Regional leaders gather in Harare as SADC TFCA summit begins Southern African leaders and conservation experts gathered in Harare on Monday for the opening of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) International Conference and Summit of Heads of State and Government. The five-day event marks 25 years of regional cooperation under the theme “Transfrontier Conservation Areas—25 Years of Cooperation for Regional Integration and Sustainable Development.” Backed by key development partners including the European Union and Germany, the summit aims to reaffirm SADC’s commitment to biodiversity conservation, sustainable development, and transboundary environmental collaboration. “The region has made significant progress in wildlife protection, investment in conservation economies and community engagement. This summit will further unlock investment opportunities in sustainable wildlife economies and ensure rural communities benefit from conservation efforts,” the SADC Secretariat said in a statement. The conference is expected to strengthen political will through the signing of binding agreements to advance TFCA development across the region. SADC’s 18 TFCAs covers over 1 million square kilometres and connects ecosystems across 16 member states. Germany has invested over 270 million euros in TFCA projects over the past quarter century through the SADC TFCA Financing Facility and the Legacy Landscape Fund. Meanwhile, the EU recently launched its NaturAfrica Global Gateway initiative, allocating 33 million euros to support conservation and community development efforts. The Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), one of the world’s largest, is highlighted for initiatives such as the KAZA UniVisa, which facilitates cross-border tourism between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The event aligns with global environmental targets, including the Global Biodiversity Framework agreed at COP15 in 2022, which aims to conserve 30% of the world’s land and marine areas by 2030. The conference is hosted by the Zimbabwean government in collaboration with ZimParks and supported by international conservation groups including IUCN, WWF, Peace Parks Foundation and others.