A new community conservation area was launched in Northern KZN this week when the Bhekabantu Community held an official “sod-turning” ceremony to celebrate the development. The 2 000 ha area is the first step in the establishment of a corridor between Ndumo Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Park, forming part of the tri-national Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area. Nkosi Tembe, respected leader of the Tembe people, was given the honours, digging the first hole where fencing will begin in the next few weeks.
The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area is one of a growing number of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (or TFCA’s) around the globe. These are large ecological regions straddling the boundaries of two or more countries and encompassing one or more protected areas, with the aim of allowing wildlife to roam freely and to encourage shared conservation resources between neighboring nations. The Lubombo TFCA extends into Swaziland through the Usuthu Gorge Community Conservation Area (CCA) and into Mozambique through the Futi Corridor. The establishment of the Bhekabantu CCA will ultimately support the establishment of a corridor between the Ndumo and Tembe Game Reserves, allowing the free movement of game between the two reserves. The area will be run by the community who will benefit from the eco-tourism initiatives envisioned for the area.
Initiated by the Bhekabantu community leadership, and with initial support from the Umbono Trust, community members expressed their support for the initiative by turning up in their hundreds on Thursday. Vetty Mahamba, Municipal Counselor for the area said, “This project comes from the heart of the people of the Bhekabantu Community. The ultimate challenge for us now is the development of strategies and plans for us [the community] to become self-employed and self-reliant”. He assured the community that they would have the municipality’s full support.
The project was made possible by a R1.45 million grant from the Wildlands Conservation Trust for the establishment of the reserve, the training of community game guards, and to cover the initial reserve costs. The Wildlands Conservation Trust is a KwaZulu-Natal-based non-profit conservation organisation working towards the expansion of land under conservation in the region, and the development of communities surrounding these areas. “The Trust has looked forward to this day for many years,” said the Trust’s CEO Dr Andrew Venter. “This is the first step in a long process to help develop the eco-tourism opportunities in the area,” he said.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s General Manager for the Zululand region, Sifiso Kheswa, congratulated the community for their decision, and committed to the donation of game to the area to help its initial establishment. He also encouraged the community to access the community levies generated by the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife run, Ndumo and Tembe game reserves. He spoke also to the neighboring communities present and said, “I would like to send an invitation to the Mbangweni and Ndaba communities [to develop their own community conservation areas] – it can only be good for conservation, and for the development of our people.”
Nkosi Tembe spoke of the significant value of the initiative to the community and gave praise and congratulations to the community and its partners.
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)