The African Wildlife Foundation Partners with Southern Africa's Tourism Association

On 28 July 2003, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Regional Tourism Association of Southern Africa (RETOSA) for collaboration on conservation business venture marketing and promotion in AWF-designated Kazungula Heartland. This area covers approximately 290,000 km2. Protected areas in this zone include the Hwange and Zambezi National Parks in Zimbabwe; the Mosi-au-Tunya, Sioma Ngwezi and Kafue National Parks in Zambia; and the Chobe and Moremi National Parks in Botswana. The MOU was signed by Dr. Patrick Bergin, the President of AWF, and Shepherd Nyaruwata on behalf of RETOSA.

AWF's work in this area focuses on increasing sustainable natural resource management practices, particularly as these pertain to the area's shared water and wildlife resources. Such practices include natural resource management plans, ecological monitoring systems and conservation business ventures. RETOSA is a private sector arm of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), charged with marketing tourism destinations within this regional block.

The MOU will allow AWF to collaborate with RETOSA on packaging, branding, and marketing community-based business ventures in international markets where RETOSA is active. In this partnership, RETOSA will conduct a series of skills transfer workshops to local communities involved in conservation business ventures to improve their management and performance ability, and provide for the systematic sharing of lessons learnt in the Four Corners Area to other zones in southern Africa. Lastly, the MOU will allow for AWF and RETOSA to collaborate on project proposals related to the funding, implementation, and growth of community tourism products which are key components of AWF's conservation strategy.

The critical linkages between conservation and tourism in Africa will be one of the topics that will be explored at the "Conservation is Good Business" forum to be held on November 13, 2003 in Washington, DC. The event will be co-sponsored by AWF and the Corporate Council on Africa. Other sectors that will be discussed include energy and mining, agro-business, consumer products, and HIV/AIDS.