SOUTHERN AFRICAN PEACE PARKS

Kavango-Zambezi

The Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) transfrontier conservation area is situated in the Okavango and Zambezi river basins where the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe converge. It is set to become the world's biggest conservation area and will eventually span an area of approximately 287 132 km², almost the size of Italy (300 979 km²). It will include 36 national parks, game reserves, community conservancies and game management areas. Most notably, the area will include the Caprivi Strip, Chobe National Park, the Okavango Delta (the largest Ramsar Site in the World) and the Victoria Falls (a World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World). Kavango-Zambezi promises to be southern Africa's premier tourist destination with the largest contiguous population of the African elephant (approximately 250 000) on the continent. Conservation and tourism will be the vehicle for socio-economic development in the region.

Progress

In the past few years, the KAZA TFCA authorities have achieved numerous milestones in the establishment and development of the TFCA:

• Between August 2005 and October 2006 a Pre-Feasibility Study on the KAZA TFCA was commissioned and completed. This document is still the main guiding document for activities related to the KAZA TFCA;
• In July 2006 SADC's Integrated Committee of Ministers (ICM) approved and endorsed the KAZA TFCA as a SADC project;
• On 7th December 2006 the Ministers of Environment and Tourism of the five partner countries gathered at Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, to sign an MoU, agreeing to work towards the establishment of the KAZA TFCA; View video clip
• Regular meetings of the Technical Committee and Ministerial Committee are convened to lead the KAZA planning processe;
• Botswana appointed to the role of Coordinating Country for all KAZA TFCA planning and development processes for the period of January 2007 to December 2008;
• A donor conference was convened in June 2007 attended by over 20 of the world's largest and most well known NGOs and institutions;
• Botswana successfully completed its coordination role and handed over to Namibia who is coordinating the establishment and development processes from January 2009 to December 2010;

• Considerable resources have been mobilised from the international community to establish the TFCA and particularly its governing institutions such as the Secretariat. KfW has agreed to an $8 million grant for the development of the TFCA and negotiations on its implementation are in the final stages;
• Numerous documents, protocols and consultancies were approved by the Ministerial Committee to enable the development of the TFCA in a coherent and logical manne;
• Marketing tools such as a website, logo and official brochure, were developed;
• A comprehensive and participatory planning process was undertaken by the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), facilitated by Peace Parks Foundation, whereby all affected communities and stakeholders identified their needs and prorities for development in the KAZA TFCA. View video clip The Integrated Development Plan (IDP) is being replicated in the other partner countries; and
• The KAZA TFCA Secretariat will be fully staffed with officers in each of the partner countries and a permanent office set up in Botswana as per the mandate of the partner countries.

Current Projects

The integrated development plan (IDP) for the Zambian component of the Kavango Zambezi TFCA was completed through comprehensive and participatory planning processes by the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), facilitated by Peace Parks Foundation, whereby all affected communities and stakeholders identified their needs and priorities for development. As is the case with southern Africa's other TFCA initiatives, the IDP was again a partnership between government, local communities and the private sector. The IDP process was financed by Peace Parks Foundation, WWF Netherlands and The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation.

The IDP process became one characterised by high levels of interest and enthusiasm by all, with certain groups walking for four days to hand in their submissions, some including sketches with suggestions of the zoning of their areas. View video clip

Several integrated management plan meetings were also held with traditional and community leaders. The main objectives were to introduce and sensitize communities on the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (Zambian component) and to ensure that local communities understood the concept of the IDP.

The Foundation has since been requested by the government of Zimbabwe to assist it in the development of the Zimbabwe component of KAZA through the compilation of an IDP that will follow a similar process to that of the Zambian IDP. Peace Parks Foundation has also been requested by the Government of Angola to undertake a similar process in the Angolan component of KAZA. Both of these projects will commence in 2009.

Regional Coordinator

Mr Sedia Modise is the Regional Coordinator for Africa's largest peace park, the Kavango-Zambezi TFCA and heads its Secretariat. The MoU toward the establishment of this TFCA was signed by the governments of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe on 7 December 2006.