THE Zimbabwean government and that of Zambia have signed a Memorandum of Understaning (MoU) for the Lower Zambezi Mana Pools Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (LOZAMAP TFCA), which is a commitment to the two countries’ goal to implement the SADC Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement of 1999.
By Michael Gwarisa
With funding from the GEF, UNDP and the Zimbabwe Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry (USD 300 000) will support the establishment of a co-management arrangement between the two countries to promote the conservation of the TFCA. The GEF 6 project under which the LOZAMAP MOU is supported is 12 million GEF and UNDP funding.
Speaking at the official signing ceremony, Honorable Nqobizitha Ndlovu, the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry said
Zambia and Zimbabwe are already collaborating in several existing programmes, including the Kavango Zambezi and Zimbabwe Mozambique Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Areas, joint energy development and power generation on the Zambezi River, Water Resources Conservation and Management on the shared Lake Kariba.
“The LOZAMAP TFCA is not a new area of cooperation as such, but just an opportunity to scale up our collaboration which has been on-going and bring on board more beneficiaries as more local communities become more actively involved as owners of and role players in projects. The initiative adds new items to our toolbox as we strive to attain the goals and objectives of Agenda 63 and Vision 2030,” said Minister Ndlovu.
A Trans-frontier Conservation Area (TFCA) is a region that straddles the borders of two or more countries, where natural and cultural resources are managed collaboratively by the governments and/or authorities involved. TFCAs are a conservation concept that arose in response to the management challenges posed by fragmented ecosystems clustered along international boundaries and disrupted traditional migration routes caused by arbitrary political boundaries.
This new TFCA Development initiative according to Minister Ndlovu, also provides more tools for us to meet our obligations towards the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“It also creates and provides building blocks for our two SADC Member States to forge closer partnerships in our quest for success as we implement various provisions of the several Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) like the Convention On International Trade In Endangered Species Of Fauna And Flora (CITES), Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) and the Protocol on Shared Water Courses that we are signatories to.”
He added that there was need to expedite the planning and implementation of initiatives for local communities to realize meaningful benefits on our quest to attain an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
“By the same token, we acknowledge that it took us long to get the MoU signed and we may need to expedite the drafting of the Treaty so that we create the foundations for the formal establishment and implementation of the LOZAMAP TFCA for sustainable development and facilitation of equitable benefit sharing.”
Zambian Minister of Tourism, Honorable Rodney Sikumba said, “…The SADC TFCA programme has three categories of TFCAS, that is: the established TFCA that is treaty-bound; the emerging TFCA that is MOU- bound; and lastly the conceptual TFCA that is not binding but is recognised by SADC and the parties member to the proposed TFCA are in the process of formulating the MOU.
“The LOZAMAP – TFCA has been a conceptual TFCA since 2010 and both governments have been working closely and diligently to formalize this conceptual TFCA to an emerging TFCA with a signed MOU between the partner states.”
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Director, Dr Fulton Mangwanya said the MoU was testimony of the long and winding road the two countries traveled since conceptualization of the LOZAMAP) TFCA.
“The conservation of natural resources across frontiers is very challenging, hence the need for cooperation, coordination and collaboration to enhance law enforcement capacities and improve resource mobilization for the effective protection of our shared natural resources,” said Dr Mangwanya.
