SOUTHERN AFRICA TFCAS

Malawi / Zambia TFCA

Progress Report

1997 - 2008

  • An MoU toward the TFCA's establishment was signed by the respective Ministers of the Environment on 13 August 2004, and an international coordinator was appointed to steer the TFCA's development; the position is funded by the foundation.
  • Joint management and tourism plans have been drafted.
  • One of the first transfrontier projects to be undertaken after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) toward the establishment of the Malawi/Zambia TFCA was signed in August 2004, was a joint law enforcement project operating as a single unit across international borders to combat commercial poaching. This project was implemented with resounding success in the Nyika TFCA, which comprises the Nyika and Vwaza/Lundazi component of the Malawi/Zambia TFCA. The statistics illustrate a significant improvement in law enforcement effectiveness since the introduction of the project in 2005. This is the only project of its kind in any of the TFCAs developed in southern Africa to date. For the first time joint patrols are being undertaken and a single communication system is being used by the park management of both countries.
Stories | animals [© 2009 Tony Weaver] Stories | zebra [© 2009 Peace Parks]










     

  • A second and essential project to the TFCA's development is a wildlife restocking programme for Lundazi Forest Reserve and Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve, which commenced in 2007. The restocking of game species is an important element in the successful development of the Nyika TFCA, as viable wildlife populations form the basic element of tourism attraction which in turn contributes to sustainability and community benefits.

    As the proposed TFCA had suffered a decline in wildlife numbers due to poaching, the first step in the restocking process was to establish within the Nyika TFCA an enclosed restocking area which straddles both Malawi and Zambia. The Wildlife Law Enforcement Support Project played a crucial role in securing the 5 000 ha area with electrified fencing and ensuring the ongoing safety of the animals in the restocking area.

    Thanks to funding secured from WWF Netherlands and the Dutch National Postcode Lottery, that also fund the law enforcement project, the restocking got off the ground in the spring of 2007. The first translocation of 230 head of wildlife (including sable, waterbuck and zebra) was undertaken early in September. Officers from Malawi's Department of National Parks and Wildlife and the Zambia Wildlife Authority assisted with the translocation of the animals from North Luangwa National Park and Liwonde National Park. The end of September 2007 saw the successful completion of the first phase of the restocking programme. The Nyika TFCA, the wildlife sanctuary, including the electrified fence, is wholly managed by a fully integrated transfrontier management team that includes officers from both the Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife and the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA).

  • Stories | something... [© 2009 Koos van der Lende]In 2007 the Malawi and Zambian governments identified the sustainable management of the Nyika TFCA for World Bank/GEF support. The Global Environmental Facility subsequently approved a project preparation grant of $328000, which the two governments requested the Foundation to manage and oversee to implementation phase. The legal agreement between the World Bank and the Foundation has since been signed, as has the letter of agreement initiating the process to establish an endowment fund for the project that will receive a capital injection of $5,9 million once established.
  • Nyika TFCA World Bank project coordinator Humphrey Nzima will be responsible for the overall development of the Nyika Foundation, the development of sustainable financing options and the design of the project.
  • Lackson Mwenya was appointed as internatonal coordinator when the coordination of the Malawi/Zambia TFCA rotated to Zambia. He is also coordinating the establishment of the Liuwa Plain-Mussuma TFCA.
  • In May 2008, the ministerial committee approved the investment framework and logo for the Malawi-Zambia TFCA, as well as the Nyika TFCA joint management, integrated tourism development and restocking plans, and the Kasungu-Lukusuzi project plan.
  • The Foundation, with the mandate of ZAWA, is working with the Wildlife Conservation Society to support the implementation of their successful community conservation farming initiative, COMACO, in the Mwasemphangwe area between Kasungu National Park in Malawi and Lukusuzi National Park in Zambia in the Kasungu-Lukusuzi TFCA (the second component of the Malawi-Zambia TFCA). The aim of the support is to assist people living in this area to improve their livelihoods and decrease their dependence on natural resources. This will assist in efforts to secure a wildlife dispersion route between the two parks, thus contributing to the development of this TFCA.