SADC conservation areas celebrate 25 years 

Domingos Gove, director of food, agriculture and natural resources at the SADC Secretariat, at the opening of the TFCA Conference, Harare, Zimbabwe, 19 May 2025

I wish to thank the president of Zimbabwe and current Southern African Development Community (SADC) chairperson, the government and people of Zimbabwe for hosting this conference, including their financial and technical support and time allocated for very intense preparations.

I also thank the SADC member states, including our Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) secretariats (Kaza Secretariat), through the SADC TFCA Summit Task Force, for their tireless technical work in preparing for this event.

To our partners, I am grateful for your financial and technical support – many of you supported the preparation and realisation of this event throughout these five days. We have worked closely on all the details since the TFCA Summit was approved until this morning.

Thank you to all participants for investing your resources, expertise and time in attending and guiding the discussions and deliberations of this international conference. I urge everyone to consider themselves part of one SADC TFCA team, where everyone plays a specific role toward a shared mission. Doing so will help us achieve the objectives of this conference and re-energise our journey toward successful TFCAs in the region.

We started in 1999 with the first SADC TFCA – the Kgalagadi TFCA between Botswana and South Africa.

This was followed by:

• Lubombo – 2000 (Eswatini, Mozambique and South Africa), including the Ponta de Ouro-Isimangaliso TFCA
  
• Maloti-Drakensberg – 2001 (Lesotho and South Africa)
  
• Chimanimani – 2001 (Mozambique and Zimbabwe)
  
• Great Limpopo – 2002 (Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe)
  
• Ai/Ais-Richtersveld – 2003 (Namibia and South Africa)
  
• Greater Mapungubwe – 2006 (South Africa and Zimbabwe)
  
• KAZA – 2011 (Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe)
  
• Malawi-Zambia – 2015 (Malawi and Zambia)
  
• Niassa-Selous – 2015 (Mozambique and Tanzania)
  
• Iona-Skeleton Coast – 2018 (Angola and Namibia)
  
• Lower Zambezi–Mana Pools – 2023 (Zambia and Zimbabwe)
  
• ZIMOZA – 2024 (Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe)
  

As per the new TFCA Programme (2023–2033), we now have 13 TFCAs under categories A and B. Many (54%) were established within the first six years, from 1999.

South Africa and Zimbabwe are part of six TFCAs each, followed by Mozambique with five, and Zambia with four.

The area of SADC TFCAs expanded from about 35 500 km² in 1999 to over 914 000 km² by 2024 – an increase of around 2 600%. KAZA alone spans approximately 520 000 km² (about 60% of all TFCAs) across five countries, making it one of the world’s largest conservation areas. This expansion was made possible by political commitment and continued support from partners.

A range of regional instruments have been developed by member states to improve TFCA operations, including:

• TFCAs
  
  • SADC TFCA Financing Facility (2018): Starting with €12 million, now totalling €44 million (Germany) and €10 million (EU), with a goal of €100 million by 2026.
    
  • SADC TFCA Programme 2023–2033 (supported by Germany through GIZ and the EU)
    
  • Toolbox on Community Engagement in SADC TFCAs (2023)
    
• Wildlife
  
  • SADC Trade in Wildlife Information Exchange (TWIX) – 2019
    
  • SADC CITES Engagement Strategy – 2022–2026
    
  • LEAP Strategy – 2022–2032 (supported by Germany through GIZ, and USAID)
    
  • Assessment of the Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement – 2023
    
  • SADC Wildlife-Based Economy Strategy Framework – 2023
    
• Forestry
  
  • SADC Forestry Strategy – 2020–2030 (supported by JICA)
    
  • SADC Standardised Template for Reporting on the State of Forests
    
• Tourism
  
  • SADC Tourism Programme – 2020–2030 (includes tourism in TFCAs)
    
  • SADC Toolbox on Development of Cross-Border Tourism Products – 2023
    
• Environment
  
  • SADC Strategy to Implement the Great Green Wall Initiative – 2019
    
  • SADC Climate Change Strategy – 2021–2030
    
  • Multilateral Environmental Agreements Guidelines – 2023
    
  • SADC Blue Economy Strategy – 2023
    

We urge member states to:

1. Use regional instruments to strengthen TFCA establishment and operation
   
2. Promote coastal and marine TFCAs beyond the two existing ones
   
3. Reinvigorate momentum in TFCA establishment, as seen with Zambia and Zimbabwe’s recent efforts
   

Potential coastal TFCAs include:

• Mnazi-Quirimbas (Mozambique and Tanzania)
  
• Namibia-South Africa marine TFCA
  
• Northern Mozambique Channel (Comoros, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania)
  
• Mascarene Plateau (Mauritius and Seychelles)
  

Biodiversity impacts

KAZA alone holds over 220 000 elephants – more than half of Africa’s savanna elephants – with a stable population. Africa’s black rhino population grew from ~2 400 in 1995 to over 6 400 today. The wildlife economy in the SADC region was valued at over US$31.5 billion (4.6% of SADC GDP) in 2019.

These gains, however, increase the risk of human-wildlife conflict. To address this, the region must:

• Maintain TFCA carrying capacities
  
• Promote sustainable use of wildlife populations
  
• Strengthen SADC’s collective voice at CITES
  
• Ensure biodiversity gains do not come at the expense of human lives
  
• Adopt inclusive approaches involving infrastructure, health, education and planning sectors
  

Poaching, illegal logging and trade

Elephant poaching peaked in 2011. Although rates have declined, they remain high. About 8 000 rhinos were poached in the past decade. In 2021 alone, 451 rhinos were killed in South Africa.

The region faces a major policy challenge on ivory stockpile management. Zimbabwe, for instance, has 130 tonnes of ivory stockpiled (worth US$600 million), but Cites bans ivory sales. 

SADC must continue to advocate for recognition of its conservation success.

Deforestation is also a major concern, with the region losing 0.6% of its forests annually. Key drivers include poverty, fuelwood dependency, and infrastructure development. Between 2010 and 2020, SADC countries accounted for over half of Africa’s biomass carbon loss. There is a need to accelerate the implementation of the SADC LEAP Strategy 2022–2032.

Sustainable financing

Progress in TFCAs is threatened by unsustainable financing. Priorities include:

• Mainstreaming tourism revenue into conservation and development
  
  • Tourism contributed 2.8% of GDP directly (US$19.4 billion) in 2017
    
  • It supported 2.5 million direct jobs and over 6.3 million total jobs
    
  • Tanzania earns about 17% of GDP from tourism
    
  • Botswana’s ecotourism sustains many livelihoods
    
  • Regional travel is significant: 44% of Africa’s tourist arrivals in 2019 were intra-African
    
• The expansion of the KAZA Univisa to all SADC states is urgent to facilitate travel.
  
• Fast-tracking the SADC Regional Development Fund to absorb the TFCA Facility
  
  • This process is being handled by SADC finance ministers with support from AfDB
    
• Exploring innovative financing such as carbon markets
  
  • SADC countries like Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Namibia host major carbon offset projects
    
  • Biodiversity offsets and payments for ecosystem services (PES) can be powerful tools
    
  • PES schemes, such as water funds or wildlife leases, can reward conservation efforts
    

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) in conservation and climate finance are essential. The private sector must be brought in as a key partner in sustainable development. I thank you for your attention, Muito Obrigado, Mercy Beaucoup, Asanteni Sana, Maita Bass