Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia establish TFCA

A historic agreement has been signed to establish the Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia (ZIMOZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA). The landmark event took place in Harare on 18 July.

According to the statement, the area spans over 39 165 square kilometres and aims to promote biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management and economic development.

The ZIMOZA TFCA is a transboundary initiative for managing shared natural resources through community-based resource management, infrastructural development and policy harmonisation. The area consists of four districts, which are Mbire in Zimbabwe, Zumbo and Magoe in Mozambique, and Luangwa in Zambia.

The TFCA encompasses parts of the Lower Zambezi National Park and the entire Rufunsa Game Management Area in Zambia and includes the Chewore and the Dande Safari Area in Zimbabwe. There is no formally protected area in Mozambique, although the area includes communal land and provides for a good habitat for many wildlife species.

Conceptual stage

Although the process towards formalising the TFCA development was initiated in 2002, the ZIMOZA TFCA is at a conceptual stage, the statement read.

Bordering the Chewore Mountains in Zimbabwe, the vegetation is dominated by grasslands, rivers, woodlands and dry forests with an average annual rainfall of 400 millimetres and annual temperature of around 25°C. Major rivers found in ZIMOZA TFCA include the Zambezi River, which forms the boundary of Zimbabwe and Zambia, and the Luangwa River, forming the boundary between Zambia and Mozambique.

ZIMOZA consists of many wildlife corridors and home ranges of animals with an increase in deforestation, human encroachment, poaching and human-wildlife conflict.

The proposed TFCA contributes to the protection of a variety of endangered species including elephants, hippos, buffalos, lions, leopards, sables and roans. The area also attracts over 300 bird species.

Approximately 600 000 people reside inside the TFCA, many of which livelihoods are heavily dependent on natural resources such as water, fish, wildlife and forest. Communities that live within the TFCA are separated by borders, but not by culture and history, it noted.

Enhance community livelihoods

One of the primary aims of the transboundary initiative is to enhance community livelihoods through community ecosystem based adaptations, mitigation and land-use planning, the statement read. Education on wildlife movement corridors in an effort to keep human settlement away from wildlife dispersal areas will also help to reduce human-wildlife conflicts in the long run.

Aligning with Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocols, this initiative fosters collaboration among member states to protect shared wildlife resources. Zimbabwe will coordinate the TFCA for the first two years, followed by Mozambique and Zambia in rotation.

According to the communique, the key objectives of the ZIMOZA TFCA include promoting biodiversity conservation, ensuring sustainable management of natural resources, realising the economic potential of the area for local communities, promoting cultural heritage conservation, developing knowledge management tools, enhancing cross-border cooperation, harmonising policies and practices, and integrating TFCA systems into national plans.

The state parties also agreed to establish a secretariat and other institutional structures, including a funding mechanism to facilitate the coordination and joint management of the ZIMOZA TFCA.