Peace Parks Foundation

Last updated

Peace Parks Foundation
Formation1997
Founder Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, Nelson Mandela, Anton Rupert
Typenon-profit organisation
Registration no.1997/004896/08 (005-294 NPO)
Headquarters Stellenbosch, South Africa
Location
  • 11 Termo Road, Techno Park, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa
Region
Africa
Subsidiaries
  • SA College for Tourism NPC
  • Southern African Wildlife College NPC
Website http://www.peaceparks.org

The Peace Park Foundation, founded in 1997 by Dr Anton Rupert, President Nelson Mandela and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, is an organisation that aims to re-establish, renew and conserve large ecosystems in Africa, transcending man-made boundaries by creating regionally integrated and sustainably managed networks of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs). Peace Parks Foundation has been involved in the establishment and development of ten of the 18 TFCAs found throughout southern Africa, all of which are in various stages of development. The establishment of each TFCA, or peace park, is complex and far-reaching, and involves several phases of activity, which can take many years to achieve.

Contents

Overview: Thinking beyond boundaries

The concept of peace parks is a global one, tracing back to the 1930s when Canada and the United States of America created the ambitious Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The idea of TFCAs remain a compelling concept and conclusive evidence has shown that transboundary habitats flourish more than disconnected habitats, as these areas accommodate gene pools, wildlife movement and migration, water flow and the propagation of plant species. This also creates opportunities for regional economic development and shared conservation of biodiversity and promote regional peace and stability by demonstrating the benefits of cooperation.

One of the greatest barriers to the protection of cross-border ecosystems, is the lack of sufficient resources with which to successfully implement the plans and visions of those who commit themselves to the pursuit. This includes a lack of expertise in the field of conservation and nature-based economies, as well as a lack of funds to execute actions and address shortcomings.

The Foundation at work

Peace Parks assist the TFCA partner countries in identifying key projects, designing project plans and in securing the necessary funds required to implement the project. By so doing, Peace Parks engages with governments to secure protected land, and channel investment into development of transboundary conservation areas. Most of these areas suffer from devastated ecosystems and depleted wildlife, because the ravages of war and excessive commercial exploitation of these natural resources. The organisation plans and implements innovative strategies that revitalise habitat integrity, restore ecological functionality, and protect biodiversity. This includes translocating thousands of animals each year to rewild previously decimated wilderness areas, as well as investing significant resources into the reduction of wildlife crime.

The Foundation develops nature-based tourism and enterprise opportunities to ensure the long-term sustainability of protected areas. At the same time, it focuses on communities living in and around these wild spaces, capacitating them in the sustainable use of natural resources and unlocking opportunities for them to derive equitable benefits from conservation.

Peace Parks’ support also includes capacity building through the appointment of key role players such as technical advisors, park and project managers, and even rangers. Peace Parks will often act as project implementation agent for the TFCA partner countries to take the role in matters such as contractual project execution and operations.

TFCAs that Peace Parks is involved in

Great Limpopo

On 9 December 2002, Heads of State of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe signed an international treaty at Xai-Xai, Mozambique to establish the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP). [1]

This 35 000 km2 park links the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, the Kruger National Park in South Africa, and the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe. The GLTP forms the core of the larger Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, measuring almost 100 000 km2, that includes the Banhine and Zinave National Parks, the Massingir and Corumana areas and interlinking regions in Mozambique, as well as various privately and state-owned conservation areas in South Africa and Zimbabwe bordering on the transfrontier park.

Lubombo

The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area (TFCA) Protocol was signed between the Governments of Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland on 22 June 2000. [2]

The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area includes four distinct transfrontier conservation areas between Mozambique, South Africa and The Kingdom of eSwatini, covering a total area of 10 029 km2. It lies in the Maputaland Centre of Plant Endemism that includes five Ramsar sites, which are Ndumo Game Reserve, the Kosi Bay System, Lake Sibaya, the Turtle Beaches and Coral Reefs of Tongaland and Lake St. Lucia (Africa's largest estuary).

The TFCA boasts the first marine TFCA in Africa, the Ponta do Ouro-Kosi Bay TFCA, that connects Mozambique's Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve with South Africa's iSimangaliso Wetland Park, which is a World Heritage Site.

Kavango Zambezi

On 7 December 2006, the five partner countries sign an MoU to establish the world's largest transfrontier conservation area and appoint the KAZA Secretariat to steer its development. [3]

The Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA is situated in the Kavango and Zambezi river basins where the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe converge. It spans an area of approximately 520 000 km2 and includes 36 proclaimed protected areas such as national parks, game reserves, forest reserves, community conservancies and game/wildlife management areas. Nestled within KAZA's boundaries are two of Africa's biggest tourist attractions. The Victoria Falls is both a World Heritage Site and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Okavango Delta, the largest inland delta and a World Heritage Site, is a significant place where largescale migrations of megafauna take place annually.

Malawi-Zambia

On 13 August 2004, an MoU was signed towards the establishment of the Malawi-Zambia TFCA. [4]

The 32 278 km2 Malawi-Zambia TFCA incorporates national parks, wildlife reserves, forest reserves and game management areas.

