The Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) is a vast region situated where the international borders of five countries converge – namely Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The KAZA transboundary elephant population is about 200 000 – roughly 40% of Africa’s total. Research initiatives on elephant in five KAZA countries operate separately but are in contact officially via the – KAZA elephant working group (KEWG). Data on elephant movement is currently being shared to keep corridors from closing in some parts of KAZA (eg the Caprivi – now called Zambezi region of Namibia)
But even at the country level elephant research projects employing radio-collars have far too little collaboration on publishing results. Whilst they should still operate with independence, there is need to pool the movement and home range data to maximize the output to benefit the signature species of KAZA.
The six projects in western Zimbabwe using elephant collars need a co-ordinating agency for this. Friends of Hwange is uniquely placed to take this on.