Zambezi River Basin

Transboundary Conservation

The Zambezi basin has several large transboundary protected areas where two or more countries participate in managing shared natural resources. The creation of Trans Frontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) in the basin is regarded as one of the anchors for regional economic integration, socio-economic development and poverty reduction through multi-destination and cross- border tourism (SADC and SARDC 2008). The TFCAs in the Zambezi basin are at different stages of development with some Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) signed to facilitate

their establishment while other conservation agreements still at the conceptual phase. Among those with MOUs in the Zambezi River Basin are Kavango-Zambezi TFCA, covering Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe and the Malawi-Zambia TFCA. Those still at conceptual phase include the ZIMOZA covering areas in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia; the Selous-Niassa TFCA, covering parts of Mozambique and Tanzania; the Lower Zambezi-Mana Pools between Zambia and Zimbabwe; and the Liuwa Plain-Kameia TFCA which includes areas in Angola and Zambia.

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Vultures sitting on the bank of the Chobe River, Chobe National Park, Botswana. The Chobe National Park is part of the Kavango Zambezi Trans Frontier Conservation Area.

Zambezi River Basin transfrontier conservation areas

TANZANIA

Protected area Main infrastructures

Trans frontier conservation area

Malawi-Zambia

ANGOLA

MALAWI

ZAMBIA

Z a m b e z i

L u n g u e B u n g o

K a b o m p o

L u a n g w a

Liuwa Plain- Kameia

C u a n d o

Lower Zambezi- Mana Pools

K a f u e

S h i r e

Z a m b e z i

M a z o e

NAMIBIA

S h a n g a n i

Kavango-Zambezi

MOZAMBIQUE

BOTSWANA

ZIMBABWE

Source: Peace Parks Foundation 2011. Kavango ZambeziTrans Frontier Conservation Area, retrieved 16 Nov 2011. GlobalTransboundary Conservation Network 2011.

Figure 3.1

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