SOUTHERN AFRICAN PEACE PARKS

Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area

Overview

The Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Project was initiated on 11 June 2001 by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Governments of the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa in the Sehlabathebe National Park in Lesotho. The MoU, for the first time, allowed for the mutual management of nature conservation areas such as the Sehlabathebe National Park in Lesotho and uKhahlamba Drakensberg World Heritage Site in South Africa, more formally referred to as Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Park.

Vision

To achieve inter-state collaboration in the conservation of transboundary ecosystems and their associated biodiversity, promoting sustainable use of natural resources to improve the quality of life of the peoples of the Kingdom of Lesotho and South Africa.

Mission

To collaboratively establish and manage on a sustainable basis a viable Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Project with full stakeholder participation, including local communities, fostering regional cooperation, biodiversity conservation and cross-border socio-economic development.

Objectives

The project is a long-term collaborative initiative between the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of South Africa to protect the exceptional biodiversity of the Drakensberg and Maloti mountains through conservation, sustainable resource use and land use and development planning. A secondary objective is to contribute to community development through income generation from ecotourism, by capacity-building for the sustainable utilisation of the natural and cultural heritage of the project area.