The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) in southern Africa is one of the world’s largest conservation areas. KAZA TFCA is situated in the Kavango and Zambezi River basins where the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe converge. It spans an area of approximately 520000 km² and includes 36 proclaimed protected areas such as national parks, game reserves, forest reserves, community conservancies and game/wildlife management areas. In December 2006, partner countries signed a MoU to establish the world’s largest transfrontier conservation area. In August 2011, the heads of state of the five partner countries signed the KAZA Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) Treaty. The KAZA-FTCA area is a partnership centered around “a common vision to conserve biodiversity at scale through promoting integrated transboundary management and to market the landscape biodiversity using nature-based tourism as the engine for rural economic growth and development.” A key objective of KAZA is to ensure connectivity between key wildlife areas, and where necessary, join fragmented wildlife habitats in order to form an interconnected mosaic of protected areas, as well as restore transboundary wildlife migratory corridors between wildlife dispersal areas (WDAs). These corridors re-establish and conserve large-scale ecological processes that extend beyond the boundaries of protected areas.
On May 31st, the first KAZA Heads of State Summit was held in Livingstone, Zambia. The Summit marked a significant milestone in conservation efforts in the region. The summit was attended by prominent leaders including President Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, President Dr. Nangolo Mbumba of Namibia, Vice President Mr. Slumber Tsogwane of Botswana, and Marcio de Jesus Lopes. the Minister responsible for Tourism from Angola. President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, who was the host of the Summit, underscored the commitment of the KAZA countries to intensify the conservation efforts and enable the development of the KAZA region.
The Summit urged Member States to expedite the operationalization of the South African Develop Community Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (SADA CITES) Engagement Strategy 2022-2026, to better defend the conservation, sustainable use, and socio-economic development interests of the region at CITES COP 20 to be held in Geneve in 2025. The Summit considered options available within and outside CITES including diplomatic engagement, withdrawal, reservations, arbitration, and trading with non-CITES parties to benefit from wildlife, and wildlife products. KAZA Partner States were urged to fully prepare and participate in the upcoming dialogue meeting planned for August 2024 in Botswana, including the holding of at least two preparatory meetings to develop a Regional Common Position for CITES CoP 20.
The Summit also considered harmonization of the ownership wildlife model within the KAZA region; and legal policy frameworks on Carbon Credit Trading, and forestry management, by 2030 in alignment with the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) (2020-2030), including a ban on exports of raw timber within KAZA region. The Summit noted the need of applying more widely the Strategic Environmental Assessment planning tool to economic and infrastructural planning processes, use natural capital assessment and accounting to value KAZA’s natural assets, which includes need to establish Natural Capital Accounts in Partner States (where not already done so) and bankable nature based and green finance solutions.
The Summit called on KAZA States to immediately implement the KAZA Destination Brand. The Summit further noted the need to establish a mechanism for engagement by communities in the tourism value chain which needs to be reviewed to enable improved financial and non-financial benefits from the industry and diversify tourism products on offer at the in-country and transboundary scale. The Summit called for enhancing connectivity across the KAZA region through direct flight, an efficient border management system, road, and air infrastructure.
President Hichilema concluded by reiterating the collective responsibility of the KAZA nations to safeguard their shared environment. He expressed optimism that through continued cooperation and dedication, the KAZA TFCA can become a global model for transboundary conservation and sustainable development.
