The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) Project, was launched in Botswana, on Tuesday.
It is a 30-month initiative funded by the European Union, to strengthen biodiversity conservation, protected area management and community resilience across Southern Africa.
The project, is also referred to as the “Integrated Management for Biodiversity Conservation and Community Resilience in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.”
It is implemented by African Parks, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Governments of Botswana and South Africa, with an investment of €2.5 million.
Defined by red sand dunes, fossil riverbeds and open savannahs, the park supports wide-ranging species adapted to extreme climatic conditions and maintains ecological connectivity across national borders.
Narend Singh, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, said the project focuses primarily on the Botswana section of the park, while supporting selected activities in the South African section, including engagement with the Khomani San community.
“It aims to strengthen biodiversity conservation outcomes while improving park management systems, infrastructure and logistics, environmental and land use planning processes, and cooperation among key stakeholders” he said.
Early implementation priorities include establishing project governance structures in Botswana, and the development and implementation of individual management plans for four Wildlife Management Areas around the park.
Wynter Boipuso Mmolotsi, Minister of Environment and Tourism in Botswana, said the project is well aligned to Botswana’s strategies including the Economic Transformation Plan (BETP) and the National Tourism Strategy and Master Plan. He indicated that the project operationalises the two planning strategies and will also put the new Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) Act to the test to see how community governance structures operate in the face of projects and partners.
Picture: Supplied