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Southern Africa |
ECOLOGY
The concept of embracing internationally agreed strategies for conserving nature,
is fast gaining ground in many parts of the developing world including Africa.
Caring for nature is one sure way of promoting the continent’s emerging tourism industryA big leap forward was made this year in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) region, when three of the Community’s members — Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe launched one of the world’s biggest game parks called the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP).
The Park is one of the world’s largest biodiversity conservation areas and was established following the signing of a pact by the Presidents of the three countries. It straddles parts of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe, covering an area of 4.4 million square kilometres.
The Park’s launch is described as a significant step in strengthening regional cooperation by managing crossborder ecosystems. This will hopefully contribute towards the integrated social economic and environmental development of the three nations signatory to the treaty.
Joaquim Chissano, Mozambique’s President, said the Park’s establishment symbolised a commitment by the region to implement the international and regional conventions on biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. «This is really a significant step forward as the region moves towards fulfilling the agreed goals».
In Mozambique, the park is in Gaza province and covers the districts of Massingir, Mabalane and Chicualcuala, where a vast number of animals and plant species, some of them endangered, are to be found. In South Africa, the GLTP encompasses the Kruger National Park and the area of Makuleke; in Zimbabwe it occupies most of the Gonarenzhou National Park, the Malipati Safari area, the Manjinji Pan Sanctuary.
The area covered by the Park is semi-arid with mostly infertile soil unsuitable for agricultural activities. Communities living within the Park, do however, practice subsistence farming, a practice which nature lovers claim threatens the environment of the surrounding areas.
South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki termed the project «an important contribution by the three neighbours, for achieving the global target of reversing the loss of bio-diversity by the year 2010, as adopted at the Global Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development held in August 2002. The Park is a world without frontiers, whose creation shows a growing relationship among the three states. It will become one of the most-sought after wildernesses in the world and feature on the list of “must-see” destinations».
Tourism
Experts predict that the Park will increase Southern Africa’s share of the global travel and tourism market thus creating many job opportunities. At the same time, encouraging infrastructure development in roads, bridges, lodges, hotels, upgrading of border facilities and game fences.
Also, as one of the world’s most ambitious conservation efforts, the Transfrontier Park will restore the integrity of an ecosystem artificially segmented by colonial boundaries — thus opening up natural migratory routes of the great herds of African elephants and other mammals.
Most of Southern Africa’s countries are facing their hardest economic times due to unstable macro-economic factors and the countries’ neglect of investing in the agricultural industry which is the back-bone of most of the countries. Likewise, fast growing populations have resulted in a scarcity of cultivatable land. Available land has been over-used, resulting in soil erosion and environmental degradation.
Countries, are therefore, trying to diversify their economies and are turning to tourism as a way of contributing to national economies. Africa has immense potential as a tourist destination and surely the launching of the Transfrontier Park must be seen as a step in the right direction.
- Hobbs Gama, Malawi, June 2003 — © Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgment