To celebrate 25 years of TFCA development and ensure the continuation of this visionary concept, the SADC TFCA Network Steering Committee, with support from the SADC Secretariat, is organizing a high-level Summit in Harare, Zimbabwe from 19-23rd May 2025 to raise awareness and further elevate TFCA development in the SADC region. The Summit will take place 25 years since former Presidents Festus Mogae of Botswana and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa officially opened the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park which was the first of its kind to the public. The concept of the SADC TFCA Summit was endorsed by the SADC Technical Committee on Wildlife at their November meeting in Namibia in 2018 and Zimbabwe which is the current SADC Chair was endorsed as the host of the summit within SADC TFCA Structures. 

OBJECTIVES OF THE SADC TFCA SUMMIT

The Summit will reaffirm political commitment to regional cooperation and integration through TFCA development and support and strengthen the crossing of boundaries, albeit national, sectoral, or institutional.

It is envisaged that the Summit will attain three objectives;

1. Strengthening political commitment for the TFCAs Programme

• Celebrate progress in TFCA development and promote expansion of the network;
• New commitments to TFCA development by Heads of State; and
• New commitments to TFCA development by international partners. (MoUs and agreements/new treaties signed/?)

2. Promoting of investment in TFCAs

• Set a common agenda to facilitate action towards greater investment in TFCA and contribute to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals;
• Investment forums/Public-private dialogue; and
• Opening up of more land and air access to and within TFCAs.

3. Enhancing cross-sectoral integration for TFCA development 

• Demonstrating importance of TFCAs as key economic pillar in rural areas;
• Communities as a key stakeholder in TFCA development; and
• Demonstrate that multi-sector/cross-sector approaches, and public-private partnerships are critical to reaching TFCA goals.

The SADC TFCA Programme
The SADC Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement (1999) define a Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA)  as a component of a large ecological region that straddles the boundaries of two or more countries encompassing one or more protected areas as well as multiple resource use areas. TFCAs are founded with the aim of collaboratively managing shared natural and cultural resources across international boundaries for improved biodiversity conservation and socio-economic development. In the SADC region, there are 13 existing TFCAs  at various stages of development (11 with Treaties, 2 with MoUs ) in both terrestrial and marine environments covering over 1,200,000km2. SADC acknowledges that TFCAs can be effective vehicles for fostering regional cooperation and integration, and enhancing socio-economic development in rural areas through the sustainable use of shared natural and cultural resources. Many renowned tourism destinations are already situated within SADC TFCAs and developing tourism at a regional, TFCA level augments their potential to generate employment in marginalised areas, thereby contributing to poverty reduction and other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SADC TFCA Strategy 2023–2033 is a guiding framework developed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to strengthen the implementation, management, and sustainability of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) across the region. It builds on previous strategies, particularly the 2013–2023 version, and incorporates new challenges, priorities, and opportunities to promote regional integration, biodiversity conservation, and socio-economic development within TFCAs over the next decade.

Key Objectives of the Strategy

1. Enhance Regional Integration: Support collaboration among SADC member states in managing shared ecosystems that span national boundaries.
2. Promote Biodiversity Conservation: Protect and sustain the ecological integrity of natural landscapes and wildlife populations across borders.
3. Support Sustainable Livelihoods: Leverage TFCAs to create economic opportunities for local communities, particularly through sustainable tourism, agriculture, and natural resource management.
4. Strengthen Climate Resilience: Integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation measures to protect ecosystems and communities against the adverse impacts of climate change.
5. Foster Cross-Sector Collaboration: Align TFCA management with other regional priorities, such as water, energy, and infrastructure development, ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth.

Strategic Pillars

The 2023–2033 strategy is built on five primary pillars:

1. Governance and Legal Frameworks: Develop policies, agreements, and institutional arrangements to support the effective management of TFCAs.
2. Biodiversity Conservation: Enhance measures to protect habitats, combat poaching, and maintain wildlife corridors critical for ecosystem health.
3. Sustainable Financing: Identify and secure innovative funding mechanisms, including public-private partnerships, to ensure the long-term sustainability of TFCAs.
4. Community Empowerment: Focus on the inclusion of local communities in TFCA governance, ensuring their participation in decision-making and access to economic benefits.
5. Knowledge Management and Capacity Building: Promote research, data sharing, training, and technology adoption to strengthen TFCA management.

Implementation Approach

The strategy adopts a participatory and collaborative approach, involving SADC member states, communities, development partners, NGOs, and the private sector. It emphasizes:

• Building institutional capacities to manage TFCAs effectively.
• Strengthening cross-border partnerships to address shared challenges.
• Facilitating knowledge exchange and best practices.
• Monitoring and evaluating progress to ensure accountability and adaptability.

Key Features of the Strategy

• Integration of Blue and Green Economies: For the first time, the strategy highlights the importance of incorporating marine and coastal TFCAs into its framework, alongside terrestrial ones, recognizing the growing significance of marine biodiversity and blue economy opportunities.
• Alignment with Global Goals: The strategy aligns with international frameworks, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the African Union Agenda 2063.
• Focus on Climate Resilience: It addresses the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and communities, advocating for nature-based solutions and transboundary climate adaptation projects.

Outcomes Anticipated by 2033

• An expanded and better-managed network of TFCAs, including new marine TFCAs.
• Improved ecological connectivity and biodiversity conservation across borders.
• Enhanced livelihoods and socio-economic benefits for communities living within TFCAs.
• Strengthened collaboration among SADC member states on transboundary conservation.
• Greater resilience to climate change and reduced human-wildlife conflicts.

The SADC TFCA Strategy 2023–2033 positions TFCAs as a cornerstone for regional development, fostering environmental sustainability, economic growth, and social cohesion across Southern Africa.

SADC views Transfrontier Conservation Areas as a means of creating an enabling environment for local participation in decision making processes, increasing opportunities for investment in income generating activities for communities to improve local economies resulting in poverty reduction. The positive ecological effects of well-managed Transfrontier Conservation Areas further promotes sustainability of ecosystems and their capacity to provide the necessary goods and services required to support the sustainable development of the region through a unique level of regional cooperation amongst participating countries. Additionally, TFCAs often seek to establish a complementary network of formal and informal protected areas across the landscape, linked through corridors which ensure the continued existence of migratory wildlife species which are otherwise becoming increasingly isolated due to habitat loss and fragmentation.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
The establishment of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA’s) is one of the greatest conservation success stories within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The TFCAs initiative in the SADC region has managed to achieve significant milestones in a relatively short period of time. These include, inter alia:

• More than 15 thousand animals translocated to and between TFCAs;
• Numerous joint law enforcement operations within TFCAs confirming the important political commitment between the two countries;
• Successful engagement of community representatives in governance and decision-making processes of TFCAs;
• Tourist Access Facilities have been opened in the Kgalagadi, Great Limpopo and /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park;
• The implementation of a KAZA UniVisa between Zambia and Zimbabwe that enables and facilitates visitation to the Victoria Falls and Livingstone area;
• Establishment of the SADC TFCA Network, a vibrant network for TFCA practitioners with over 600 members from various stakeholder groups.
• Establishment of the Boundless Southern Africa brand and the roll-out of innovative campaigns to promote tourism and investment to TFCA

Apart from the achievements highlighted above, much remains to be accomplished. SADC Member States recognize that TFCAs “are shared assets with the potential to meaningfully contribute to conservation of biodiversity and the socio-economic development of rural communities”. This emphasizes how TFCAs enable people, countries and institutions to work together, to improve livelihoods for local communities and to promote peace and stability across the region.