The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area was born out of the Peace Park Foundation’s vision to establish a network of transfrontier

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

areas in southern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It straddles the border between

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

’s KwaZulu-Natal province, southern

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

, and Eswatini.

Overview

The Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area covers , of which (66%) is in Mozambique, (26%) is in South Africa, and (8%) is in Eswatini. It is situated on a low-lying coastal plain between the

Lebombo Mountains The Lebombo Mountains, also called Lubombo Mountains ( pt, Montes Libombos), are an , narrow range of mountains in Southern Africa. They stretch from Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal in the south to Punda Maria in the Limpopo Province in South Africa in ...

in the west and the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

in the east. The area offers a unique combination of big-game country, extensive

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

s, and beautiful undeveloped coastal areas. It links the

Maputo Elephant Reserve Maputo Special Reserve (formerly known as Maputo Elephant Reserve) is a nature reserve in Mozambique. The reserve is located on Maputo Bay, approximately 100 kilometers southeast of the city of Maputo, Mozambique. The Reserve is 1,040 km2 (4 ...

in Mozambique through the Futi Corridor and the Lubombo Conservancy in Eswatini to the

Tembe Elephant Park Tembe Elephant Park is a 30 012 ha game reserve in Maputaland, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is adjacent to Ndumo Game Reserve. The park was developed by Tembe Tribal Authority and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. It was established in 1983 to protect ...

in South Africa, creating the first major elephant stronghold along Africa's eastern coastline.

Maputo Elephant Reserve

Now known as Maputo Special Reserve (or Reserva Especial de Maputo in Portuguese), this reserve is situated in the southernmost part of Mozambique, 79 km south of

Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,0 ...

, in the province of

. It is bounded on the east by the

, and on the west by the Rio Maputo. In 1975 before the Mozambique civil war, vast numbers of wildlife including 65

White Rhinoceros The white rhinoceros, white rhino or square-lipped rhinoceros (''Ceratotherium simum'') is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists ...

where relocated from Umfolozi Game Reserve in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. Sadly no

rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

and only some 200

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

survived the 14-year war. The elephant reserve is now threatened by industrial development On 18 July 2012 Macauhub News Agency reported that a public tender will be issued for selection of the company that will carry out the studies of the economic feasibility of building a deep water port an Techobanine. The Mozambique Transport and Communications Minister, Paulo Zucula, said the master plan for the project had recently been completed, and that the proposal was due to be presented soon to the Council of Ministers. The port complex is expected to cover an area of 30,000 hectares, and will have an additional area of 11,000 hectares for industrial development, as well as capacity to process 200 million tons of cargo. The Techobanine region is 70km from Maputo and 20km north of Ponta do Ouro.

Tembe Elephant Park

is situated in

Maputaland Maputaland is a natural region of Southern Africa. It is located in the northern part of the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between Eswatini and the coast. In a wider sense it may also include the southernmost region of Mozambique. The bi ...

, in the north-eastern region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa adjoining the Mozambique border. It is home to the province's biggest African elephant herd and its only indigenous elephants. Tembe's comprises a variety of unique sand forest, woodland,

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses ( Poaceae). However, sedge ( Cyperaceae) and rush ( Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur na ...

and swampland habitats.

The Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park

The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in the Ponta do Ouro-Kosi Bay Transfrontier Conservation Area was proclaimed a World Heritage Site in November 1999. The site is the largest estuarine system in Africa and includes the southernmost extension of coral reefs on the continent. Efforts are ongoing to extend the existing World Heritage Site northwards to encompass the Mozambican section of the TFCA, which includes a marine protected area.

Lubombo Conservancy

Situated in the north eastern part of Eswatini in the

Lubombo Region Lubombo is a region of Eswatini, located in the east of the country. It has an area of 5,849.11 km² and a population of 212,531 (2017). Its administrative center is Siteki. It borders all three other regions: Hhohho to the north, Manzini ...

. This protected area includes the Hlane Royal National Park, the

Mlawula Nature Reserve View from Magadzevane Camp on the Lubombo mountains Blue wildebeest and impala in ''Acacia nigrescens">impala.html" ;"title="Blue wildebeest and impala">Blue wildebeest and impala in ''Acacia nigrescens'' savanna The Mlawula Nature Reserve is ...

, the Shewula Community Nature Reserve, the

Mbuluzi Game Reserve Mbuluzi Game Reserve is a privately owned reserve in Eswatini, within the Lubombo Conservancy. There are 3 lodges privately situated on the Mlawula River, and a campsite, situated above some rapids in the Mbuluzi River. Wildlife Large wildlife sp ...

the Nkhalashane Siza Ranch and the Inyoni Yami Swaziland Irrigation Scheme, (also known as the IYSIS).

References

External links

Peace Parks Foundation’s website

Conservation website

KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government homepage

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (previous known as Natal Parks Board

SANParks

Swaziland National Trust Commission

Mozambican Tour Operator (Mozaic Travel) that runs guided tours in Maputo Special Reserve
{{Coord, 26.25, S, 31.88, E, type:adm1st, display=title Peace parks Nature conservation in Mozambique Protected areas of South Africa Protected areas of Eswatini Transboundary protected areas