MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

Mr Werner Myburgh, CEO of Peace Parks Foundation

In 1997 Dr Anton Rupert, international business leader and philanthropist, together with Nelson Mandela, and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands founded the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF). It was at a time when these visionary leaders, identified the need for an independent organisation to bring countries together to jointly manage and develop ecosystems spanning international boundaries.

The Heads of State of the Southern African countries were invited to become Honorary Patrons of the Foundation in support of this concept and nine Presidents immediately accepted with Nelson Mandela becoming the Patron Emeritus. In Africa, the peace parks concept not only had tremendous benefit for ecosystem protection across international boundaries but also for regional integration of a continent divided at the turn of the 19th century by European powers during a period known as “The Scramble for Africa” that indiscriminately divided the map of Africa.

An opportunity therefore was at hand to re-evaluate ecosystem functioning across international boundaries in southern Africa and through a joint study conducted by the Foundation in partnership with the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa and all the partner countries involved, no less than 22 TFCA sites were identified.

What was important to note was that the combined size of the identified TFCAs covered an area of 473 652 km² (equivalent to the size of Spain or twice the size of Oregon in the USA) and encompassed most major biomes and eco-regions of the SADC countries. It was even more astounding to note this involved almost 50% of all formally protected conservation estate throughout the entire southern African sub-region.

At the outset the Foundation focused on supporting governments with establishing and developing six transfrontier conservation areas (also referred to as peace parks) on the boundary of South Africa. Twelve years later and formal agreements have been entered into between the partner countries for all six peace parks, three of which, has been formally proclaimed through the signing of a treaty by the heads of state of the participating countries. The Foundation's involvement has now expanded to focus on four additional TFCAs including the flagship of all southern African TFCAs, the Kavango-Zambezi which covers five countries and spans an impressive area of 280,000km2 (equivalent to the size of Italy) including 36 protected areas, game management areas, community conservancies and forestry reserves. Major features include the Okavango Delta, the Victoria Falls and also the world's largest elephant population exceeding 200,000 animals.

Considering the inherent sovereign nature of TFCAs, the Foundation's role can never be as a lead agent but only as supporter to government. It is with this philosophy at the heart of the manner in which the Foundation conducts its work that strong and productive relationships has been forged with the countries resulting in numerous collaborative agreements with various parastatals, provincial conservation agencies and government departments. The support the Foundation provides to Governments is extremely diverse and can vary from construction projects, wildlife translocations, land-use and tourism planning, financial and project management to training and capacity building. View video clip

Some of the highlights of the past eleven years, where the Foundation has been involved by supporting governments include:

• Africa's first transfrontier park was formally agreed upon with the signing of an Agreement between Botswana's President Festus Mogae and South Africa's President Nelson Mandela on 16 April 1999.
• Africa's first transfrontier park was opened on 12 May 2000 by Presidents Mogae and Mbeki and has since become a popular destination to tourists and 4x4 trail lists wishing to experience Kalahari's tranquillity.
• A fully catered luxury lodge owned by the Khomani San and Mier communities, opened its doors in 2007.
• The Mata-Mata Tourist Access Facility between Namibia and South Africa was opened in 2007 by the Heads of State of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa and construction has started on a joint entrance facility t Twee Rivieren.

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Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area (Mozambique/South Africa/ Swaziland)

• Five protocols toward Lubombo's establishment were signed on 22 June 2000.
• The World Bank donated $6 million to develop the Mozambican component of the Usuthu-Tembe-Futi TFCA. Development includes infrastructure and accommodation upgrades, and the construction of headquarters and accommodation facilities. To supplement this, a co-financing agreement between Mozambique and PPF for the development of Maputo Special Reserve was signed.
• The existing boundary fence of the Maputo Special Reserve was repaired and a unique and highly successful elephant restraining line erected along the Futi River to link up with Tembe Elephant Park in South Africa. The two electrified wires run two metres above ground and thus allow communities free movement whilst protecting crops from elephants.
• Joint management, tourism, project implementation and zoning plans for the various components of the Lubombo TFCA were completed and are in various stages of implementation.
• A transfrontier marine protected area is being established from St Lucia in the south to Santa Maria in Mozambique in the north. An exciting first outcome has been a cross-border turtle monitoring programme whereby data is being collected for the entire Maputaland coastline.
• A community development project was launched to implement a community development strategy that aims to bring about the sustainable economic development and benefit-sharing of communities living in and around the Maputo Special Reserve.

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Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area (Kingdom of Lesotho/South Africa)

• An MoU toward its establishment was signed 11 June 2001.
• Lesotho's Sehlabathebe National Park was proclaimed on 2 November 2001. The Foundation is supporting the development of management and tourism plans, as well as infrastructural development in order to turn it into a major tourist attraction. The entrance gate and arrival centre have been completed.
• On 22 August 2003 the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development project was launched by the Ministers of the Environment and the World Bank, the implementing agency of the Global Environment Facility's $15,24 million five-year project.

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Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (Mozambique/South Africa/Zimbabwe)

• The three heads of state signed a treaty establishing Great Limpopo on 9 December 2002.
  
• Giriyondo Access Facility between Kruger and Limpopo national parks was opened on 16 August 2006.
  
• In 2006, the World Bank donated $36,0 million to the Government of Mozambique in support of developing its five transfrontier conservation areas.
  
• A permanent secretariat to oversee the development of the transfrontier park was appointed in 2007.

Mozambique proclaimed the million ha Limpopo National Park on 27 November 2001 and requested the Foundation's assistance in overseeing its development as a SADC approved project. The following have been achieved:

• Management and tourism development plans were completed and indicated that the park could accommodate in the region of 400,000 visitors per annum.
• The park was demined according to international standards;
• The boundary for the buffer zone was re-aligned to ensure that the communities living along the Limpopo River would have adequate space for their resource utilisation needs;
• 150 people were trained and employed;
• Over 6,000 animals have been translocated and that, combined with 50 km of fence being dropped, encouraged more animals, including over 1,000 elephants to walk over by themselves;
• Park headquarters and staff housing were built;
• The first tourism facilities opened in September 2005 and include Machampane tented camp, Machampane wilderness trail, Shingwedzi 4x4 eco-trail, Aguia Pesqueira campsite and Massingir hiking trail;
• A resettlement working committee was established and seven communities living in remote areas inside the park have opted to relocate to areas with better living conditions; and
• Grants totalling €11.9 million by the German development bank KfW and €11.0 million by the French development agency AFD were secured.

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|Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (Namibia/South Africa)

• The two heads of state signed a treaty establishing the transfrontier park on 1 August 2003.
• Joint management, tourism and financial protocol plans were completed.
• An entrance gate to |Ai-|Ais Hot Springs Game Park was built.
• The pontoon at Sendelingsdrift was refurbished and customs, immigration offices and staff housing on both sides of the Orange River were built in time for the opening of the Sendelingsdrift Tourism Access Facility in 2007.

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Malawi/Zambia TFCA (Malawi/Zambia)

• An MoU toward the TFCA's establishment was signed on 13 August 2004.
• A joint law enforcement project operating as a single unit across international borders to combat poaching was employed with resounding success in the Nyika TFCA. Thanks to this, a wildlife restocking programme of Nyika National Park and Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve was begun in 2007.

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Greater Mapungubwe TFCA (Botswana/South Africa/Zimbabwe)

• The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape was proclaimed a World Heritage Site in July 2003.
• Peace Parks Foundation, De Beers, National Parks Trust and WWF SA assisted SANParks by facilitating negotiations with landowners and buying up farmland to consolidate the core area of South Africa's contribution to the proposed TFCA - the 30 000 ha Mapungubwe National Park, officially opened on 24 September 2004.
• An MoU toward the TFCA's establishment was signed on 22 June 2006 and an international coordinator appointed.
• A strategic plan for the TFCA's development was drafted to determine a vision, mission, long-term goals, objectives and actions for the TFCA.

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Kavango-Zambezi TFCA (Angola/ Botswana/ Namibia/ Zambia/ Zimbabwe)

• An MoU toward what is set to become the world's biggest conservation area was signed on 7 December 2006.
• To guide its development the five governments commissioned a pre-feasibility study, facilitated by the Foundation.
• A secretariat to steer its development has been appointed.
• An integrated development plan for the Zambian component of the Kavango-Zambezi TFCA was drafted in a comprehensive and participatory planning process by the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), facilitated by Peace Parks Foundation, whereby all affected communities and stakeholders identified their needs and priorities for development.

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Training Colleges

To help ensure the sustainability of peace parks, the Foundation further supports the training of wildlife managers at the Southern African Wildlife College near Kruger National Park. Since inception in 1997, more than 2000 students have been trained. Linked to the college is the Hans Hoheisen Wildlife Research Station where wildlife disease research, training and certain veterinary projects are facilitated.

Alstone Mwanza receives the award from Peace Parks Foundation CEO, Werner Myburgh at the 2008 Southern African Wildlife College graduation ceremony.

The SA College for Tourism in Graaff-Reinet, officially opened by Mrs Mbeki in 2002, trains people in the necessary hospitality skills to work at lodges in and around the peace parks.

Thanks to Southern Africa's commitment, Africa has taken the lead in realising the vision of linking protected areas and ecosystems across international borders in order to support sustainable economic development, biodiversity conservation and regional peace and stability. The development of peace parks is an exemplary process of partnerships where donors and NGOs have assisted governments and their implementing agencies. The successes thus far have been thanks to the dedication of the region's political leaders, the devotion of the international coordinators and government officials and the tremendous support of the donor community.

Considering the vast area involved, the important biodiversity and ecosystem services provided by these areas, the potential is tremendous. This is however not only an African phenomenon but globally the World Conservation Union also identified the potential of this concept for further promotion and identified no less than 227 peace parks incorporating 3 043 individual protected areas or internationally designated sites . This concept addresses at least three of the eight United Nation's Millennium Development Goals.

Amid such tantalising possibilities, one thing is certain, courageous leaders who bequeath a legacy of peace will be long remembered for their vision.

In the words of Nelson Mandela: “I know of no political movement, no philosophy and no ideology which does not agree with the peace parks concept”.

Will others join in this quest?

Peace parks. Join us!

Mr Werner Myburgh (CEO)

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