In July and August, the KAZA TFCA Secretariat, in partnership with the SADC Secretariat and Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks hosted a two-legged technical learning visit on Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) for representatives of the Eastern African Community. The first leg involved representatives of the Eastern African Community (EAC) Secretariat and Member States, from 8-12 July while the second leg, from 19- 23 August was undertaken by the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF) Secretariat and LATF member states from East Africa. The visits were organized within the scope of cooperation between the African Regional Economic Communities.
Over 30 technical government officials from seven of the eight EAC countries from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania participated in the exchange visits which explored the Botswana Component of the KAZA TFCA. Participants were drawn from the two Secretariats of EAC and LATF as well as members of the respective working groups, namely the Transboundary Wildlife Conservation Areas Working Group (TWC WG) and the LATF working group aimed at improving cross-border cooperation and aligning conservation efforts in Kenya and Tanzania to combat poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
Participants in the EAC-SADC technical learning exchange visit to KAZA TFCA at Chobe Enclave Community Trust in Chobe West during the first exchange visit
The EAC region which is home to some of the highest global concentrations of large mammals in both protected and non-protected areas as well as around one-quarter of all protected areas in Africa has identified the lack of harmonized approaches in transboundaryWildlife conservation and management as a challenge. Recognizing this gap, EAC Member States are working towards harmonised approaches, policies, and legislation for managing transboundary wildlife resources within the framework of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs).
At the 9th meeting of the East African Community (EAC) Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife Management in 2019, a Transboundary Wildlife Conservation Areas Working Group (TWC WG) was established to spearhead the implementation of EAC’s Wildlife Conservation and Management Policy, which aims to facilitate the development of cohesive transboundary management ecosystems in the region.
Against this backdrop and to leverage well-established TFCAs, the learning exchange visits to the KAZA TFCA were designed to facilitate knowledge sharing and strengthen the action learning capacities of the members of the two Working Groups through exposure to KAZA TFCA experiences. The visits also aimed to provide participants with the necessary information to guide the development of collective and coordinated policies, plans, and actions for sustainable wildlife conservation, human-wildlife conflict, livelihood development, and tourism activities in the EAC region.
The first leg started with a courtesy call on Her Excellency, Ms. Angele Makombo Ntumba, SADC Secretariat’s Deputy Executive Secretary – Regional Integration who welcomed the delegates. Ms. Ntumba highlighted the role of TFCAs in advancing sustainable management of ecosystems and cultural components and ensuring long-term viability and diversity of natural and cultural resources, whilst generating the socio-economic benefits to improve and secure the livelihoods of communities within and around protected areas. She also shared some of the strategies and interventions developed by SADC to strengthen regional integration through TFCAs.
The delegation traveled to Chobe District for interactions with the KAZA Secretariat and field visits. With the KAZA Secretariat, engagements centered on the history of KAZA TFCA, the progress, and challenges since inception, mechanisms of collaboration among the Partner States in addressing transboundary priorities as well the role of the KAZA Secretariat. The visit to the Chobe Enclave was an opportunity to engage directly with local communities, and traditional leaders and to appreciate the role of Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust as a community conservation structure in Botswana’s KAZA component. The delegation also visited Pandamatenga, a human-wildlife conflict hotspot where they interacted with commercial and small-scale farmers and wildlife officers.
For the second leg of the visit, the LATF Secretariat and the Africa-based Member States also visited the same sites as the first leg, with varied topics including but not limited to transboundary law enforcement, community involvement in law enforcement as well as challenges and opportunities in community-based natural resources management. Some of the themes covered included the coordination function of the KAZA TFCA Secretariat Desk for Combatting Illegal Wildlife Trade and Poaching, transboundary law enforcement, joint planning, and efforts to implement relevant aspects of the SADC Law Enforcement Action Plan.
Both visits included presentations from KAZA TFCA Partner States including wildlife and conservation experts, government officials, and NGO partners who shared their experiences with the delegation and discussed the learning exchange visit’s topics. Discussions centered on diverse topics including conservation, livelihoods, law enforcement, human-wildlife conflict, tourism, and infrastructure development. Delegates were also briefed on the strategies employed in the KAZA TFCA landscape including best practices in transboundary biodiversity conservation.
Speaking during the visits, Mr. Jean Baptiste Havugimana, Director of Productive Sectors for EAC, lauded the efforts of the KAZA TFCA, noting that “The KAZA TFCA is a great success story, a benchmark to be emulated and we are grateful for the opportunity to learn. These visits not only enabled knowledge exchange but also laid the foundation for future collaborations aimed at enhancing effective and sustainable transboundary biodiversity conservation. The visits were organized by the EAC and LATF Secretariats with support from the Convention for Migration (CMS) Secretariat and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).