Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve [email protected]
THE 21st Joint Management Committee meeting for the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) commenced in Victoria Falls on Monday, with five southern African nations rallying behind a common position on wildlife conservation and trade in elephant products.
The five-day gathering has brought together technical teams, senior officials and ministers from Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, which is currently serving as the coordinating country.
he meeting will culminate in Friday’s Ministerial Committee session, the apex decision-making body of the world’s largest transfrontier conservation area.
Among the key achievements since the 2024 KAZA Heads of State Summit is the mobilisation of €5 million from the European Union under the Natural Africa Programme.
KAZA Executive Director, Dr Nyambe Nyambe, said the funding would be used to update development plans, strengthen conservation strategies and support livelihoods across the region.
“Currently, just in one project, we are reaching up to 140,000 people across the landscape,” said Dr Nyambe.
A major issue expected to dominate discussions is the sustainable management of the region’s large elephant population, including the long-standing push for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to permit trade in elephant products.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, Mr Simon Masanga, said the region’s collective influence should strengthen its position on the matter.
“We have one of the biggest elephant herds. It has always been an issue at CITES meetings that the region be allowed to trade in elephant products. We see gradual softening on the part of CITES,” said Mr Masanga.
“This should catalyse the conversation so that we are allowed to trade.”
He said Zimbabwe has provisionally been granted permission to utilise elephant leather for tradable products.
On climate resilience, Mr Masanga said favourable rainfall received in southern Zimbabwe during the recent rainy season had significantly reduced wildlife deaths caused by water shortages.
He added that Zimbabwe is increasingly using drones and information technology to monitor national parks, improving wildlife management while reducing the need for extensive physical patrols by rangers.
As the meeting progresses towards Friday’s ministerial session, the region is expected to speak with one voice on the global stage, leveraging its collective natural heritage to advance a sustainable future.
