Elephantine plan takes off

Now this vast area is part of a grand plan of conservation and social upliftment that will help Southern African countries to deal with the effects of climate change through a single management plan based on natural systems.

The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area or The Kaza, as it is called, is 29-million hectares, an area about the size of Italy. It is planned that the Kaza will allow the animals and people of the area to roam freely across borders while creating a framework to protect and share precious water resources. Speaking to the Mail & Guardian, chief executive director of the Peace Parks Foundation, Werner Myburgh, explained that the foundation is a facilitator for dialogue between all stakeholders in the region. "We help governments in each of those countries initiate the process in which you bring together the private sector, communities and the government around one table and say: 'Well, what do you think is the future of this area?'" Myburgh said.

One of the pillars of the Kaza project is the official protection of two rivers: the Zambezi and the Kavango. Dr Anthony Turton is a South African hydrologist specialising in water-resource management in the Kaza area. "The former colonial powers used rivers as borders, whereas the previous precolonial dispensation used rivers as a means of transport, as a means of connecting people," he said. Water is the key not only to life, but also to prosperity - and the Kaza project and researchers like Turton are helping to shape the future of this precious resource.

Read the full article on http://mg.co.za.