Transfrontier Conservation Area

A transboundary protected area (TBPA) is an ecological protected area that spans boundaries of more than one country or sub-national entity. Such areas are also known as transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) or peace parks.

TBPAs exist in many forms around the world, and are established for various reasons. The preservation of traditional animal migration patterns, ensuring sufficient food and water sources for population growth, is a critical reason for the creation of TBPAs. However, TBPAs also encourage tourism, economic development and goodwill between neighbouring countries, as well as making it easier for indigenous inhabitants of the area to travel.

Types of transboundary protected areas

TBPAs exist in various types of geographic configuration, with various levels of ecological protection, and with various levels of international cooperation. Additionally, different organizations employ different definitions for TBPAs. Julia Marton-Lefevre broadly defines TBPAs as "areas that involve a degree of cooperation across one or more boundaries between (or within) countries." The Southern Africa Development Community's Protocol on Wildlife Conservation and Law Enforcement defines Transfrontier Conservation Area as "the area or the component of a large ecological region that straddles the boundaries of two or more countries, encompassing one or more protected areas, as well as multiple resources use areas." The Global Transboundary Protected Areas Network (GTPAN) lists four types of "transboundary conservation areas:"

* Type 1: transboundary protected area;
* Type 2: transboundary conservation landscape and/or seascape;
* Type 3: transboundary conservation migration area; and
* Special designation: park for peace.Typology of Transboundary Conservation Areas
Retrieved: 31 December 2016

GTPAN defines a transboundary protected area as "a clearly defined geographical space that includes protected areas that are ecologically connected across one or more international boundaries and involves some form of cooperation." GTPAN defines a transboundary conservation landscape and/or seascape as "an ecologically connected area that includes both protected areas and multiple resource use areas across one or more international boundaries and involves some form of cooperation."

GTPAN defines a transboundary conservation migration area as "wildlife habitats in two or more countries that are necessary to sustain populations of migratory species and involve some form of cooperation."

GTPAN defines a "park for peace" as "any of the three types of transboundary conservation areas hat isdedicated to the promotion, celebration and/or commemoration of peace and cooperation."

In many instances, individual TBPAs are part of broader international environmental or cultural programs. TBPAs can be World Heritage Sites, Ramsar Wetlands, and/or UNESCO Biosphere Reserves.

History of transboundary protected areas

In 1932, the governments of Canada and the United States passed legislation creating the first international peace park: Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. This action followed from a joint resolution of the Rotary Clubs of Montana and Alberta calling for the creation of the peace park.

On 1 February 1997, Anton Rupert, together with Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and Nelson Mandela, founded the Peace Parks Foundation as a nonprofit organisation to facilitate the establishment of transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs).

A 2001 study by the World Conservation Union found "there were 166 existing transboundary protected area complexes worldwide comprising 666 individual conservation zones."

In 2007, the Global Transboundary Conservation Network published a global inventory of transboundary protected areas identifying 227 transboundary protected areas.

Established transboundary protected areas

Africa

Transboundary World Heritage Sites

* Maloti-Drakensberg Park is a World Heritage Site on the border of Lesotho and South Africa. Sehlabathebe National Park in Lesotho and uKahlamba Drakensberg Park form the core of the site.
* Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls is a World Heritage Site on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
* Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve is a World Heritage Site on the border of Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea.
* Sangha Trinational is a World Heritage Site on the borders of Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and the Republic of Congo. Lobeke National Park, Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, and Nouabale-Ndoki National Park in the respective nations comprise the core of the site, with additional forested buffer zones extending beyond the parks. A Trinational Monitoring and Action Committee provides ministerial level coordination between the nations.
* Virunga Volcanoes Transboundary Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage complex on the border of Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Uganda. It is partially composed of Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park, Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park, and Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park.
* W-Arly-Pendjari is a World Heritage Site on the borders of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Benin. The site is also designated as a Ramsar wetland and a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

Transboundary Ramsar Wetlands

* Complexe Kokorou-Namga is a transfrontier Ramsar wetland between Burkina Faso and Mali.
* Complexe Transfrontalier Lac Tele-Grands Affluents-Lac Tumba is a transboundary Ramsar wetland on the border of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
* Niumi-Saloum is a transboundary Ramsar wetland on the border of Gambia and Senegal. It is composed of Niumi National Park in Gambia and Delta du Saloum National Park in Senegal.
* A transboundary Ramsar wetlands complex covers Lake Chad, composed of sites in Niger, Chad, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
*Zone Humide du Moyen is a transfrontier Ramsar wetland on the border of Benin and Nigeria.

Transboundary Biosphere Reserves

*Delta du Fleuve Senegal is a transboundary UNESCO biosphere reserve crossing the border of Mauritania and Senegal.
* Mono is a transboundary UNESCO biosphere reserve crossing the border of Benin and Togo.

