Transfrontier conservation areas: Integrating biodiversity and poverty alleviation in Southern Africa

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to face the daunting challenge of alleviating poverty due to slow economic growth. In southern Africa, most countries are adopting policies that promote the integration of biodiversity conservation and rural development to contribute to rural poverty alleviation. Numerous approaches have been undertaken in this endeavour, including Transfrontier Parks (TFPs) and Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs). This paper discusses some of the limitations of the TFPs. In conclusion I posit that unlike TFPs, which are state controlled and managed, TFCAs, which promote multi-land use and multi-stakeholder participation are attainable and have a higher probability of sustaining biodiversity conservation and contributing to the alleviation of rural poverty, if: (i) areas of high biodiversity conservation within communal areas can be identified, zoned and leveraged to biodiversity conservation and managed in partnership between the communities and the private sector; (ii) local communities can secure legal rights to their customary land being devoted to biodiversity conservation and use such pieces of land as collateral in negotiating partnerships with the private sector in developing conservation-based enterprises; (iii) functional community natural resource governance institutions can be established and empowered to represent their constituencies in securing fair equity from profits made from sustainable use of the conserved biodiversity assets and tourism businesses; (iv) concerted effort can be invested in developing and implementing family planning and fertility reduction strategies that would slow down human population growth to levels that can be sustained by the available natural resources; and (v) if sustainable financing mechanisms can be developed, and the governance of protected areas occurring in the TFCAs can be broadened to include other stakeholders.

Linking Women’s Participation and Benefits within the Namibian Community Based Natural Resource Management Program

“…Community-based conservation is regarded as a practical approach to stemming biodiversity loss in developing countries (Mehta & Kellert, 1998;Munthali, 2007). The community based natural resource management (CBNRM) program in Namibia is one such example, where the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity aims to allow local communities to derive direct benefits from their wildlife management efforts (Paterson et al, 2008).…”

Multiple-land use practices in transfrontier conservation areas: the case of Greater Mapungubwe straddling parts of Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe

“…To make matters worse, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and a Peace Parks Foundation consultant concluded that the area along the banks of Shingwedzi River where the majority of Mozambican people live is the most suitable for sustaining viable wildlife and tourism development Milgroom, Spierenburg, 2008). Resident people are being forced to relocate in order to create extra space for wildlife and to make the park more attractive for private investment (Ferreira, 2006;Munthali, 2007;Spierenburg et al, 2008;Milgroom, Spierenburg, 2008;Lunstrum, 2010). As a result of these controversies, Wolmer (2003: 266) considers TFCAs as the latest in a line of top-down, market-oriented environmental interventions pushed on Africa by international bureaucracies (including the World Bank, bilateral donors, international conservation organizations) and the private sector.…”

“…In other words, state borders no longer make a difference in the borderless world. Essentially, conservation beyond the borders of protected areas that transcends multiple land owners including communal, state and private land encourages multiple land use practices (Ferreira, 2006;Munthali, 2007). The goal of multiple-land use practices is to improve rural livelihoods whilst promoting biodiversity conservation ( Van der Linde et al, 2001;Munthali, 2007).…”

Going Transboundary? An Institutional Analysis of Transboundary Protected Area Management Challenges at Mt Elgon, East Africa.

“…Transboundary protected area management (TBPAM) is an influential extension of PA governance in Africa (Muhweezi et al 2007, Munthali 2007. It is defined as joint governance of adjacent PAs across boundaries between sovereign countries, seeing the "humanly constructed borders" as disruptive for ecological systems (Van Amerom 2002).…”