Lubombo
Transfrontier Conservation Area
Where reefs, wetlands, forests and elephant country meet
Lubombo connects marine, coastal and terrestrial protected areas across Mozambique, South Africa and eSwatini. Across a relatively compact landscape, coral reefs, turtle-nesting beaches, coastal lakes, wetlands, forests, grasslands and elephant habitat form one connected conservation system.
Key Facts
Countries
Mozambique, South Africa and eSwatini
Area
11 236 km²
Formal establishment
Protocols signed in 2000
Defining natural features
Coral reefs, coastal lakes, wetlands, forests, grasslands and the Lubombo Mountains
Peace Parks priority protected areas
Maputo National Park, Tembe Elephant Park and Ndumo Game Reserve
History and Establishment
Why this landscape matters
Lubombo lies within the Maputaland Centre of Endemism, one of the region’s richest areas of biological diversity. It includes five Ramsar wetlands and some of southern Africa’s most important coastal and marine habitats.
At its eastern edge, the marine component of Maputo National Park extends southwards towards iSimangaliso Wetland Park, creating a rare cross-border connection between protected reefs, beaches, estuaries and coastal waters.
Inland, the Futi Corridor links Maputo National Park with Tembe Elephant Park. Before Mozambique’s civil war, elephants moved across this border. The corridor now protects the land required to maintain and potentially restore that connection.
Lubombo therefore brings together two kinds of connection seldom found in one landscape: a transboundary marine system and an inland route for one of Africa’s most important elephant populations.
Peace Parks’ priority protected areas
Maputo National Park, Mozambique
Maputo National Park protects 1 794 km² of coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves, wetlands, freshwater lakes, coastal dunes, savanna and swamp forest. Once depleted by conflict, the park has undergone a major ecological recovery. Thousands of animals have been reintroduced, tourism has returned and, in July 2025, it became Mozambique’s first natural World Heritage Site.
Tembe Elephant Park, South Africa
A community-owned protected area in northern KwaZulu-Natal and a core part of the Usuthu-Tembe-Futi component of Lubombo. Tembe protects an important population of large-tusked elephants and anchors the South African side of the connection with Maputo National Park.
Ndumo Game Reserve, South Africa
A floodplain and wetland reserve recognised internationally for its ecological value and exceptional birdlife. Ndumo forms part of the wider Usuthu-Tembe-Futi system alongside Tembe and Maputo National Park.
BEYOND PROTECTED AREA BOUNDARIES
The spaces between protected areas are part of living landscapes, shaped by the people who call them home and by the wildlife that moves through them. Ecological linkages help keep these landscapes connected across boundaries.
Futi Corridor
Proclaimed in 2011, this landscape strengthens management collaboration between Maputo National Park and Tembe Elephant Park.
Transboundary marine connection
The coastal and marine system extends between Maputo National Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park, protecting coral reefs, turtle-nesting beaches, estuaries and other habitats across the international boundary.
Peace Parks in Lubombo
Peace Parks’ principal operational responsibility in Lubombo is the long-term co-management of Maputo National Park with Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas.
The Foundation also supports collaboration with neighbouring protected areas in South Africa, including Tembe Elephant Park and Ndumo Game Reserve. A joint operational strategy has previously enabled collaboration between the management teams of Maputo and Tembe, and current work is examining the basis for deeper long-term cooperation.
Work taking place now
- Consolidating Maputo National Park’s recovery and World Heritage status
- Establishing scientific baselines for marine areas, including the Techobanine Reef System
- Restoring coastal dunes, wetlands and other habitats
- Strengthening tourism and commercial opportunities that support park sustainability
- Exploring closer management and ecological connections with Tembe Elephant Park and Ndumo Game Reserve
- Protecting the Futi Corridor and the wider marine connection with South Africa
