Transboundary Natural Resources Management Programme

The Transboundary Natural Resources Management Programme is aimed at promoting community participation in the management of transfrontier conservation areas and the equitable use of natural resources that are shared across borders through harmonization of laws and policies. Trans-boundary natural resources management skills are particularly important to rural disadvantaged communities who live along national borders. ZELA has conducted a number of research and policy advocacy activities on behalf of border communities under this programme.

Community Engagement in the ZiMoZa Trans-frontier Conservation Area

Since 2007 ZELA has partnered with the African Wildlife Foundation office in Zambia and Centro Terra Viva in Mozambique in a research and advocacy project to promote community engagement in the ZiMoZa transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA). The ZIMOZA TFCA is a new initiative to promote conservation and utilisations of shared natural resources around the borders of Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia (ZIMOZA). The project is being supported by the Southern Africa Trust (SAT). The main aim of the project is to empower communities to participate effectively in the ZIMOZA TFCA and to promote the focus of the TFCA on poverty reduction based on sustainable use of natural resources. Strategically, the project seeks to develop, apply and document legal and policy tools for civil society engagement in the framework for TFCA design and implementation as developed under SADC co-ordination, to raise awareness and build community capacity for effective participation in TFCA design and in community-public-private partnerships (CPPPs). Further, the project seeks to support development, implementation and marketing of natural resources enterprises in the ZiMoZa TFCA based on CPPPs. The target beneficiaries are communities in the ZiMoZa TFCA, private sector partners, and governments at local, national and regional levels.

Community Participation in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP)

With the support of the Ford Foundation and HIVOS under the auspices of the Environmental Justice Project, ZELA has been working with communities in Sengwe area in Chiredzi District to build their legal capacity to demand and claim participation and benefits from the establishment of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP). The GLTP was established by Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa to link three national parks namely Gonarezhou in Zimbabwe, Kruger National Park in South Africa and Coutada 16 in Mozambique. The objective of ZELA in this project is to ensure that communities are empowered and capacitated to demand participation in policy making processes and to ensure that communities derive economic and social benefits from the establishment of the Mega Park. Baseline studies have been done and registration of community based organizations as community trusts has commenced. Essentially, ZELA registered the Chibememe Earth Healing Association (CHIEHA) as a community trust to exist as a legal entity capable of conducting and undertaking its project activities in its own name. CHIEHA is one of the key and active communities around the GLTP which include other communities in Mozambique and South Africa. ZELA will continue networking and building the legal capacity of communities on the Zimbabwean side of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.

Further, within the framework of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, ZELA joined a network of NGOs that are working with communities around the Park to improve their livelihoods and ensure that benefits from the Mega Park also reach the local level. The NGO network is being spearheaded by IUCN-ROSA, Africa 2000 Network and the Global Environment Facility. The objective of establishing a network of NGOs is to facilitate synergies and experience sharing amongst the NGOs working in that area. There are opportunities for replicating this in the Zimbabwe- Mozambique-Zambia (ZIMOZA) and the Four Corners transfrontier conservation initiatives so that community interests are recognised and safe guarded from the inception.

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