What are transfrontier conservation areas?

Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) in SADC

There are more than 220 Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) around the world, each at different stages of development and implementation. Governments have been working together to create these cross-border conservation areas since the early 1930s. The aim is to connect natural landscapes across country borders and to improve conservation in ecosystems that are split by political boundaries.

About one-third of the world’s richest land-based biodiversity areas lie along international borders. There's also growing recognition of the importance of marine conservation areas that cross country boundaries.

TFCAs in the SADC Region

Currently, there are 13 TFCAs in the SADC region, covering both land and marine environments. These TFCAs are all at different stages of development.

SADC TFCAs vary in form. Some are Transfrontier Parks (TPs), made up of two or more connected, formally protected areas—for example, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Others, like the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA, are more complex and include a mix of land uses such as communal lands, tourism concession areas, and protected areas.

Not all SADC TFCAs are between SADC Member States—some involve cooperation with neighboring countries outside the SADC region.

Types of TFCAs in SADC

SADC TFCAs are grouped into three categories based on their level of legal recognition and development:

Category A – Established TFCAs
These are backed by a Treaty or formal legal agreement between the participating countries.
Category B – Emerging TFCAs
These are based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). MOUs help countries work together while they negotiate a formal Treaty to upgrade the TFCA to Category A.
Category C – Conceptual TFCAs
These are proposed ideas for TFCAs. While not yet officially recognised, they are suggested by SADC Member States as potential future TFCAs.

Why TFCAs Matter: The Rationale for the SADC TFCA Programme

A range of regional policies and laws supports the development of TFCAs in SADC. These include:

The SADC Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement (1999)
The SADC Protocol on Forestry (2002)
The SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses (2002)
The SADC Regional Biodiversity Strategy (2006)

The Revised SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) also highlights sustainable development, wildlife conservation, and cooperation on shared natural resources as regional priorities.

To support this, SADC launched the Programme for Transfrontier Conservation Areas in 2013. This programme was revised in 2023 and now guides TFCA efforts for the period 2023–2033.

What the SADC TFCA Programme Aims to Achieve

SADC Member States have asked the SADC Secretariat to help coordinate and support TFCA development. TFCAs are seen as important tools for:

Regional cooperation and integration
Boosting rural economies
Protecting shared natural and cultural heritage

The current SADC TFCA Programme (2023–2033) focuses on five main goals:

Effective management of shared landscapes and seascapes
Improving livelihoods through sustainable use of agriculture, wildlife, fisheries, forestry, tourism, and more
Strengthening governance, partnerships, and regional cooperation
Securing long-term funding for TFCAs
Building skills and knowledge for better decision-making and management

Click here for the SADC TFCA Programme 2023-2033
Click here for the Boundless Southern Africa TFCA Destination Brochure

The Transfrontier Conservation Network

The TFCA Network is a community of likeminded professionals working in the Transfrontier Conservation sector. Click here to find out more.

Join the TFCA Network

Become a member of a dynamic and growing community of professions working in the Transfrontier Conservation sector. Click here to sign up now.

/Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Conservation Area

Namibia / South Africa

The /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (ARTP) measures 5,920 km and spans some of the most spectacular arid and desert mountain scenery in southern Africa. It includes the /Ai/Ais Hot Springs Game Park in Namibia and the Richtersveld National Park and Richtersveld World Heritage Site in South Africa. There are plans underway to incorporate one of the newest National Parks (NP) in Namibia. The Spergebiet NP is a desert area encompasses 26 000 km that was closed to the public for nearly a century due to diamond mining activities. The Transfrontier Park is renowned as a biodiversity hotspot and boasts some...

Chimanimani Transfrontier Conservation Area

Mozambique / Zimbabwe

The Chimanimani TFCA comprises the Chimanimani Nature Reserve in Mozambique (2,368 km2 with approximately 645 km2 conservation area and 1,723 km2 buffer zone), Chimanimani National Park (200 km2) and Eland Sanctuary (15 km2) in Zimbabwe. It encompasses a number of mountain ranges with peaks rising to 2,436 m. In 2001 the Governments of Mozambique and Zimbabwe initiated the process towards the establishment of the TFCA by signing an MOU on 8 June 2001. Infrastructure development in the TFCA is limited to preserve the pristine natural beauty of the area. The TFCA boasts the inclusion of spectacular mountains, virgin forests and...

Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park & Conservation Area

Mozambique / South Africa / Zimbabwe

Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP) encompasses various land uses and represents a true example of collaboration and management of shared natural resources. The GLTP joins together some of the most established wildlife areas in southern Africa into a core are of approximately 37,572 km2. The Transfrontier Park links the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, Kruger National Park in South Africa, and Gonarezhou National Park, Manjinji Pan Sanctuary and Malipati Safari Area in Zimbabwe, as well as two community-owned areas, one which forms part of the Kruger National Park, namely the Makuleke Area and the Sengwe communal land in Zimbabwe. The...

Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area

Botswana / South Africa / Zimbabwe

Situated at the confluence of the Shashe and Limpopo Rivers, the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA) measures 5,909km2 encompassing private land in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Tourists visit to the area not only to see the magnificent sandstone formations, the wide variety of trees, notably the enormous baobabs and game and birdlife, but also to experience a kinship with past generations. In Botswana the Greater Mapungubwe TFCA is comprised of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve. Here an association of private landowners agreed to remove the fences that separate their properties to jointly manage wildlife resources. Similar conditions...

