KfW, IUCN and SADC partner to strengthen trans-frontier conservation in Southern Africa
On the 26th and 27th of February, 2020, representatives from KfW, SADC Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) and IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Regional (ESARO) met at the IUCN EARO offices in Nairobi, Kenya to agree on a road map for the inception of the SADC Transfrontier Conservation Area Financing Facility (SADC TFCA FF) programme and the Training Facilities and Programmes for Wildlife Rangers and Managers in the SADC Region.
The goal of the SADC TFCA FF programme is to use the facility as a new regional financing mechanism to contribute to the sustainable protection of biodiversity and promote trans-frontier conservation areas in the SADC region.
The development and establishment of a regional and sustainable Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) financing mechanism is a major component of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) TFCA programme (2013). The initial funding by the German Government (BMZ through KfW) shall be EUR 12 million (plus an additional commitment for EUR 11 million to be made available in the near future) for an initial financing cycle of up to 6 years. The intention is to leverage additional funds from various partners, including further commitment from Germany, in order to reach an operational funding volume of approximately EUR 100 million in the medium to long term.
The SADC TFCA Financing Facility (FF) is intended to foster closer collaboration between stakeholders supporting TFCAs and provide the basis for longer-term and more sustainable funding opportunities to develop all TFCAs. The SADC TFCA FF will be fully aligned with the objectives of the SADC Programme for TFCAs (2013) aiming at contributions to various objectives and goals in other relevant SADC strategies and protocols.
Through the TFCA Financing Facility, investments in tangible measures strengthening ecological, economic, cultural and institutional connectivity within SADC TFCAs will be leveraged in a flexible, demand-and performance driven way. The measures shall integrate three dimensions:
- Improved habitat connectivity, especially for elephants and large carnivores as flagship species (“species” dimension),
- Improved management effectiveness and governance of TFCAs and Protected Areas PAs (“habitat” dimension) and
- Improved livelihoods for communities affected by human-wildlife co-habitation (“people” dimension)
The SADC TFCA FF will contribute towards:
- Faster implementation of projects
- Better dissemination and multiplication of innovative approaches
- A pipeline of bankable projects, ready for funding and able to absorb additional funds
- Faster response and reaction to upcoming challenges, crises or opportunities
- Better coordination and harmonisation of national, bilateral and multilateral programmes
Further, the financing mechanism shall contribute to the institutional development of TFCAs, including the preparation and constitution of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), treaties and other legal documents as required.
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