Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
ZIMBABWE has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening regional cooperation in wildlife conservation, sustainable tourism and natural resource management, saying the success of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) depends on coordinated action by member states to protect biodiversity while improving community livelihoods.
Speaking at the 16th KAZA TFCA Ministerial Committee Meeting in Victoria Falls recently, Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu said the transfrontier conservation initiative had become a practical model of regional cooperation that demonstrates how countries can work together to achieve shared conservation and development goals.
“The KAZA TFCA is a platform for cooperation, and a practical model of how our countries can work together to achieve common outcomes through wildlife conservation, sustainable tourism and resilient natural resource management,” she said.
Dr Ndlovu said the ministerial meeting provided an opportunity for member states to assess progress, reaffirm common priorities and strengthen mechanisms for implementing the KAZA programme across the region.
She said the bloc’s achievements in anti-poaching operations, habitat restoration, research and monitoring, tourism planning and community benefit-sharing programmes underscored the importance of continued collaboration among partner states.
“The success of KAZA TFCA depends on us. Therefore, our efforts, whether in anti-poaching operations, habitat restoration, research and monitoring, tourism planning, or community benefit-sharing, must be coordinated, harmonised and mutually supportive,” she said.
Dr Ndlovu said Zimbabwe views the Transfrontier Conservation Programme as an important vehicle for advancing national development objectives outlined in the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030.
“Through KAZA, Zimbabwe is advancing a development pathway that strengthens livelihoods, promotes sustainable economic opportunities, and improves environmental sustainability,” Minister Ndlovu said.
The minister said the Government remained committed to ensuring that communities living within and around conservation areas directly benefit from natural resource-based development initiatives.
“We remain committed to the principle of ‘Leaving No Place and No One Behind,’ which is central to our national development agenda,” said Dr Ndlovu.
“This principle aligns closely with the objectives of the KAZA TFCA and underscores the importance of ensuring that the benefits derived from conservation are shared equitably among communities across the landscape.”
The KAZA TFCA, one of the world’s largest transfrontier conservation areas, brings together Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe in a collaborative effort to conserve biodiversity, facilitate wildlife movement across borders and improve the livelihoods of communities living within the conservation landscape.
