Landscape: Stretching across a vast arid landscape of red dunes, fossil riverbeds and open savannahs, the park protects one of southern Africa’s most intact desert ecosystems. Photos: African Parks
More than 25 years after Botswana and South Africa created the region’s first transfrontier conservation area, an international initiative is being launched to help secure the future of one of southern Africa’s most iconic desert landscapes.
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park project, funded by the European Union (EU), aims to strengthen biodiversity conservation, improve protected area management and bolster community resilience across the vast cross-border ecosystem.
Known as the “Integrated Management for Biodiversity Conservation and Community Resilience in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park”, the 30-month initiative is funded under the EU’s Global Gateway NaturAfrica programme for Transfrontier Conservation Areas in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
African Parks will implement the project in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and in collaboration with the governments of Botswana and South Africa.
The grant agreement between the IUCN and African Parks was signed in March. The 30-month initiative is intended to strengthen institutional capacity, improve operational effectiveness and lay the groundwork for long-term collaborative management of the park.
An aerial view of the vast wilderness of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana, at sunset. Photo: Mike Dexter
Established in 1999, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park was the first transfrontier conservation area in SADC, symbolising a shared commitment between Botswana and South Africa to conserve natural resources while supporting sustainable development for communities living alongside the park.
Stretching across a vast arid landscape of red dunes, fossil riverbeds and open savannahs, the park protects one of southern Africa’s most intact desert ecosystems. It is home to a range of species uniquely adapted to harsh climatic conditions and plays an important role in maintaining ecological connectivity across borders.
But climate variability, land-use pressures and increasing environmental stress threaten the long-term resilience of the landscape, making coordinated management and cross-border cooperation increasingly important.
While the project will focus primarily on the Botswana side of the park, it will also support selected activities in South Africa, including engagement with the ǂKhomani San community. The initiative also aims to strengthen community participation and livelihood opportunities.
Central to the programme is the recognition that the health of the Kgalagadi ecosystem is tied to the well-being of communities living around it. Through improved planning, institutional collaboration and community engagement, the project hopes to promote sustainable approaches that benefit both people and nature.
Early priorities include establishing governance structures in Botswana and developing management plans for four wildlife management areas surrounding the park. Plans are also under way for a tourism development strategy and a community development plan aimed at creating sustainable revenue streams from wildlife and tourism for communities on the Botswana side.
By the end of the project, organisers hope to see stronger protected area management, improved operational readiness, better conservation and land-use planning frameworks and expanded socio-economic opportunities for the communities.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Narend Singh described the initiative as an achievement in regional cooperation and environmental stewardship.
“Today’s milestone reaffirms the enduring commitment of our two governments to the full implementation of the Bilateral Agreement signed by our predecessors in 1999, which established the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park as a symbol of peace, cooperation and shared stewardship,” Singh said.
He thanked the EU, African HParks and other stakeholders for supporting the initiative, saying the investment would make a difference while reinforcing the value of international partnerships in addressing shared environmental challenges.
Singh said parts of the project, including planned fence construction, were expected to create temporary employment opportunities.
The NaturAfrica initiative is the EU’s flagship programme for biodiversity conservation in Africa, built around a people-centred approach that links environmental protection with economic development and community well-being.
It forms part of the EU’s broader Green Deal strategy, which treats climate change and environmental degradation as global threats requiring stronger international cooperation and investment in biodiversity protection.
Rather than focusing only on wildlife conservation, the programme aims to support landscapes where biodiversity protection and sustainable development can work together to create jobs, improve livelihoods, strengthen food security and boost climate resilience, while protecting ecosystems and wildlife.
Golden light falls across the grasslands of Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana, at sunset. Photo: Mike Dexter
The initiative emphasises working with governments, communities, civil society groups and the private sector, with indigenous communities and women at the centre of decision-making and implementation.
NaturAfrica focuses initially on key conservation landscapes across the continent, supporting protected areas and encouraging regional cooperation, knowledge-sharing and sustainable economic opportunities linked to conservation and tourism.
Over the longer term, the programme also seeks to address the wider causes of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation by integrating conservation priorities into sectors such as agriculture, infrastructure and economic planning.
The EU says the programme is a response to growing environmental pressures across Africa, where natural resources are increasingly under strain, threatening food security, livelihoods, health and climate resilience. The initiative, it says, also aligns with the African Union’s calls for more sustainable use of natural resources and stronger action against biodiversity loss, illegal exploitation and wildlife crime.
Botswana’s Environment and Tourism Minister Wynter Boipuso Mmolots said the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park project aligned with Botswana’s Economic Transformation Plan and National Tourism Strategy, while providing an opportunity to test new community governance structures under the country’s Community Based Natural Resources Management Act.
EU ambassador to Botswana and SADC Petra Pereyra said the launch of the NaturAfrica project in the park marked a pivotal moment for conservation and community resilience in Southern Africa.
“With a €2.5 million (about R48m) investment under the EU’s Global Gateway initiative and NaturAfrica, this partnership with African Parks, IUCN and the governments of Botswana and South Africa will restore ecological integrity while creating sustainable opportunities for communities.”
Two meerkats in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana.Photo: Mike Dexter
The Kgalagadi was not just a biodiversity hotspot, she said. “It is a shared heritage that demands shared responsibility.
“By strengthening protected area management, tackling poaching and fostering inclusive governance, we are proving that nature and people can thrive together. This is conservation in action.”
Peter Fearnhead, the chief executive of African Parks, said the initiative would help strengthen park management and ensure the landscape continued to deliver benefits for people living around it.
“The Kgalagadi is an extraordinary place, not only for its wildlife and desert landscapes but for the communities whose lives and livelihoods are closely bound to it,” he said.
“This initiative allows us to work shoulder to shoulder with government and local partners, strengthening park management, protecting its biodiversity and ensuring it continues to deliver real benefits for people. We are proud to be part of this long-term commitment to the Kgalagadi and to its future,” he said.
The project forms part of a broader €10m regional conservation portfolio managed by IUCN under the SADC Transfrontier Conservation Area Financing Facility (TFCA), which aims to drive green economic transformation, strengthen resilient local livelihoods and unlock the long-term value of NaturAfrica landscapes for both people and nature.
Luther Anukur, the regional director for IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa, added that the grant awarded to African Parks for the project marks a milestone in the EU-funded €10m portfolio managed by the IUCN under the SADC TFCA.
“The facility will support 12 high-impact grants that drive green economy transformation, strengthen resilient local livelihoods and unlock the long-term value of NaturAfrica landscapes for both people and nature.”