THURSDAY, 22 JUNE 2000: Borders separating conservation areas of three southern African nations -- Swaziland, Mozambique and South Africa -- will come down following a historic trilateral cooperation agreement to promote conservation.

The agreement on the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) was signed today in Durban at the World Economic Summit by the ministers responsible for the environment in the three countries.

The protocol is the second signed by the South African Government. The first protocol set up the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which was officially opened by the presidents of Botswana and South Africa in May this year.

Signatories to the Lubombo TFCA were the Mozambican Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Helder dos Santos Felix Monteiro Mutela, the South African Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mr Mohammed Valli Moosa, and the Swaziland Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Mr Roy Fanourakis.

The establishment of the Lubombo TFCA supports the broader aims and socio-economic upliftment in the southern Africa subcontinent, as well as improving regional ecosystems management.

The major TFCA objectives are:

• Economic development through appropriate maximum use of opportunities presented by the three countries' natural assets.
• Ecological and financially sustainable development, the sustainable use of the natural resource base and the maintenance of ecosystem function through holistic and integrated environmental planning and management.
• The development of joint strategies for transfrontier ecological planning and resource management.

The detailed protocol signed by the ministers includes an extensive list of objectives as well as clear undertakings by the parties, and establishes a TFCA Conservation and Resource Area Commission.

Four specific areas targeted in the protocol are:

1. The Lubombo Ponto do Ouro-Kosi Bay marine and coastal area on the Mozambique-South African borders.
2. The Ndumo-Tembe-Futi elephant reserves on the border of Mozambique.
3. The Nsubane-Pongolo (Jozini) area on the border with Swaziland.
4. The Lubombo Conservancy-Hlane-Mlawula/Goba area on the border of Mozambique and Swaziland.

Welcoming the protocol, Mr Moosa said: "The involvement of communities in and adjacent to the Lubombo TFCA, through consultation, representation and participation in the management of the TFCA, is critical for the success of this initiative."

"The protocol will form a basis for a deliberate identification of opportunities to broaden ownership patterns in the TFCA through encouragement of local small businesses, of community-owned ventures, and joint ventures with domestic and global investors," he said.

Outlining the major success of the Lubombo SDI, Mr Fanourakis of Swaziland said: "Over the past two years our three governments have cooperated to lay the foundation for the Lubombo region to emerge as a competitive international tourist destination.

"But much still remains to be done. The signing of the TFCA protocol brings another element to our programme. It represents another crucial step along the way to the realisation of our vision of a prosperous and internationally competitive Lubombo."

Mozambique Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr Helder dos Santos Felix Monteiro Mutela, said: "The TFCA agreement, which is the second of its kind to be signed in our region is part of a larger programme to establish conservation areas that stretch across the political boundaries of Southern Africa.

"Crucially, it commits the three countries to the development of joint strategies for the planning and management of specific areas extending across the borders between our three countries.

"It records a number of transfrontier conservation and resource area objectives including the establishment of a TFCA Commission responsible for joint review, supervision, and decision-making. It also includes the strengthening of existing initiatives in the Lubombo Region and the creation of an enabling framework to assist such initiatives," he said.

Through the SDI programme in South Africa, government has implemented a broad strategy that has resulted in over R530 million being invested in programmes such as road building and malaria control.

The Lubombo SDI has been successful in delivering on many of the promises made at the first protocol signing in 1998.

Some accomplishments are:

• The upgrade of the N2 from Richards Bay to the Swaziland border.
• The construction of the Hluhluwe to Maputo road of which 68% was done by SMMEs and will provide 70 000 people with all weather access.
• The provision of 11 key access roads serving 160 000 people.
• The building of a new border post with Mozambique.
• A R40m malaria-control programme.
• A R2,8m crafts programme to build capacity and give marketing support to 2 000 crafters.
• The St Lucia Millennium festival and four other satellite festivals in which 18 countries participated.
• The development of a R1,2m heritage route and marketing programme with regional tourism stakeholders.
• The Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999.
• A R42m tourism-infrastructure programme, which will include the reintroduction of game, is taking place in the southern section of the park.
• The removal of 5 000 hectares of commercial forests on St Lucia Lake's western shores and its inclusion in the park, has been negotiated.
• Land-claim settlements on the eastern shores have been completed.

The next phase of the project is the taking to market of R1bn worth of investment sites in the three countries and the establishment of the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park Authority in terms of the World Heritage Act of 1999.

At present the area attracts 500 000 tourists and provides 11 200 beds of which most are white and government-owned.

Through the intervention of the Lubombo SDI and the establishment of the greater St Lucia Wetland Park Authority, the plan is to kick-start the economy of the subregion over a 10-year period. By 2010 projections are for an increase in tourist numbers to 1,4 million, the bed numbers to 18 700 and foreign currency earnings to R850m a year.

With careful conservation and resource management the Lubombo SDI will create 9 000 jobs during infrastructure construction which, with private sector investment, is estimated to create 4 000 permanent jobs.

CONTACTS:

• Mozambican regional SDI coordinator Albino Mahumane. Telephone (09) 25 814 2688.
• Swaziland regional SDI coordinator Sindi Mabuso. Telephone (09) 628 404 8151.
• Lubombo SDI coordinator Andrew Zaloumis. Telephone (031) 261-8181.
• KwaZulu-Natal Economic Council, P.O. Box 30886, Mayville 4058. Telephone (031) 261-8181, fax (031) 261-8185.