Innovative multi-party agreement on Tembe Elephant Park strengthens conservation efforts in a transboundary landscape in Africa

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Tembe Traditional Authority in conjunction with the Tembe Community Trust, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and Peace Parks Foundation, laying the foundation for a long-term collaborative management agreement for Tembe Elephant Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Tembe Elephant Park is strategically located as an anchor protected area on the South African side of the Lubombo transboundary landscape. A feasibility phase will now commence to explore a community-public-private partnership that will ensure that the biodiversity, climate and social benefits of large-scale landscape conservation can be delivered.

Tembe Elephant Park was established in 1983 to protect the lives and property of the Tembe people from elephants. About 300 km² (30 000ha) in size and bordering on Mozambique to the north, the park is jointly managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the Tembe Community Trust. The park has a high density of wildlife, including keystone species such as lions, wild dogs and the critically endangered black rhino. However, it is currently too small to support genetically viable populations of important species without active management intervention.

For many years, the park has been collaborating with Maputo National Park, which has been co-managed by the Mozambique Conservation Agency (ANAC) and Peace Parks Foundation since 2018, aligning management practices where necessary. Maputo National Park has more diverse habitats with extensive grasslands, coastal forests, mangroves and freshwater lakes which are absent in Tembe, while its forests are more extensive. These attributes are essential, especially with global warming impacts, where scale is important for mitigating negative impacts. The biodiversity value and resilience that Maputo National Park would bring to Tembe Elephant Park is immense. In 1986, the elephant population in the two parks was separated by an international boundary fence erected between the two countries. An important component of the feasibility work and governance model that will now be explored includes examining the merits of re-uniting this fragmented elephant population.

The agreement will therefore bring extensive benefits on both sides and importantly, strengthen the management structures of Lubombo transboundary landscape, a unique system of conservation areas among eSwatini, Mozambique and South Africa covering an area of over 11,000 km². Within this landscape, the Ponta do Ouro-Kosi Bay Transboundary Marine Conservation Area is the first marine transboundary protected area in Africa. It integrates Maputo National Park with South Africa’s first natural World Heritage Site, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The Maputaland Centre of Endemism, an area of outstanding universal value in terms of its terrestrial, coastal and marine biodiversity attributes, with many rare and endangered species, also falls within the landscape.

“The members of the Trust are entrusted by the community and our existence is informed by our community. We are the community’s voice. Our vision for Tembe Elephant Park is to see the park working for the community and communities deriving benefits for the community under iNkosi Tembe. We stand for our community development for today and the future,” said Nkosinathi Sibiya, Chairperson of the Trust.

“This MoU paves the way for exploring the first co-management agreement where communities, a provincial state agency and a non-profit conservation organisation will jointly manage and develop a protected area in South Africa in such an integrated and inclusive manner through setting up a special purpose entity. Should this partnership prove to be successful, it will pave the way for similar agreements to be concluded elsewhere in the country. We sincerely appreciate the support from Rio Tinto in making this possible,” said Werner Myburgh, CEO of Peace Parks Foundation.

Meanwhile, Ezemvelo CEO, Mr Sihle Mkhize stated that “Today’s signing of the tripartite agreement marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to promote biodiversity conservation and tourism development under the Tembe Traditional Authority. This partnership holds immense potential to bring critical programmes to the local community, fostering sustainable growth and improving lives. As the community begins to experience the tangible benefits of living near the Tembe Elephant Park, I am confident they will become even more dedicated to protecting this precious resource from any threats. Together, we are not just preserving nature; we are building a brighter future for all.”

An opportunity exists to build a large-scale project on the South African side of the transboundary landscape in KwaZulu-Natal by focusing on community based climate-smart agriculture, improved fire and grazing management, mangrove and seagrass restoration and reforestation, with the aim of enhancing nature-based carbon removals at scale in partnership with Sayari Earth, Wild Trust and Rio Tinto. Securing Tembe Elephant Park is a critical anchor for the success of this larger landscape development programme.