Malawi, Zambia to sign ‘Transfrontier Conservation Area’ treaty

Malawi and Zambia are developing a TFCA (Transfrontier Conservation Area) treaty to help preserve wildlife along the borders of the two countries. A MOU for the TFCA’s establishment was signed on August 13, 2004 but this document only provides a mandate and is not legally binding, according to Humphrey Nzima, International Coordinator Malawi-Zambia TFCA.

Nzima says the Ministers of Tourism and Arts in Zambia and Tourism and Culture in Malawi recently drafted a treaty for the official establishment of the TFCA. The treaty will include a definition of objectives for the TFCA, its geographical scope and an institutional framework that comprises a secretariat and the linking of the structure to the SADC.

Says Nzima: “According to the current roadmap, the treaty might be signed in August 2013. However, this date is very provisional as there are still several steps to be cleared before arrangements for signing can be made.”

A joint law enforcement project operating as a single unit across international borders to combat poaching has already been deployed with resounding success in the TFCA.