The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) Network reported on Tuesday that its latest yearly meeting had marked “monumental progress” in transfrontier conservation in the region, over the past 23 years. There are currently 12 officially recognised SADC TFCAs, which together cover more than 950-million hectares.

The meeting was hosted by the Mozambique government and was held in that country’s capital, Maputo. It was attended by more than 100 delegates, from governments, non-governmental organisations, development partners, the private sector and academia. The recently approved 2023 to 2033 TFCA strategic direction and goals programme was presented at the meeting.

“It was incredibly encouraging to see the enthusiasm and passion for TFCAs amongst all the participants from so many different countries and sectors,” enthused SADC TFCA Network coordinator Steve Collins. “Though we each play varied roles, our shared dedication to advancing transfrontier conservation unifies us.”

The meeting was divided into various dedicated workstreams. These covered such topics as adaptation to climate change, using wildlife conservation to improve the livelihoods of rural communities, diminishing the currently increasing human-wildlife conflicts across SADC, harmonising the management of land use and of the oceans, and developing human capital by means of training, the exchange of knowledge and research.

“The diversity of players at the table helped us unpack complex topics from multiple perspectives and identify collective solutions,” he pointed out. “We realise these challenges can’t be solved in isolation.”

Sustainable financing opportunities were the subject for a “major” session of the meeting. These included carbon markets, conservation trust funds and debt-for-nature swaps. These could reduce the dependence of the TFCAs on external donor funding. “It was encouraging to see member States really value TFCAs and proactively investigate smart, diversified financing models,” he affirmed.

The meeting received support from Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, through both its technical cooperation and financial cooperation agencies, and from USAID Southern Africa. Support was also provided by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and MozBio.