A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Tembe Traditional Authority, Tembe Community Trust, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, and Peace Parks Foundation, setting the stage for a long-term collaborative management agreement for Tembe Elephant Park in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Tembe Elephant Park, located in the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area, will enter a feasibility phase to explore a community-public-private partnership, aimed at delivering biodiversity, climate, and social benefits. The park, established in 1983, spans 30,000 hectares and is home to key wildlife species like lions, wild dogs, and the critically endangered black rhino. However, its size limits genetically viable populations, requiring active management.

The park has long collaborated with Mozambique’s Maputo National Park, co-managed by the Mozambique Conservation Agency (ANAC) and Peace Parks Foundation. This cooperation seeks to align management and explore the possibility of reuniting fragmented elephant populations, separated by a boundary fence since 1986. The MoU also strengthens management within the Lubombo transboundary landscape, covering over 11,000 km², including Africa’s first marine tranfrontier conservation area and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.

“This MoU paves the way for exploring the first co-management agreement where communities, a provincial state agency and a non-profit conservation organisation will jointly manage and develop a protected area in South Africa in such an integrated and inclusive manner through setting up a special purpose entity,” said Werner Myburgh, CEO of Peace Parks Foundation. Ezemvelo CEO Sihle Mkhize emphasised the partnership’s potential to foster sustainable growth and improve local livelihoods.

The agreement also opens doors for large-scale community-based projects in KwaZulu-Natal, focusing on climate-smart agriculture, fire and grazing management, and habitat restoration to enhance nature-based carbon removal, with the support of Sayari Earth, Wild Trust, and Rio Tinto.

https://www.peaceparks.org/innovative-multi-party-agreement-on-tembe-elephant-park-strengthens-conservation-efforts-in-a-transboundary-landscape-in-africa/

For more information about the Peace Parks Foundation, please contact Lésa van Rooyen at Lvanrooyen[at]peaceparks[dot]org