Iona Skeleton Coast Transfrontier Park

Angola / Namibia

Stretching along the desert coast of Angola and Namibia, several national parks, reserves, conservancies and tourism concession areas on both sides of the border form the Iona-Skeleton Coast Transfrontier Conservation Area, encompassing a total area of 47,698 km2. In Angola the Iona National Park is found in the Namibe Province of Angola, 200km from the city of Namibe. It is Angola's oldest and largest National Park (NP), covering 15,150 km2. The Namibie Partial Reserve, covering 4,450 km2, lies to the north of Iona National Park separated by a narrow strip of occupied land along the Curoca River. In Namibia, the...

Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area

Angola / Botswana / Namibia / Zambia / Zimbabwe

This expansive Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA is the world’s largest TFCA at approximately 520,000 km2. Occupying part of the Okavango and Zambezi river basins, it encompasses areas within the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and includes 36 formally proclaimed national parks and a host of game reserves, forest reserves, game management areas, communal lands and conservation and tourism concession areas designated for use of natural resources. Most well-known components of the TFCA are the Chobe National Park, Hwange National Park, Kafue National Park, the Makgadikgadi Pans, the Okavango Delta and Victoria Falls. In KAZA TFCA the five countries...

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Botswana / South Africa

Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) is Africa’s first Transfrontier Park, officially opened by the Presidents of Botswana and South Africa on 12 May 2000. It served as a symbol of the long anticipated dawn of transnational interdependence and cooperation in the SADC region. A verbal agreement reached in 1948 forms the basis of the existence of the Kalahari Transfrontier Park in its current form. In recognition of the arrangement no barrier exists along the international border separating the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa, and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana. A bilateral agreement signed on 7 April 1999 formally...

Lower Zambezi - Mana Pools Transfrontier Conservation Area

Zambia / Zimbabwe

In northern Zimbabwe, the Mana Pools National Park has the mighty Zambezi River separating it from Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park. The Lower Zambezi Mana Pools TFCA measures 17,745 km² and lies in the Zambezi Valley, below the Kariba Dam; wildlife used it as a thoroughfare between the escarpment and the Zambezi River since the dawn of time. In Zambia the TFCA is composed of the Lower Zambezi National Park and several game management areas. On the Zimbabwean side it encompasses Mana Pools National Park and the Sapi and Hurungwe communal areas, which incorporate Chewore and Marongora safari areas. In...

Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area

Mozambique / South Africa / Swaziland

Lubombo TFCA encompasses a complex system of conservation areas between eSwatini, Mozambique and South Africa, covering a total area of 11,169 km. On 22 June 2000, the three Governments signed the tri-lateral protocols to establish the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area containing initially four distinct TFCAs: Lubombo Conservancy-Goba TFCA (eSwatini, Mozambique), Ponta do Ouro-Kosi Bay TFCA (Mozambique, South Africa), Nsubane-Pongola TFCA (eSwatini, South Africa) and Usuthu-Tembe-Futi TFCA (Mozambique, South Africa). Inclusion of a fifth component, the Songimvelo-Malolotja TFCA (eSwatini, South Africa) and the incorporation of eSwatini into the Usuthu-Tembe-Futi TFCA were formally approved at a trilateral Ministerial meeting in 2004. In...

Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area

Malawi / Zambia

The Malawi-Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area encompasses 31,792 km2 and incorporates national parks, wildlife reserves, forest reserves, game management areas and communal lands. The signing of the MOU in 2004 marked the beginning of a formal process of negotiation between the Governments of Malawi and Zambia towards the establishment of the Malawi-Zambia TFCA. This eventually led to the signing of the Treaty by the Presidents of both countries on 7 July 2015. The TFCA is built out of two components. The Nyika-North Luangwa and Vwaza/Lundazi components comprise Malawi’s Nyika National Park, Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve and Zambia’s North Luangwa National Park,...

Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Area

Lesotho / South Africa

The Maloti Drakensberg TFCA covers a total area of 14,740 km. comprising the mountains that straddle the eastern border of the landlocked mountain Kingdom of Lesotho with the Republic of South Africa. The TFCA is composed of four sub-regions: (i) the Eastern Cape Drakensberg and Witteberge, (ii) the KwaZulu Natal Drakensberg, (iii) the Lesotho Maloti Mountains, and (iv) the eastern Free State. The TFCA boasts three National Parks, the Sehlabathebe and Tsehlanyane National Parks in Lesotho and the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in South Africa. The Governments of Lesotho and South Africa signed an MOU on 11 June 2001,...

Niassa-Selous Transfrontier Conservation Area

Mozambique / Tanzania

An Overview of the TFCA Niassa-Selous TFCA is one of the largest TFCA in Africa covering a total area of approximately 154,000 km2. Two thirds of the area is protected by the Selous Game Reserve, the northern component of the TFCA in the United Republic of Tanzania. Encompassing 48,000km2, Selous is Africa’s largest single protected area. The Selous Game Reserve is also one of Africa oldest formally protected area, dating back to 1896. Its counterpart, the Niassa National Reserve, is Mozambique’s largest conservation area and covers a total area of 42,000 km2. The two protected areas are linked by a corridor...

ZIMOZA Transfrontier Conservation Area

Mozambique / Zambia / Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Mozambique Zambia Transfrontier Conservation Area (ZIMOZA TFCA) was formally established through a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed by the three Heads of State on 18 July 2024 in Harare, Zimbabwe. It comprises of the districts of Mbire, Muzarabani, Mt Darwin, Guruve and part of Makonde (wards 1, 2 and 11) in Republic of Zimbabwe, Zumbo, Mágoè and Cahora Bassa in the Republic of Mozambique and Luangwa and Rufunsa in the Republic of Zambia. It is located in the Zambezi Valley, where the Zambezi and Luangwa Rivers meets, and covering approximately 39,165 km² of National Parks, Game Management Areas,...