The Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) Member States, #Angola, #Botswana, #Namibia, and #Zambia, together with stakeholders from the forestry sector, have launched the project to operationalise the KAZA Forestry Strategy Project. The launch took place during the meeting in Livingstone, Zambia, from 22 – 24 September 2026.
Supported by the Southern African Development Community Transfrontier Conservation Area (SADC TFCA) Financing Facility, this is the first project under the Facility dedicated to forestry conservation and management.
The Forestry Strategy aims to strengthen forest governance, support sustainable livelihoods, and enhance benefits for communities across the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA), the world’s largest transboundary terrestrial conservation landscape.
Through this project, SADC positions KAZA as a model for advancing regional approaches to forest governance, sustainable management, and community benefits. The lessons and best practices generated through the project are expected to inform and strengthen forestry conservation efforts across other SADC TFCAs.
Speaking at the launch, Ms Simone Goertz, Head of Economic and Development Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Gaborone, highlighted Germany’s continued commitment to regional conservation, noting that support to the SADC TFCA Financing Facility has exceeded €50 million, with more than €40 million invested directly in KAZA through SADC-German cooperation.
The SADC Secretariat expresses its gratitude to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the US Forest Service, and the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF) for their technical support in the successful development and launch of the project. (SADC)