SOUTHERN AFRICAN PEACE PARKS

Greater Mapungubwe

Overview

Vision

To achieve inter-state collaboration in the conservation of transboundary ecosystems and their associated biodiversity, promoting cross-border tourism and sustainable use of natural resources to improve the quality of life of the peoples of Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Mission

To collaboratively establish and manage on a sustainable basis, a viable Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area with full stakeholder participation, fostering regional cooperation, biodiversity conservation and cross-border socio-economic development.

Objectives

The objectives of the proposed TFCA, once established shall be to:

• foster transnational collaboration and cooperation between Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe in implementing ecosystem and cultural resource management through the establishment and development of the proposed TFCA;
• promote alliances in the management of biological and cultural resources encouraging social, economic and other partnerships among the parties and the stakeholders;
• enhance ecosystem integrity and natural ecological processes by harmonising wildlife management procedures across international boundaries and striving to remove artificial barriers impeding the natural movement of animals;
• develop frameworks and strategies whereby local communities can participate in, and tangibly benefit from, the management and sustainable use of natural and cultural resources that occur within the proposed TFCA;
• promote cross-border tourism as a means of fostering regional socio-economic development; and,
• the parties may, after consultation with stakeholders agree to other objectives.

Name (origin, background)

On 19 June 2009, the Ministers for the Enironment of Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe renamed the TFCA from Limpopo/Shashe to Greater Mapungubwe.

In their statement the Ministers said: 'The decision to change the name of the TFCA was to choose a name that accurately reflects the uniqueness of the TFCA. The name Greater Mapungubwe TFCA was preferred because all three countries already have sites called Mapungubwe. Furthermore Mapungubwe in South Africa is already a World Heritage Site and this status could be extended to the entire TFCA. In addition substantial marketing has been done to put Mapungubwe on the tourism map and it would seem financially expedient to capitalise on this. Both the Mapungubwe sites in South Africa and Botswana are already mapped on the Geographical Positioning System (GPS), while the site in Zimbabwe is still to be pointed out on the GPS.'