The Opportunity: Political boundaries do not often align with ecological boundaries, nor with cultural and economic boundaries. Transboundary management (TBNRM) efforts comprise of transboundary economic, ecological, social and cultural and political collaboration across sectors and disciplines. Through the promotion of TBNRM key ecological functions previously disrupted by the artificial limitations of political borders can be reestablished and enable an increase in the size of land under ecologically sustainable management.
Management of shared natural resources is not a new concept, considered to be first introduced in the 1920s and 1930s. By 1997, there were as many as 136 existing and 85 potential new transboundary conservation areas that straddled 112 international borders in 98 countries. TBNRM addresses the critical situation that across the globe international and local boundaries have artificially divided ecosystems, river basins, and wildlife migratory routes as well as local cultural and economic systems. To ensure that future generations can use today’s natural resources, transboundary management (TBNRM) offers the opportunity that the management of water catchments, ecosystems, and migratory wildlife can become more multinational and participatory across local, national, and international levels.
The challenge is that key ecological systems and components occurring in two or more nations are subject to a range of often opposing management and land-use practices. Unsustainable resource use on one side of a border may adversely affect resource use in neighboring states. Managing internationally shared resources better through ecologically maintaining and/or restoring linkages in ecological landscapes that cross borders and reducing transboundary threats to promote sustainable use of natural resources. International borders are political and not ecological boundaries.
Our Partners: The Biodiversity Support Program (BSP) a consortium of the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and World Resources Institute, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) led this work in partnership with The World Conservation Union (IUCN), the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF), Southern African Sustainable Use Specialists Group (SASUG) and dozens of protected area specialists and government and community leaders from throughout Southern Africa.
The Journey: Conducted an 11-country strategic planning process in Southern Africa focused on the development of large scale transboundary collaborative conservation initiatives with participation of private sector, non-profit (NGO), donor, community and government organizations.
The process involved deep dialogue interviews, country learning journey visits and stakeholder workshops over a year period. An essential component of the process was the designing and facilitating of several multiple stakeholder workshops with representatives from various organizations and countries throughout Southern Africa, with key meetings taking place in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The Result: Development of guidelines and strategies for taking advantage of the rapidly growing interest in transboundary natural resource management (TBNRM) as a way to improve natural resource management and biodiversity conservation and promote regional economic development. These guidelines influenced regional and global conservation efforts in these larger collaborative efforts including:
- Socially and culturally renewal of cooperation and cultural ties among communities served by borders, and increased welfare and development opportunities for populations.
- Economically the development of regional economic opportunities such as tourism, and economies of working on a larger scale.
- Politically improved security in border areas and enhanced transparency and accountability in the use of natural resources.
The Result: Development of guidelines and strategies for taking advantage of the rapidly growing interest in transboundary natural resource management (TBNRM) as a way to improve natural resource management and biodiversity conservation and promote regional economic development. These guidelines influenced regional and global conservation efforts in these larger collaborative efforts including:
- Socially and culturally renewal of cooperation and cultural ties among communities served by borders, and increased welfare and development opportunities for populations.
- Economically the development of regional economic opportunities such as tourism, and economies of working on a larger scale.
- Politically improved security in border areas and enhanced transparency and accountability in the use of natural resources.
