KAZA Ministers Chart a New Path for Conservation and Finance

The KAZA (image source)

In the town of Livingstone, Zambia, ministers from the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA-TFCA) gathered for a high-level committee meeting that could reshape conservation across Southern Africa. Their agenda was ambitious: endorse new strategies for joint conservation, finance, and sustainable tourism. The outcome signaled not only commitment but also a recognition that wildlife and ecosystems transcend borders, and so must solutions.

The KAZA-TFCA is one of the world’s largest transfrontier conservation areas, spanning five countries: Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Covering nearly 520,000 square kilometers, it links iconic sites such as the Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls, and Chobe National Park. Its mission is to protect biodiversity, promote sustainable development, and improve livelihoods through eco-tourism and resource sharing.

At the latest ministerial session, leaders reaffirmed their commitment to:

• Joint Financing Models — Pooling resources to reduce donor dependency and strengthen self-sustaining conservation funds.

• Cross-Border Wildlife Corridors — Ensuring elephants, lions, and other migratory species can move freely without facing fences or poachers.

• Climate Resilience Programs — Protecting ecosystems from droughts, floods, and human-wildlife conflicts exacerbated by climate change.

• Community Partnerships — Increasing local participation in tourism revenues and decision-making.

Environment Minister Collins Nzovu of Zambia described the meeting as “a watershed moment, where regional cooperation becomes the currency of conservation.”

Conservation is costly. Anti-poaching patrols, ecological monitoring, and park maintenance require millions annually. Historically, much of KAZA’s funding has come from international donors. While vital, such dependence makes planning precarious. The new strategies emphasize building trust funds, carbon credit markets, and eco-tourism revenue models.

Environmental finance expert Dr. Nomusa Sibanda explains: “Conservation without financial backbone is charity, not sustainability. KAZA’s turn toward internal financing is a step toward sovereignty over its natural assets.”

KAZA is home to millions of people who live alongside wildlife. For them, elephants raiding crops or lions attacking cattle are not abstract conservation challenges but daily risks. Ministers acknowledged this by emphasizing community involvement. When locals receive tangible benefits from conservation — jobs, schools, or revenue shares — they are more likely to protect rather than exploit ecosystems.

In Botswana’s Chobe region, for instance, community-run lodges have successfully balanced tourism income with conservation goals. Replicating such models across KAZA could redefine how people and parks coexist. The resolutions also have international resonance. KAZA contains some of the largest remaining populations of elephants on earth. Its wetlands and forests act as carbon sinks critical to climate mitigation. Strengthening KAZA is therefore not just a regional project, but a global environmental imperative.

Conservation biologist Professor Daniel Mutanga puts it succinctly: “KAZA is to Africa what the Amazon is to South America, a shared ecological heartbeat. Protecting it is protecting the planet.”

Implementation will be the true test. Aligning policies across five sovereign states is complex. Issues like poaching syndicates, mining interests, and land development pressures will continue to test unity. Additionally, ensuring that finance models are transparent and equitable will require robust governance mechanisms.

The Livingstone meeting was more than ceremonial. By endorsing joint conservation and financial plans, KAZA ministers sent a signal: regional collaboration is not optional, it is essential. The future of Southern Africa’s wildlife corridors, eco-tourism economies, and community resilience depends on it.

As these strategies unfold, the world will watch closely. If successful, KAZA could serve as a blueprint for cross-border conservation, proving that cooperation, not isolation, is the path to sustainability.