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WHY PEACE PARKS?

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Peace parks epitomise harmony between humans and nature by using resources to create prosperity. When this happens, peace usually prevails, as economic stability is a cornerstone of peace. Furthermore, the joint management of natural resources entails the protection of these resources, which, in turn, creates job opportunities for the people living in these areas. The joint management committees on conservation, safety and security, finance, human resources, legislation and tourism on which all partner countries, up to five in the case of the KAZA TFCA, serve also strengthen good neighbourliness.

Peace parks support regional peace as the free movement of tourists and wildlife across international borders within the confines of the parks presupposes that peace reigns between the relevant countries.

Peace also does not necessarily mean the opposite of war. One could also be at peace with oneself when enjoying the natural beauty of a peace park.

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Why THE idea IS great?

The objective of peace parks is to bring about sustainable economic development by way of eco-tourism, which is the fastest growing industry in the world. The idea behind TFCAs or peace parks is thus to address poverty, caused by massive unemployment. It is using conservation as a land-use option. People living in and around the peace parks often have few alternatives but to exhaust the very resource base on which our survival depends. The economic potential of peace parks lies therein that eco-tourism is a way to utilise these natural resources to the benefit of the people living in these areas, without depleting them. The natural assets will thus be protected because of their value.

Furthermore, one has to recall that the Berlin Treaty of 1884 dealt African territories like a pack of cards. National boundaries then proclaimed cut across tribal and clan groupings as well as wildlife migration routes, fragmenting eco-systems and threatening biodiversity. The establishment of peace parks strives to correct these past injustices and ensure that a high level of biodiversity is maintained through the joint management of these resources.

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