Southern Africa’s coordinated approach to conservation has yielded significant success, with the population of the endangered black rhino nearly tripling over the past three decades.
The surge, from 2,400 in 1995 to approximately 6,400 today, underscores the effectiveness of the region’s Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCA) Programme, according to Southern African Development Community (SADC) executive secretary Elias Magosi.
Speaking at the SADC Council of Ministers meeting in Harare on Thursday, Magosi credited transboundary collaboration and integrated wildlife management for stabilising black rhino numbers, which had once teetered on the brink of extinction due to rampant poaching.
“This remarkable recovery highlights the effectiveness of transfrontier collaboration and integrated wildlife management,” Magosi said.
TFCAs are conservation initiatives that straddle national boundaries, thus falling under joint administration and re-establishing the ecological integrity that has been separated by artificial, though legal boundaries.
Elephant populations in SADC have also demonstrated resilience, with the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA now home to over 220,000 elephants, even as numbers decline elsewhere across Africa.
Magosi reported that TFCAs in SADC have expanded over the past 25 years, from covering 35,500 square kilometers in 1999 to more than one million square kilometres today.
The KAZA TFCA – connecting Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe – alone spans approximately 520,000 square kilometres, making it one of the largest conservation zones globally.
These cross-border conservation zones have proven instrumental in curbing poaching, which is an ongoing threat to Africa’s wildlife.
Elephant and rhino populations in southern Africa have long been targeted by criminal networks supplying illicit ivory and rhino horn to international markets, particularly in Asia.
However, strengthened law enforcement measures, intelligence sharing and community engagement under the SADC TFCA Programme have helped combat the scourge.
The Council of Ministers meeting precedes the first-ever SADC TFCA Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for Harare on Friday.
JN/APA