SOUTHERN AFRICAN PEACE PARKS

Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area

Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area includes five distinct transfrontier conservation areas between Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland. Globally it is one of the most striking areas of biodiversity and lies in the Maputaland Centre of Endemism. It also includes five Ramsar sites: Ndumo Game Reserve, the Kosi Bay System, Lake Sibaya, the Turtle Beaches and Coral Reefs of Tongaland, and Lake St Lucia, which at 350km² is the largest estuary in Africa. The establishment of Lubombo will reunite the last naturally occurring elephant populations of KwaZulu-Natal and southern Mozambique, which historically moved freely across the border along the Futi system and Rio Maputo floodplains.

A crucial step in protecting the resources of Lubombo, Africa's first coastal and marine TFCA, has been a cross-border turtle-monitoring programme to collect data for the entire Maputaland coastline, from St Lucia in the south to Santa Maria in Mozambique in the north. On 22 June 2000 the governments of Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland signed five protocols on the establishment of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area.

Lubombo Conservancy-Goba TFCA (Mozambique/Swaziland)

Usuthu-Tembe-Futi TFCA (Swaziland/South Africa/Mozambique)

Ponta do Ouro-Kosi Bay TFCA (Mozambique/South Africa)

Nsubane-Pongola TFCA (South Africa/Swaziland)

Songimvelo-Malolotja TFCA (South Africa/Swaziland)

Progress

In a vital step to Lubombo's development, the Mozambican authorities have begun the process of extending the Maputo Special Reserve in order to link it, via the Futi Corridor, to Tembe Elephant Park in South Africa. This will reunite the unique east African coastal elephant population which had been fragmented by an electric fence. Peace Parks Foundation is funding the restoration of the existing fence along the Maputo Special Reserve, as well as the erection of a new fence along the Futi Corridor. As the purpose of this fence is to reduce human-elephant conflict and to protect the communities' crops, the boundary of the wildlife corridor and the demarcation of the fence were determined with the consent of the local communities.

Thanks to the opportunities offered by this tri-nation transfrontier conservation area, the Usuthu and Tshanini communities have decided to join the wildlife business by creating new game reserves on their soil. The Usuthu community fenced off more than 3 500ha of which directly adjoins the western boundary of the 10 000ha Ndumo Reserve, while the Tshanini community's 4 000ha conservation area lies immediately south of Tembe Elephant Park. Two other communities have indicated that they would like to join the TFCA, which could add another 14 000ha to the existing area.

Current projects

The Mozambican authorities and the World Bank requested Peace Parks Foundation's involvement in the development of the Usuthu-Tembe-Futi TFCA. The Foundation also supported the drafting of plans concerning the joint management, tourism, project implementation and zoning for the Usuthu-Tembe-Futi and Songimvelo-Malolotja TFCAs. The Dutch National Postcode Lottery funded the drafting of the Mozambican component's integrated tourism development plan and Songimvelo-Malolotja TFCA's joint management and tourism development plans. The Dutch National Postcode Lottery and The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation have also co-funded the project implementation plan for the Lubombo TFCA.

A crucial step in protecting the resources of Lubombo, Africa's first coastal and marine TFCA, was taken in May 2007 with the appointment of a marine manager to the Maputo Special Reserve and Ponta do Ouro area in Mozambique. An exciting first outcome of this has been a cross-border turtle monitoring programme whereby data is being collected for the entire Maputaland coastline, from St Lucia in the south to Santa Maria in Mozambique in the north. This collaborative project between Maputo Special Reserve, Peace Parks Foundation, the Mozambican Marine Turtle Working Group (consisting of public and private sector entities, as well as local communities) and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in South Africa will result in the first report defining the status of turtle populations along this entire strip of coastline, as well as management recommendations. All of this has been made possible thanks to a grant by the Principality of Monaco

For further news on progress made, go to Progress Report