KAZA TFCA Secures €6 Million for Next Phase of Southern Africa Conservation
A new €6 million funding agreement has been signed for Phase Four of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) programme, supporting cross-border wildlife conservation across five Southern African countries - Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. The funding, channelled through development finance partner KfW, will focus on consolidating gains from previous phases, strengthening institutional systems, addressing human-wildlife conflict and enhancing long-term sustainability across one of the world's largest terrestrial transfrontier conservation landscapes. KAZA TFCA Executive Director Dr Nyambe Nyambe described the phase as primarily a consolidation stage, centred on cross-sector interventions and the strengthening of national committees and TFCA units within member states.
Zimbabwe is set to receive close to €700,000 from the regional funding envelope, directed towards wildlife conservation infrastructure, ranger accommodation, law enforcement vehicles, human-wildlife conflict management and research and monitoring. ZimParks Director General Professor Edson Gandiwa noted that previous KfW allocations had already financed significant infrastructure, including the near-complete Hwange One Stop Pavilion and rehabilitation of the Maitengwe Dam. The KAZA TFCA spans a vast landscape that allows wildlife to move freely across international borders while creating sustainable development opportunities for communities in the region - an increasingly important drawcard for conservation-linked tourism across Southern Africa.
Source: Zimbabwe Broadcasting Coorperation News - (ZBC News)
