Southern Africa Strengthens Transfrontier Conservation efforts ahead of landmark SADC TFCA Conference

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) will commemorate 25 years of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) with a landmark International Conference and Summit of Heads of State and Government from 19–23 May 2025 at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC), Zimbabwe. 

This pivotal event will reaffirm the region’s commitment to biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and cross-border environmental cooperation under the theme: “Transfrontier Conservation Areas—25 Years of Cooperation for Regional Integration and Sustainable Development.”

The SADC TFCA International Conference and Summit is backed by key institutional partners, including the European Union (EU) and Germany, which have played an instrumental role in advancing TFCA development in the region.

• Germany, a long-standing supporter of SADC’s conservation agenda, has invested over €270 million in TFCA initiatives over the past 25 years through mechanisms such as the SADC TFCA Financing Facility and the Legacy Landscape Fund.

• The EU recently launched its NaturAfrica Global Gateway flagship initiative, injecting €33 million into the SADC region to accelerate conservation efforts, improve local livelihoods, and strengthen governance within TFCAs.

Southern Africa boasts 3,940 protected areas, covering 1.9 million km² of terrestrial landscape and 473,000 km² of seascape. The region’s 18 TFCAs, spanning over 1 million km², serve as crucial ecological corridors, connecting wildlife and ecosystems across 16 SADC Member States.

The success of Africa’s first TFCA, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP), established in 1999 between Botswana and South Africa, set the foundation for a growing network of transboundary conservation areas. Today, the Iona-Skeleton Coast Transfrontier Park (Angola-Namibia) is the latest addition to this initiative, reaffirming the commitment of SADC leaders to regional ecological connectivity and conservation.

The SADC TFCA Conference will align with global conservation efforts, particularly the Kigali Call to Action (2022) and the Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which was held in Montreal, Canada, from 7–19 December 2022, which urges nations to protect at least 30% of terrestrial and marine areas by 2030.

Key discussion areas will include:

• Strengthening political commitment, including signing binding agreements for TFCA development

• Unlocking investment opportunities, particularly in sustainable wildlife economies

• Enhancing cross-sectoral integration, ensuring rural communities’ benefit from conservation initiatives

Over the years, SADC has made remarkable strides in wildlife protection, law enforcement, investment in conservation economies, and community engagement. Initiatives such as the KAZA UniVisa, which facilitates seamless tourist access between Zambia and Zimbabwe, with the goal of promoting tourism within the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) underscore the economic and ecological potential of TFCAs. 

With the continued expansion of the SADC TFCA Programme, the region is positioned to solidify its leadership in biodiversity conservation, ecological resilience, and sustainable development. This commitment ensures the protection of Southern Africa’s natural heritage for generations to come.

The TFCA Conference will be hosted by the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife with support from the European Union, the Federal Republic Germany through GIZ and KfW in partnership with ZimParks the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Peace Parks Foundation, Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Frankfurt Zoological Society and Gonarezhou National Park