In 2014, the AHEAD-GLTFCA Coordinator partnered with the Research Platform - Production and Conservation in Partnership to host a regional conference entitled "Management of protected areas and their peripheries in Southern Africa: has anything changed with the creation of TFCAs?". The conference was held at the Painted Dog Conservation office in Dete, Hwange (Zimbabwe). This document offers a summary of the speeches and presentations, including the full speech of Prof. M.W. Murphree entitled "The Invisible People".

Wilderness Foundation Africa, Peace Parks Foundation and Thanh Bui of the Soul Music Academy in Vietnam this month launched a new awareness campaign in Vietnam, aimed at inspiring youth to take a stand against the use of rhino horn in their country. This is also in celebration of World Environment Day, with the theme Go Wild for Life: Zero Tolerance for the Illegal Wildlife Trade.

Credit: PPF Newsflash ( Irma Engelbrecht)

The Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge is a great example of a Community owned, privately operated and Government supported Lodge on the South African component of the Maloti Drakensburg Tranfrontier Conservation Area.

The Quarterly Review highlights achievements and events of October to December 2015.

Transboundary protected areas—parcels of land designated for joint protection by neighboring countries—can be important tools for post-conflict peacebuilding and environmental management. The benefits of transboundary protected areas are evidenced by their growth in popularity: in the late 1980s, there were fifty-nine; as of 2012, there were more than 600 (Balkans Peace Park Project n.d.).

This African Ivory Route-Baleni Camp, won a silver award in the “Engaging People and Culture” category at the 2015 African Responsible Tourism Awards. Attached the Baleni story with pictures.

Attached the Submission which was made to the African Responsible Awards by Transfrontier Parks Tourism Destination

In 2015, Transfrontier Parks Destinations (TFPD) put together a submission to the African Responsible Tourism Awards. TFPD manage and market community -owed destinations in South Africa. Some of these destinations include !Xaus Lodge in the Kgalagadi, Witsieshoek Mountain Lodge within the Maloti Drakensburg TFCA ,camps within the African Ivory Route and the Awelani Lodge in Great Limpopo Transfrontier. At the Awards TFPD won a gold award in the “Poverty Reduction” category and The African Ivory Route-Baleni Camp, a silver award in the “Engaging People and Culture” category.