Staff Reporter THE Kavango Zambezi Trans-Frontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) has launched a regenerative nature-based tourism initiative aimed at strengthening conservation, supporting local tourism businesses and expanding sustainable livelihood opportunities across Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Joint Action on Regenerative Nature-Based Tourism (R-NBT) was launched on Thursday during a Regional Stakeholder Roundtable held from 22 to 24 September in Maun, Botswana.
The initiative, launched in partnership with the European Union and the German Government, will support Micro, Small and Medium Tourism Enterprises (MSMEs), with a particular focus on businesses led by women, youth and communities living near protected areas.
Support will include capacity building, access to finance, business development and stronger integration into tourism markets.
KAZA TFCA, which spans the five countries, is the world’s largest terrestrial transfrontier conservation landscape.
The initiative seeks to ensure that tourism contributes not only to biodiversity conservation, but also to job creation, stronger local businesses and increased benefits for communities across the region.
The initiative forms part of Germany’s and the European Union’s broader support to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tourism Programme, which promotes sustainable and inclusive tourism development across Southern Africa.
Through the programme, SADC Member States are supported in strengthening regional tourism integration, improving the business environment for tourism enterprises and unlocking the economic potential of the region’s natural and cultural assets.
Speaking at the launch, Botswana’s Minister of Environment and Tourism, Wynter Boipuso Mmolotsi, represented by Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary Charles Kabo Mojalemotho, said regenerative tourism should strengthen both nature and the communities that depend on it.
“Through this initiative, we want to build more resilient and....
