectiveness of the TFCA Programme, according to SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi.
Magosi credited transboundary collaboration and integrated wildlife management for stabilising black rhino numbers, which had once teetered on the brink of extinction due to rampant poaching.
“This remarkable recovery highlights the effectiveness of transfrontier collaboration and integrated wildlife management,” Magosi said.
Elephant populations in SADC have also demonstrated resilience, with the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA now home to over 220,000 elephants, even as numbers decline elsewhere across Africa.
Magosi reported that TFCAs in SADC have expanded over the past 25 years, from covering 35,500 square kilometers in 1999 to more than one million square kilometres today.
The KAZA TFCA – connecting Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe – alone spans approximately 520,000 square kilometres, making it one of the largest conservation zones globally.
These cross-border conservation zones have proven instrumental in curbing poaching, which is an ongoing threat to Africa’s wildlife.
Elephant and rhino populations in southern Africa have long been targeted by criminal networks supplying illicit ivory and rhino horn to international markets.
However, strengthened law enforcement measures, intelligence sharing and community engagement under the SADC TFCA Programme have helped combat the scourge.
The Council of Ministers meeting preceded the first-ever SADC TFCA Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for Harare on 23 May.
sardc.net