ENVIRONMENT, Climate and Wildlife minister Evelyn Ndlovu has called on partners to align conservation and development goals under a single, nationally owned financing framework, warning that fragmentation and lack of resources continue to undermine progress.
Speaking at the opening of the Zimbabwe Strategic Plan of Action for Conservation and Ecosystem Stewardship (SPACES) Funder’s Roundtable in Victoria Falls, Ndlovu said the country needs a coordinated approach that brings together government, funders, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and communities.
“What remains the main barrier to impact is fragmentation and lack of resources,” she said.
“We need a SPACES Plan for Zimbabwe that integrates conservation, development and community priorities across all six TFCAs [transfrontier conservation areas], and that aligns with National Development Strategy 2, Vision 2030, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the SDGs and AU Agenda 2063.”
Ndlovu outlined Zimbabwe’s biodiversity economy initiative under NDS2, which is built on five pillars: wildlife, forestry, the blue economy, biotrade and access and benefit sharing, and payment for ecosystem services.
She announced that the country will host an inaugural Zimbabwe Biodiversity Economy Indaba later this year and urged partners to back quick wins under each pillar.
“Communities must be at the centre.
“This means governance arrangements, equitable benefit-sharing, and livelihood investments that strengthen legitimacy and reduce conflict.”
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To funders, Ndlovu proposed a mix of financial instruments tailored to Zimbabwe’s governance realities, including a Zimbabwe window in regional TFCA facilities, hybrid co-financing, legacy landscape platforms, carbon finance and green bonds.
The roundtable is convened by the Environment, Climate and Wildlife ministry in partnership with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, the KAZA Secretariat, the SPACES Secretariat and KfW.
Discussions on Day 2 focused on identifying feasible financing mechanisms and mapping current funding flows to define next steps for structured implementation.
The meeting brought together government officials, funders, NGO representatives and community leaders to shape a financing model for conservation across Zimbabwe’s transfrontier conservation areas.
