SOUTHERN AFRICAN PEACE PARKS

Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area

Progress Report

1997 - 2008

• The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in the Ponta do Ouro-Kosi Bay TFCA was proclaimed a World Heritage Site in November 1999. The site is the largest estuarine system in Africa and includes the southernmost extension of coral reefs on the continent. Efforts are ongoing to extend the existing World Heritage Site northwards to encompass the Mozambican section of the TFCA, which includes a marine protected area.
• The respective Ministers responsible for Environment and Tourism in the stakeholder countries signed five protocols toward Lubombo's establishment on 22 June 2000.
• In 2003 an international coordinator was appointed by the partner countries to give the development new impetus; the position was funded by the Foundation. The coordinatorship rotates every two years between the partner countries.
• In 2005 the Global Environment Facility, the World Bank and the Japanese government donated $34 million for Mozambique's transfrontier conservation area and tourism development projects. 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 the Foundation for the development of the Maputo Special Reserve was signed and a project implementation unit appointed.

• Since 2004 the South African government has invested R35,3 million in the development of tourism infrastructure and the enhancement of biodiversity conservation management in the Usuthu-Tembe-Futi and Nsubane-Pongola TFCA Protocols. This includes the upgrade of tourist amenities in Tembe Elephant Park, Ndumo Game Reserve and Pongola Nature Reserve. Since the funding originated from the government's Expanded Public Works Programme, these projects have contributed significantly to local job creation and capacity building.
• The Usuthu Gorge and Tshanini communities joined their community conservation areas to the TFCA and were assisted by the government and donors to fence the areas, stock them with wildlife and train game rangers.
• 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. A maintenance and logistics manager has been appointed to oversee a team of staff and community members were positioned along the fence line to maintain it, following on-site training in the maintenance of solar stations.
• The Lubombo Tourism Route was launched in Durban on 6 May 2006 at the annual Tourism Indaba.
• 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.

• Following a request by the Mozambican government to assist it with its community development strategy in the Matutuine District, the Foundation appointed a community development technical advisor to implement the strategy. This strategy aims to bring about the sustainable economic development and benefit-sharing of communities living in and around the Maputo Special Reserve in a consultative and participatory process that will also develop nature-based tourism and conservation enterprises. Appropriate nature-based tourism, conservation community-based enterprises and joint ventures that would benefit the communities have been identified for development. These include a luxury beachfront lodge at Ponta Chemucane inside the Reserve, a 4x4 wilderness trail with campsites, a beachfront campsite at Ponta Dobela and a walking trail. Tenders that focus on community benefits have since been issued for the concessions at Milibangalala and Chemucane.
• Further south, a new community-owned conservation area was established. The 2 000 ha Bhekabantu Community Conservation Area lies inside the narrow wedge of land that separates the two largest conservation areas in the northern Maputaland region, the 10 000 ha Ndumo Game Reserve and the 30 000 ha Tembe Elephant Park. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife reported many successes, notably that 1 729 people were employed in Tembe Elephant Park, Ndumo Game Reserve, Usuthu Gorge and Tshanini community areas south of Tembe on various projects, earning more than R10 million between 2004 and 2006. More than R6 million was also spent on small and medium enterprises in the area. Furthermore, close to R3 million in wages was ploughed into the Nsubane-Pongola community, and a further R2,5 million was spent on local small and medium enterprises. Communities also reaped the benefit of accredited training courses on sustainable farming, tourism entrepreneurship, business and project management.
• Thanks to a grant by the Principality of Monaco, Peace Parks Foundation is supporting Mozambique's marine programme in the Lubombo TFCA for three years. Here community members are being trained to be turtle monitors. A crucial step in protecting the resources of Lubombo, Africa's first coastal and marine TFCA, was taken in 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.

• In late October 2007 construction started on what will probably be the largest tourism resort and property development in Swaziland. Overlooking the majestic Lake Jozini and with the Lebombo Mountains as a backdrop, the Royal Jozini Big Six will boast 610 residential sites for waterfront, mountain and bush camp lodges, a Big Five game reserve (the sixth being tiger fish), hotel and marina and, planned for the future, an 18-hole golf course, casino and commercial complex. The opening of the new Sikuphe International Airport by 2010 will further boost tourism to this area of the Conservancy. In the Songimvelo-Malolotja TFCA it was agreed to include the Hawane Nature Reserve and Wetland, as well as community tourism and conservation areas in north-eastern Swaziland into the TFCA.
• A procurement process to repair Lubombo TFCA's existing infrastructure was completed in 2008 and work began on maintaining existing roads and tracks. Electricity was installed in the project manager's camp and in the temporary office building, which now serves as park headquarters.
• For the third year running, scientists and conservation management staff from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Maputo Special Reserve and Peace Parks Foundation completed a successful aerial count of game in the Usuthu-Tembe-Futi TFCA, with the results showing a very healthy and increasing animal population.
• On 14 July 2009 the government of Mozambique took a significant step in protecting its coastline when it declared a 678km² Marine Protected Area stretching from Ponta do Ouro in the south to the Maputo River Mouth in Maputo Bay in the north and including the Inhaca and Portuguese islands. The Marine Protected Area stretches three nautical miles into sea.