Africa-Press – Mauritius. A Financing Facility to support transboundary conservation actions for Southern African Development Community (SADC) Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) was launched by the Minister of Forestry and Natural Resources of the Republic of Malawi, Ms Nancy Tembo, on 05 September 2021.
The aim is to reach a volume of EUR 100 million in the medium to long term benefitting 18 TFCAs in 16 countries and covering over 700 000 km2 of shared ecosystems in the SADC region.
Speaking at the launch, Ms Tembo underlined that the TFCA Financing Facility will complement efforts by governments of Southern Africa to develop sustainable financing mechanisms for conservation of nature across international boundaries in the region.
As for the Director of Food Agriculture and Natural Resources at the SADC Secretariat, Mr Domingos Gove emphasised the importance of TFCAs in managing shared natural and cultural resources across international boundaries.
The regional TFCA financing mechanism, he added, is a major component of the SADC TFCA programme (2013) which sets the basis for long-term and sustainable investment to strengthen ecological, economic, cultural and institutional connectivity within SADC TFCAs.
For his part, the Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Dr Bruno Oberle congratulated Member States on the establishment of the SADC TFCAs Financing Facility and emphasised the opportunities for forging strategic partnerships.
He stated that the IUCN is honoured to host the launch of the Financing Facility at the World Conservation Congress in Marseille and that it offers major opportunities for forging strategic partnerships for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
In her remarks, Ms. Christiane Laibach as member of the Executive Board of KfW, announced that in addition to the current investment of €12million to the Financing Facility, the German government has committed a further €13 million.
She highlighted the need for the Facility to contribute towards sustainable financing of TFCAs with the overall ambition to reach a target of €100 million in the medium to long term. She also urged other development partners to come on board and invest in the TFCA Financing Facility to reach the target.
SADC TFCA Financing Facility
The SADC TFCA Financing Facility will be executed by the IUCN in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region which will also manage the grant-making process through a dedicated Programme Management Unit.
The facility provides grants to selected projects in all SADC TFCAs contributing 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.
