adminThupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
Government officials from Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa met in Beitbridge last week to discuss progress made towards establishing the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA) as a tourism destination of choice in Southern Africa. The GMTFCA links national parks shared by the three countries and plays host to the annual Tour de Tuli tourism expedition.
Tour de Tuli Mapungubwe is a mountain bike event whose route traverses the Greater Mapungubwe Mega Park.
The mountain biking and safari expedition attracts over 350 cycling tourists annually from across the globe.
The cyclists pass through the three countries during the event. The GMTFCA international co-ordinator, Mrs Patience Gandiwa, said officials were meeting to discuss issues around environmental conservation, safety and security, among other things.
“This is a routine meeting where technical teams get updates from member countries with regard to the operations of the GMFTCA,” she said.
“After that they will make recommendations to the Trilateral Technical Committee (TTC) for further action. The TTC is made up of national co-ordinators of the GMTFCA from the three countries.”
Mrs Gandiwa said the officials would also take stock of the Tour de Tuli safari and Mapungubwe Heritage Celebrations which were held in the GMTFCA earlier this year.
She said after the meeting, officials were expected to visit the Zimbabwean component of the mega park to assess progress towards the development of a camp site in Maramani Communal lands.
“Other talking points will be the current conservation threats, transboundary ecosystem monitoring activities and identifying programmes for nurturing ecosystem resilience and adaptation strategies,” Mrs Gandiwa said.
Online Reporter