CAPE TOWN: Malawi’s Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources Nancy Tembo has recently launched a financing facility to support transboundary conservation actions for Southern African Development Community (SADC) transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs).
According to a statement released on Tuesday, the SADC TFCA Financing Facility aims to reach a volume of €100 million (about US$118 million) in the medium to long term, benefiting 18 TFCAs in 16 countries and covering more than 700,000 square kilometres of shared ecosystems in the SADC region.
Speaking at the launch, Tembo said that the TFCA Financing Facility will complement efforts by governments of southern Africa to develop sustainable financing mechanisms for conservation of nature that straddles international boundaries in the region.
Director-general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Dr Bruno Oberle congratulated the 16 member states of the SADC on the establishment of the financing facility and emphasised the opportunities for forging strategic partnerships.
The SADC TFCA Financing Facility will be executed by the IUCN in the eastern and southern African regions, while the IUCN will manage the grant-making process through a dedicated programme management unit.
According to the statement, the SADC TFCA Financing Facility will provide grants to selected projects in all SADC TFCAs that contribute to measurable outcomes, including: conservation of biodiversity and recovery of flagship species; newly established or better managed protected areas or networks of conservation areas of regional importance; and improved livelihoods for communities living in TFCAs.
African News Agency (ANA)