The TFCA comprises two main components:

The Nyika-North Luangwa component is centred on a high montane grassland plateau rising over 2 000 m above the bushveld and wetlands of Vwaza Marsh. These high-lying areas are often shrouded in mist, giving them a unique appeal. In summer a multitude of wildflowers and orchids burst forth on the highlands, making it a sight unlike any seen in most other game parks.

The Kasungu/Lukusuzi component, on the other hand, is an area of significant importance for biodiversity conservation in the Central Zambezian Miombo Woodland Ecoregion.

/Ai/Ais-Richtersveld

In August 2003, Namibia and South Africa signed a treaty to officially establish the /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, and joint management, tourism and financial protocol plans were completed. [5]

Spanning across 5 920 km2, this transfrontier park comprises the Ai-Ais Hot Springs Game Park in Namibia and the Richtersveld National Park in South Africa. The /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park spans across some of the most spectacular arid and desert mountain scenery in southern Africa and includes the Fish River Canyon, the world's second largest canyon. This is also where one-third of the world's 10 000 succulent species grow.

Kgalagadi

On 7 April 1999, a bilateral agreement recognising the newly named Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) is signed between Botswana's Department of Wildlife and National Parks and South African National Parks. This agreement established the first formally recognised transfrontier park in Southern Africa. [6]

Today, the KTP is 35 551 km2 in extent, of which 73% is in Botswana with the remainder in South Africa.

Greater Mapungubwe

On 22 June 2006, an MoU signalling the intent to establish and develop the Limpopo/Shashe TFCA was signed and an international coordinator appointed. [7]

Situated at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo Rivers, the Greater Mapungubwe TFCA measures 5 909 km2 and encompasses areas in three countries, which are Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The Kingdom of Mapungubwe was once the centre of civilisation in the south with evidence of the oldest modern capital city in southern Africa with over 5 000 inhabitants living there at its peak in ±1 100 AD.

Maloti-Drakensberg

On 11 June 2001, an MoU was signed between South Africa and Lesotho towards the establishment of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area. [8]

The Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area covers 14 740 km2 of the mountains that straddle the north-eastern border between Lesotho and South Africa. This cross-border protected area preserves the globally important biodiversity and cultural value of the entire region. The vast stretch of land is home to almost two million people, contributing to an explicit goal of the TFCA, to make a positive difference in the livelihoods of people by ensuring that they benefit from nature-based tourism.

Liuwa Plains-Mussuma

In 2011, an MoU and supporting documentation for the establishment of the Liuwa Plains-Mussuma TFCA were finalised for signing.

In 2013, Zambia and Angola met to discuss the development of an Integrated Development Plan for the TFCA.

The Liuwa Plains-Mussuma TFCA measures 14 464 km2 and spans the border of Angola and Zambia. This TFCA protects the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa, as well as a significant portion of the catchment area of the Zambezi River, Africa's fourth largest river system. [9]

Lower Zambezi-Mana Pools

Measuring 17 745 km2, the Lower Zambezi-Mana Pools TFCA is composed of the Lower Zambezi National Park (4,092 km2) in Zambia, and the Mana Pools National Park in northern Zimbabwe (2,196 km2). This transfrontier conservation area lies in the Zambezi Valley, which since the dawn of time has been used by wildlife as a thoroughfare between the escarpment and the Zambezi River. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zambezi</span> Major river in southern Africa

The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers 1,390,000 km2 (540,000 sq mi), slightly less than half of the Nile's. The 2,574 km (1,599 mi) river rises in Zambia and flows through eastern Angola, along the north-eastern border of Namibia and the northern border of Botswana, then along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe to Mozambique, where it crosses the country to empty into the Indian Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transboundary protected area</span>

A transboundary protected area (TBPA) is an ecological protected area that spans boundaries of more than one country or sub-national entity. Such areas are also known as transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) or peace parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park</span> Transfrontier park in South Africa, Mozambique qnd Zimbabwe

Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park is a 35,000 km² peace park that is in the process of being formed. It will link the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, Kruger National Park in South Africa, Gonarezhou National Park, Manjinji Pan Sanctuary and Malipati Safari Area in Zimbabwe, as well as the area between Kruger and Gonarezhou, the Sengwe communal land in Zimbabwe and the Makuleke region in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sioma Ngwezi National Park</span> National park in Zambia

Sioma Ngwezi National Park is a 5,000-square-kilometre park in the south west corner of Zambia. It is undeveloped and rarely visited, lacking roads and being off the usual tourist tracks, but this may change in the future.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thuli Parks and Wildlife Land</span> Protected area in Zimbabwe

Thuli Parks and Wildlife Land is a protected area in south-western Zimbabwe. It comprises four areas within the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Estate and covers the entire west bank of the Shashe River within the Thuli Circle.

Mavinga is a National Park in Kuando Kubango Province in south-eastern Angola. It covers an area of 46,076 square kilometres (17,790 sq mi). The Park was proclaimed in 2011 along with the neighbouring Luengue-Luiana National Park, which measures 22,610 square kilometres (8,730 sq mi). The two parks are contiguous and managed as a single unit. The parks were created to conserve the areas’ high ecological and biological value. Mavinga forms the western border of Africa's largest conservation area, the Kavango-Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area</span> Transfrontier conservation area in South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe

Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area is a cultural TFCA, formerly known as the Limpopo–Shashe Transfrontier Conservation Area.

Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area is the second-largest nature and landscape conservation area in the world, spanning the international borders of five countries in Southern Africa. It includes a major part of the Upper Zambezi River and Okavango basins and Delta, the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, the southeastern part of Angola, southwestern Zambia, the northern wildlands of Botswana and western Zimbabwe. The centre of this area is at the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers where the borders of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe meet. It incorporates a number of notable national parks and nature sites, including Chobe National Park, Hwange National Park, and the Victoria Falls. The region is home to a population of approximately 250,000 animals, including the largest population of African Elephants in the world.

The Zinave National Park is a protected area in Mabote District of Inhambane Province, Mozambique, created by decree on 26 June 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bwabwata National Park</span> Namibian national park

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zambezian and mopane woodlands</span> Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of southeastern Africa.

The Zambezian and mopane woodlands is a tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of southeastern Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mudumu National Park</span> National park in Namibia

Mudumu is a National Park in Caprivi Region of north-eastern Namibia. Established in 1990, the park covers an area of 737 square kilometres (285 sq mi). The Kwando River forms the western border with Botswana. Various communal area conservancies and community forests surround Mudumu National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nkasa Rupara National Park</span> National park of Namibia

Nkasa Rupara National Park, also Nkasa Lupala National Park, formerly Mamili National Park, is a national park in Namibia. It is centered on the Nkasa and Rupara islands on the Kwando/Linyanti River in the south-western corner of East Caprivi. Botswana lies to the west, south and east, and Sangwali village to the north. It is Namibia's largest formally protected wetland area. It is one of Namibia’s protected areas that benefits local communities surrounding parks. The unfenced park forms a trans-boundary link for wildlife migration between Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. Nkasa Rupara is part of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NamParks Project</span> Nam parks programme

NamParks or the Namibian National Parks Programme is a programme of the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET). It was established in 2006 and is supported by the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW. It works in Bwabwata, Khaudum, Mudumu and Nkasa Rupara national parks in north eastern Namibia. The parks are part of a larger conservation area, the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. They contain biodiversity and habitat that are not found elsewhere in Namibia. They are also important for tourism. Partners believe that investment in the north eastern parks contributes to the ecological and economic development of the KAZA TFCA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protected areas of Namibia</span>

The protected areas of Namibia include its national parks and reserves. With the 2010 declaration of Dorob National Park, Namibia became the first and only country to have its entire coastline protected through a national parks network. Protected areas are subdivided into game reserves and/or nature reserves, such as special protected area, wilderness areas, natural areas, and development areas. There are also recreation reserves. Facilities in the national parks are operated by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. Over 19% of Namibia is protected, an area of some 130,000 square kilometres. However, the Ministry of Environment & Tourism auctions limited hunting rights within its protected areas. The Namibia Nature Foundation, an NGO, was established in 1987 to raise and administer funds for the conservation of wildlife and protected area management. Communal Wildlife Conservancies in Namibia help promote sustainable natural resource management by giving local communities rights to wildlife management and tourism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southeast African cheetah</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The Southeast African cheetah is the nominate cheetah subspecies native to East and Southern Africa. The Southern African cheetah lives mainly in the lowland areas and deserts of the Kalahari, the savannahs of Okavango Delta, and the grasslands of the Transvaal region in South Africa. In Namibia, cheetahs are mostly found in farmlands. In India, four cheetahs of the subspecies are living in Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh after having been introduced there.

The following index is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the protected areas of South Africa:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zambezi Basin</span> Drainage basin of the river Zambezi

The Zambezi basin is an African drainage basin, whose main flow is the Zambezi River, being the fourth largest basin on the continent, in addition to being the most important basin in southern Africa. It covers approximately 1,390,000 km², crossing regions with high population density, sometimes in areas of low density, such as the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. The Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) has been in existence since 2004 with the aim of strengthening cooperation in sharing its resources concerned. Another supranational initiative for watershed management is Zambezi River System Action Plan (ZACPLAN).

References

  1. ↑ "Transfrontier Conservation Areas". environment.gov.za.
  2. ↑ "Transfrontier Conservation Areas". environment.gov.za.
  3. ↑ "About KAZA". kavangozambezi.org.
  4. ↑ "TRANS-FRONTIER CONSERVATION AREA". wildlife.gov.mw.
  5. ↑ "Transfrontier Conservation Areas". environment.gov.za.
  6. ↑ "Transfrontier Conservation Areas". environment.gov.za.
  7. ↑ "Transfrontier Conservation Areas". environment.gov.za.
  8. ↑ "Transfrontier Conservation Areas". environment.gov.za.
  9. ↑ "Liuwa Plains-Mussuma Transfrontier Conservation Area". tfcaportal.org.
  10. ↑ "Lower Zambezi – Mana Pools Transfrontier Conservation Area". tfcaportal.org.
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