Regional September 2005 |
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| Limpopo accord signed, (The Herald, 2005-09-23):-Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique have agreed to declare the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park a regional asset in order to secure funding for its development from the New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad). Parks and Wildlife chief executive Dr Morris Mtsambiwa revealed to Herald Business this week that the country had already signed a trilateral agreement with Mozambique and South Africa, a major step which was likely to accelerate the development of the giant conservation park. "We have agreed with our counterparts to regionalise the park so that it will be viewed as belonging to the Southern African Development Community (Sadc). "This will make it possible for us to borrow funds from Nepad for the development and upgrading of the park's infrastructure," said Dr Mtsambiwa. Nepad is an economic blueprint and agreement between the European Union and African states under which the former would undertake to provide funding. The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park is a joint venture between Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe under which the three neighbouring countries agreed to merge their game sanctuaries to harness their full potential. It would be the largest conservation park in the world and is expected to create new investment opportunities in the respective countries. The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park links the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, Kruger National Park in South Africa and of Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park. Dr Mtsambiwa said Zimbabwe had been lagging behind in the development of the park due to inadequate funding while the existing infrastructure was severely damaged by cyclone-induced floods between 2001 and 2002. Although the floods hit other parts of South Africa and Mozambique, donors came to their rescue and chipped in with significant funding to revive the area. Zimbabwe was left out of the equation as investors shunned the country owing to the negative publicity from the international media which portrayed Zimbabwe as an unsound destination for investment. "We need to keep pace with our partners in terms of developing the area," said Dr Mtsambiwa. Once open, tourists would be able to drive freely across the international borders of the three countries within the boundaries of the park. Visitors will enjoy a wider range of activities such as game viewing and the scenic panorama of the African savannah and woodlands. Tourists will also enjoy new attractions including bird-rich tropical wetlands, boat cruises, tiger-fishing, rugged 4 x 4 adventure drives among others in the precincts of combined parks. A mix of cultural experiences will be on offer, with traditional healers explaining their craft, story-telling, African cuisine, traditional dances, music, handicrafts and art. The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park will be a world-class eco-tourism destination, with extensive private sector involvement, but managed to optimise benefits for sustainable economic development of local communities and biodiversity conservation of the three nations. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |