KAZA deal set to be signed at Vic Falls next month

GOVERNMENTS of five SADC countries that have joined forces in creating a cross-boundary conservation and tourism project are set to officially sign the Memorandum of Understanding for the project next month.

Dr Fanuel Demas of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism who is Namibia’s Focal Point for the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA) project told The Namibian that Ministers responsible for Environment and Tourism affairs from the countries involved in the project will officially sign the project on December 7. The event will be held at Zimbabwe’s tourist attraction site of Victoria Falls.The South African-based Peace Parks Foundation will help in making sure that the event is widely covered by the media in all five involved countries as well as internationally.The project involves Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe.The KAZA project will be the largest trans-boundary conservation project in the whole of Africa if not in the world.It is based on the wetland ecosystems of the Zambezi and Okavango rivers and the proposed target area includes a major part of the Upper Zambezi Basin, the Okavango Basin and the Okavango Delta, which is the largest contiguous wilderness, wetland and wildlife area in the Southern Africa region.It is believed that the project will foster regional co-operation leading to the protection of the fragile environment for sustainable tourism development.Tourism could promote socio-economic development and bring in much-needed foreign currency.This in turn would promote the development of new infrastructures in the five countries.The KAZA area, measuring about 280 000 square kilometres, includes 22 protected areas that have the potential to be transformed into TFCA’s.It is anticipated that the official signing of the Inter-Governmental Memorandum Understanding of the KAZA project will facilitate the mobilisation of considerable development assistance from partners for this project.The official signing of the KAZA project has been postponed several times.The event will be held at Zimbabwe’s tourist attraction site of Victoria Falls.The South African-based Peace Parks Foundation will help in making sure that the event is widely covered by the media in all five involved countries as well as internationally.The project involves Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe.The KAZA project will be the largest trans-boundary conservation project in the whole of Africa if not in the world.It is based on the wetland ecosystems of the Zambezi and Okavango rivers and the proposed target area includes a major part of the Upper Zambezi Basin, the Okavango Basin and the Okavango Delta, which is the largest contiguous wilderness, wetland and wildlife area in the Southern Africa region.It is believed that the project will foster regional co-operation leading to the protection of the fragile environment for sustainable tourism development.Tourism could promote socio-economic development and bring in much-needed foreign currency.This in turn would promote the development of new infrastructures in the five countries.The KAZA area, measuring about 280 000 square kilometres, includes 22 protected areas that have the potential to be transformed into TFCA’s.It is anticipated that the official signing of the Inter-Governmental Memorandum Understanding of the KAZA project will facilitate the mobilisation of considerable development assistance from partners for this project.The official signing of the KAZA project has been postponed several times.