The Zambian government said the disputes that were created by the lack of clearly demarcated international boundaries between Zambia and Malawi have declined due to the development of the Transfrontier Conservation Area ( TFCA) project between the two countries.

Acting Permanent Secretary Anna Masinja was quoted by the Zambian News and Information Services (ZANIS) as saying Tuesday that the Zambia-Malawi TFCA project was one of the most attractive in the entire Southern African Development Community (SADC) region largely because of the strong political will and strong bond the two countries were enjoying.

She said once the project was successfully implemented it has the potential to lead to effective biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic uplift of the two countries and poverty alleviation.

Masinja said the issue was now receiving considerable attention regionally and globally because of the ecological and political reasons attached to the TFCAs.

She, however, noted that there was need for more resources to be invested in upgrading the management of the protected area system.

Masinja has since pointed out that the Malawi-Zambia TFCAs and that of the Kavango Zambezi areas have been included in the 2006- 2010 five-year national plan for Zambia as a step in the implementation of the SADC wildlife protocol on conservation and law enforcement.

In the SADC region, there are currently seven TFCAs, each involving land from two or more participating countries, that have already been established or are in the process of being established.

Source: Xinhua