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South Africa: Environment Affairs on 20th Anniversary Conservation and Development Beyond Boundaries
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South Africa: Environment Affairs on 20th Anniversary Conservation and Development Beyond Boundaries

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April 13, 2022
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The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area celebrates 20 years of existence as it embarks upon Conservation and Development Beyond Boundaries

The 20th anniversary of Great Limpopo Transfrontier conservation Area (GLTFCA) was approaching. On 13 April 2022, the Ministers of Environment for South Africa and Mozambique met to discuss various issues relating to the management of this important cross border conservation area.

The meeting was held virtually, and was attended by Honourable Secretary, Mr Fernando Bemane de Sousa from Mozambique, Honourable Assistant Minister, Ms Makhotso Magdeline Sotyu from South Africa, and Honourable Ministre, Mr. Nqobizitha Mangiso Ndhlovu from Zimbabwe.

The Treaty was signed by the three Heads Of State from Mozambique and South Africa on 9 December 2002. This marked the beginning of the GLTFCA. The Limpopo National Park is in Mozambique, Kruger National Park (South Africa) and Gonarezhou National Park (Zimbabwe) form the core cross-border conservation area.

The Ministers have agreed to commemorate the signing of the GLTFCA treaty on 9/12/2002. They will continue rewilding the landscape and restoring its importance. This partnership has allowed keystone species to be reintroduced in new and existing conservation areas. With the recent plans to reintroduce rhinos into Zinave National Park, the Republic of Mozambique has been translocating several species. After being extinct in their native habitat more than 40 year ago, a project was initiated to reintroduce the endangered black rhino and the threatened white rhino to this park. Zinave, co-managed jointly by Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas, (ANAC), and the Peace Parks Foundation will not only be home to the first founder population of the two rhino species in a national parks in Mozambique but will also become the country’s first “Big Five” national park. The Ministerial Committee endorsed a celebration to mark the release and commemorate the 20th anniversary of the GLTFCA 20th.

The Treaty also provides for the enhancement and management of ecosystem integrity and ecological processes through harmonising environmental management procedures across international borders and striving to eliminate artificial barriers that hinder the natural movement and movement of wildlife. After a stakeholder consultation process, the GLTFCA Elephant Management Framework was approved by the Ministers of all three GLTFCA partner states. It was created to address the economic, ecological, and social role of elephants in the GLTFCA.

Other endorsements were made by the Ministerial meeting, including the endorsement of the establishment of a Limpopo Tourist Crossing Facility. This work will include extensive stakeholder consultations with the respective immigration authorities in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Major developments in the GLTFCA since the February 2017 Ministerial Committee Meeting have occurred, such as:

The GLTFCA Joint Management Board has embarked upon a process of institutional reform which has facilitated the development of revised institutional arrangements to better collaborate in managing the transfrontier conservation zone. The Ministers observed with interest the significant progress made, including the creation of three Joint Park Management Committees and five Advisory Thematic Technical Working Groups. They also noted the establishment of a GLTFCA Partners Forum. Ministers also noted significant progress towards developing a GLTFCA Secretariat, and a Sustainable Finance Strategy.

Ministers have reaffirmed implementation of the wildlife transfer program for the GLTFCA, which allows wildlife to be translocated from one GLTFCA nation to another. This includes Zinave National Park, Mozambique.