Africa Launches the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park

Africa's new "super park", the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park is Africa's largest transfrontier conservation area. It covers 35,000 square kilometers (13,500 square miles) and extends into three countries; Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The African Wildlife Foundation is extremely pleased about the official recognition of this transfrontier park as it indicates promising potential for designation of a broader Greater Limpopo Conservation Area which conceptually forms the basis of AWF's southern Africa Limpopo Heartland.

On December 9th, 2002, Thabo Mbeki, President of South Africa, his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe, and Mozambique's Joachim Chissano officially christened the park at a ceremony in the Mozambiquan town of Xai-Xai on the Limpopo River.

The park combines South Africa's Kruger National Park, Mozambique's Limpopo Park and Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park into a huge ecosystem that is home to wildlife including lions, rhinos and elephants. AWF's Limpopo Heartland concept would ultimately broaden the protected area to include community lands outside the park, a goal that will benefit both wildlife and local peoples.

The three countries hope to strengthen economic relations between the states by attracting greater numbers of tourists to the region; thus creating new jobs and fortifying a tourism base not yet meeting its full potential. The park will allow park managers to consolidate their infrastructure development, law enforcement, and fire management strategies. Additionally, it will address the most serious worldwide threat to wildlife: the loss and fragmentation of habitat. The creation of the park will hopefully also encourage the 1 million tourists who already annually visit South Africa's Kruger National Park for its wildlife to check out Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park or cruise the lake behind Massingir Dam in Mozambique's Limpopo National Park, all without the hassle of dealing with long and frustrating border crossings.

As part of the project, South Africa's Environmental Affairs and Tourism Department has already trans-located nearly 1,000 animals - including dozens of elephants, giraffes, impalas, warthogs, waterbucks and zebras into Mozambique's Limpopo National Park where a long civil war had nearly depleted the region's animal population.

Creation of this trans-frontier park is hardly without issues. Some of the trans-located elephants quickly returned to former home ranges on the other side of the border. Mozambique is grappling with several vital issues regarding local residents who may be required to move beyond the newly established park boundaries or face the reality of large and sometimes dangerous wildlife "in their backyards." Conservation issues are never easily resolved these days; however, AWF remains committed to helping the Mozambiquan stakeholders define and implement a community resource management zone and thereby ensure that through an innovative process Africa's unique wildlife will endure, and Africa's people can benefit from its continued existence.