Progress made on cross-border park

By: ABSALOM SHIGWEDHA

NAMIBIA has been given the task of co-ordinating the establishment of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KaZa-TFCA) for two years with effect from next month.

It is a transboundary conservation project involving Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe and is set to be the largest cross-border conservation project in the world.

Namibia was given the task at a meeting of ministers responsible for wildlife, tourism and natural resources of the five countries, held at Kasane in Botswana on December 5.

Namibia is taking over the rotating position from Botswana. 

In a joint communique, the KaZa Ministers said the project has moved to the next level of development and has attracted interest from local and international development partners and conservation organisations.

Kasane will be the permanent headquarters of the KaZa-TFCA Secretariat and staff will be recruited shortly.

The ministers called upon the Secretariat and all partner countries to fast-track the development of the KaZa-TFCA Treaty, which should be signed by 2010. 

The project is based on the sustainable use of resources of the Kavango and Zambezi rivers.

The KaZa area, measuring 280 000 square kilometres, includes 22 protected areas.

In Namibia, these include the Mudumu and Mamili National Parks, the soon to be proclaimed Bwabwata National Park, conservancies and community forests.

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