Transboundary Conservation Complexes

* ǀAi-ǀAis/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Namibia and South Africa.
* Chimanimani Transfrontier Park is a transboundary conservation area on the border of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, made up of Mozambique's Chimanimani National Reserve and Zimbabwe's Chimanimani National Park.
* Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. It is partially composed of Mozambique's Limpopo National Park, South Africa's Kruger National Park and Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park and Sengwe Corridor.
* Greater Mapungubwe is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
* Kavango Zambezi is a transboundary conservation complex on the borders of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is the world's largest TBPA and encompasses the Mosi-oa-Tunya World Heritage site listed above.
* Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Botswana and South Africa.
* Kidepo is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of South Sudan and Uganda. It is composed of South Sudan's Kidepo Game Reserve and Uganda's Kidepo Valley National Park.
* Kilimanjaro is a transboundary conservation complex centered around Mount Kilimanjaro and on the border of Kenya and Tanzania. It is composed of Tanzania's Kilimanjaro National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and Kenya's Amboseli National Park.
*Lower Zambezi - Mana Pools is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
* Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation Area is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Mozambique, South Africa and Eswatini.
* Malawi-Zambia TFCA is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Malawi and Zambia. It crosses the border at multiple locations.
* Niokolo Koba-Badiar is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Guinea and Senegal.
* Serengeti-Masai is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Kenya and Tanzania.
* A transboundary conservation complex crosses the border of Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire. It is composed partially of a Ramsar wetland in Burkina Faso and the National Park of Comoe in Côte d'Ivoire.
* The Global Transboundary Conservation Network's 2007 inventory lists additional TBPAs on the borders of:
*# Liberia and Sierra Leone;
*# Guinea and Liberia;
*# Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia;
*# Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana at three locations;
*# Cameroon and Nigeria at two locations;
*# Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea;
*# Central African Republic and Sudan;
*# Congo and Gabon;
*# Democratic Republic of the Congo and what is now South Sudan;
*# What is now South Sudan and Uganda;
*# Kenya and Uganda;
*# Kenya and Somalia;
*# Burundi and Rwanda;
*# Rwanda and Tanzania;
*# Tanzania and Uganda;
*# Tanzania and Zambia;
*# Mozambique and Tanzania; and
*# Angola and Namibia.

Asia

* Govater Bay and Hur-e-Bahu - Jiwani Coastal Wetland is a transboundary Ramsar complex on the border of Iran and Pakistan.
* Hamun-e-Puzak, south end - Hamun-e-Saberi & Hamun-e-Helmand is a transboundary Ramsar complex on the border of Afghanistan and Iran.
* Landscapes of Dauria is a World Heritage Site on the border of Mongolia and Russia on the Daurian Steppe. It is composed of Dornod Mongol Biosphere Reserve in Mongolia and Daursky Nature Reserve in Russia.
* Labi Hills/Gunung Pulu Transboundary Complex is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Brunei and Malaysia.
* The Lanjak Entimau/Batang/Ai/Betung Kerihun Complex is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Indonesia and Malaysia. The countries have two additional TBPAs on their border.
* Taxkorgan is a transboundary protected area on the border of Afghanistan, China, and Pakistan. Afghanistan's Wahan National Park, China's Taxkorgan Nature Reserve, and Pakistan's Khunjerab National Park form the site.
* The Turtle Islands Heritage Protected Area is a marine protected area consisting of the Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary (Philippines), and the Turtle Islands National Park (Malaysia).
* Uvs Nuur Basin is a World Heritage Site on the border of Mongolia and Russia covering Uvs Nuur Lake and protecting its wetlands. Mongolia and Russia have two more bilateral TBPAs on their border.
* Wasur-Tonda Transboundary Conservation Area is a transboundary conservation complex on the border of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
* The Global Transboundary Conservation Network's 2007 inventory lists an additional 49 TBPAs in Asian nations.
* The Heart of Borneo is a transboundary protected area on the island of Borneo which includes the nations of Brunei, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

Europe

Transboundary World Heritage Sites

* Bialowieza Forest is a World Heritage Site on the border of Belarus and Poland.
* Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst is a World Heritage Site on the border of Slovakia and Hungary. It is formed by Aggtelek National Park in Hungary and Slovak Karst National Park in Slovakia. The site protects 712 karstic caves for ecology, paleontology and tourism.
* Curonian Spit is a World Heritage Site on the border of Lithuania and Russia. Lithuania's Curonian Spit National Park and Russia's Kurshskaya National Park form the site.
* Monte San Giorgio is a World Heritage Site on the border of Italy and Switzerland.
* Muskauer Park/Park Muzakowski is a World Heritage Site on the border of Germany and Poland. The site preserves a historically significant landscape park originally created in the 19th century.
* Pyrenees-Mont Perdu is a World Heritage Site on the border of France and Spain. France's Pyrenees National Park and Spain's Parque Nacional de Ordesa y Monte Perdido form the core of the site.
* Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/Bernina Landscapes is a World Heritage Site in Italy and Switzerland.
* Wadden Sea is a World Heritage Site running through the maritime territories of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. It is composed of multiple national parks across the participating nations, covering the world's largest contiguous system of mudflats and intertidal sand. The Trilateral Cooperation on the Protection of the Wadden Sea coordinates the site's conservation. Wadden Sea is also designated as a transboundary Ramsar wetland.

Transboundary Ramsar Wetlands

* Adutiškis-Vileity is a transboundary Ramsar wetland on the border of Belarus and Lithuania.
* Austrian-Bavarian Wildalm is a transboundary Ramsar wetland on the border of Austria and Germany.
* Baradla Cave System and Domica Ramsar Sites are cooperatively managed transboundary wetlands on the border of Hungary and Slovakia. This was the first declaration of a transboundary wetland under the Ramsar Convention.
* Bistret-Ibisha Island is a transboundary Ramsar wetland on the border of Bulgaria and Romania. It is composed of Ibisha Island in Bulgaria and Bistret in Romania.
* Gornje Podunavije - Gemenc - Kopacki Rit is a transboundary Ramsar complex on the border of Croatia, Hungary and Serbia.
* Ipoly Valley and Poiplie are transboundary Ramsar wetlands on the border of Hungary and Slovakia.
* Kotra

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