Creating Income While Wildlife Is Protected the Kavango-Zambesi Transfrontier Conservation Area Is a Joint Project of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Focus Creating income while wildlife is protected The Kavango-Zambesi Transfrontier Conservation Area is a joint project of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The key objective is to join fragmented wildlife habitats into an interconnected mosaic of protected areas and transboundary wildlife corridors and at the same time to improve livelihoods of the rural communities through creating alternative income in the tourism sector. The Kavango-Zambezi Transfron- game reserves, community conserv- tion and tourism are therefore seen as tier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) ancies and game management areas. the vehicle for socio-economic devel- is situated in the Okavango and Zam- Most notably, the area will include the opment of the region. bezi river basins, where the borders Caprivi Strip, Chobe National Park, of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zam- the Okavango Delta and the Victo- In December 2006, the ministers of bia and Zimbabwe converge. It spans ria Falls (World Heritage Site and one environment and tourism from Angola, an area of approximately 287,132 of the Seven Natural Wonders of the Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and square kilometres, almost the size of World). The Okavango Delta belongs Zambia met at the Victoria Falls to sign Italy, and includes 36 national parks, to the Ramsar Sites – wetlands of inter- a Memorandum of Understanding to national importance. In fact, it is the establish the Kavango Zambezi Trans- largest Ramsar Site world-wide. The frontier Conservation Area. This cer- Alan Sparrow KAZA TFCA promises to be Southern emonial event was the culmination of Coordinator Africa’s premier tourist destination with two years of preparation during which Peace Parks Foundation the largest contiguous population of key stakeholders were consulted to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe the African elephant (approximately secure support for linking the protected [email protected] 250,000) in the continent. Conserva- areas in the five countries. 28 Rural 21 – 04/2011 Focus through community/private sector increase in tourism revenues. Com- joint ventures; munities living within and near to the n the formation of business partner- Bwabwata National Park now jealously ships between private business and guard their wildlife resource. local communities based on the sustainable management of natural The Simalaha Community Wildlife resources. Conservancy. The three countries of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe To ensure a viable wildlife population have an elephant population of nearly in protected areas, it is critical that agri- 250,000. The Kaza TFCA project in cultural projects be planned for com- Zambia has negotiated with traditional munities that neighbour these areas. leaders (chiefs) and their communi- Current agricultural practices have a ties to create new Community Wildlife negative environmental impact and Conservancies, which will, in turn, cre- produce low yields, since much of the ate space for elephants from south of area falls within the lowest agricultural the Zambezi River to move north into potential soils region in the Kaza TFCA. new areas with very few elephants. Two chiefs have combined forces to make available a joint area of what was n Community-based tourism in formerly community farming land to and around protected areas establish the Simalaha Community Photo: K. van der Lende Wildlife Conservancy. This is a ground- Conservation planning is often done breaking project which will allow com- The key objective of the Kaza TFCA is by conservationists, ecologists and sci- munities to offer tourism concessions to join fragmented wildlife habitats into entists with little or no involvement on their own community land to private an interconnected mosaic of protected of affected stakeholders such as local sector tour operators and to enter into areas and transboundary wildlife corri- communities, traditional authorities, joint venture business partnerships. dors, which will facilitate and enhance tourism investors and operators. This the free movement of animals across approach leads to resentment, dis- The Simalaha Community Wildlife international boundaries. This in turn trust, and resistance. The overall aim Conservancy will establish a land link will promote improved livelihoods of is to reduce dependency on natural between the protected areas in the rural communities that struggle to make resources by broadening livelihood Caprivi Strip in Namibia and the Chobe a living through conventional farming. options for local communities through area in Botswana which will allow ele- aspects such as tourism, hunting and phants and other wildlife species to re- The main focus is on the creation low volume/high value timber utilisa- establish the old elephant migration of employment opportunities, skills tion. Specific goals are to develop joint routes between the Zambezi River and development, the attraction of foreign ventures in the tourism and timber the Kafue National Park, one of the larg- investment, poverty reduction, and an industry between the private sector and est National Parks in Southern Africa. increase in wildlife numbers. the community sector. Communities have driven the process of planning and development of the new The following broad management The Caprivi Strip in Namibia. One Community Conservancy. objectives are key to attaining the example of community-based tour- vision, mission and objectives of the ism can be found in the Caprivi Strip The Ngonye Falls Community Park. Kaza TFCA : in Namibia. Over ten years ago, con- Another innovative community tour- servation-based NGOs began to work ism initiative in Zambia has been the n the conservation of key biodiversity with government support to establish recent establishment of the Ngonye features, landscapes and cultural Community Wildlife Conservancies in Falls Community Park. Communities resources; the Caprivi Strip. The communities part- have set aside land to create the new n the development of new business nered with the private sector to establish park around the Ngonye Falls, which opportunities in the natural and cul- tourism business ventures in hunting are the second highest waterfalls on the tural environment; and photographic tourism. Communi- Zambezi River. There, the communities n the provision of socio-economic ben- ties that once relied on conventional have identified tourism lodge sites and efits to communities surrounding the agriculture now benefit from a viable have offered them out to the private National Parks and protected forests wildlife population and the resulting sector tourism industry. Rural 21 – 04/2011 29 Focus One of the main bia will provide the foundation for the objectives of Kaza tourism ventures being set up by rural TFCA is to create communities. Research has shown that enough “elephant elephants are indeed moving out of the friendly” space and allow elephants Caprivi Strip, Namibia and Chobe, and to move between Botswana into south-eastern Angola countries. and south-western Zambia. Almost 50 percent of all African Donors have com- elephants occur in the three countries mitted funds to reha- of Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. bilitating the man- Nearly all of those occur south and agement of pro- west of the Zambezi River. The aim tected areas such as of the Kaza TFCA is to create enough the Sioma Ngwezi “elephant friendly” space north and National Park in west- east of the Zambezi so that the over- ern Zambia as well populated elephant populations in Photo: K. van der Lende as the community- Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe can driven tourism pro- move into Angola and Zambia, where The Lozi culture in Western Zam- ject that has established the Simalaha elephant numbers are low. bia is ruled by a monarch, known as Community Wildlife Conservancy. the Litunga. The seven paramount For the past few years, the NGO chiefs that fall under the Barotse Royal Elephant without Borders has collared Establishment have been supportive n The role of the elephant elephants in Botswana and tracked of the Kavango-Zambezi TFCA. The in improving community their movements. An elephant called Litunga has requested the assistance livelihoods Rainbow Spirit was collared in the Oka- of the Zambia Wildlife Authority and vango Delta. Satellite tracking has of the Peace Parks Foundation to Elephants are a keystone species in shown that Rainbow Spirit moved north review the status of the indigenous the Kaza TFCA and a major economic through the Caprivi Strip and up the Zambezi Teak woodlands that occur resource. Tourism is Botswana’s sec- Kwando River before veering north- on Kalahari Sands in his kingdom. ond largest industry and has created west into the Luiana National Park in The review will identify the potential 60,000 jobs. It is an industry worth south-eastern Angola. for community involvement in the 1 billion US dollars (USD) annually. management and utilisation of the Elephants contribute 20,000 000 USD The potential for the rural commu- woodlands. Again, the aim will be to towards those earnings. nities to benefit from wildlife, tour- encourage new investors in sustain- ism and indigenous woodlands in able timber offtakes in joint venture The creation of space for elephants the Kavango Zambezi TFCA is very business schemes. in the countries of Angola and Zam- good. Zusammenfassung ländlichen Gemeinden und dem privaten de animales silvestres. Los principales Im Dezember 2006 weihten die Minister Sektor für den Schutz der Naturressourcen, objetivos consisten en unificar hábitats für Umwelt und Fremdenverkehr von die Tourismusförderung

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