The Politics and Anti-Politics of Transfrontier Conservation in Southern Africa: Towards Cooperative Governance?

Abstract

"Since the mid 1990s, transfrontier conservation has been high on the conservation and development agenda in Southern Africa. Almost all countries in the region participate in the formation of new institutional and managerial arrangements that aim to more effectively and holistically conserve biological diversity and develop local communities in commonly shared bioregions. As the word transfrontier by default denotes political international relations one expects a highly politicised intervention process by which Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) are being pursued. However, as is often the case in development interventions, TFCAs are being portrayed as technocratic, non-political, almost anti- political interventions. Naturally, this continuing paradox between politics and anti-politics in TFCA development leaves its mark on the governance frameworks and institutional set-ups that are being created. This paper looks at the politics and anti-politics in the strategies of intervention being pursued by various actors in order to make transfrontier conservation a reality in Southern Africa. It argues that the paradox between politics and anti-politics is a deciding factor in how transfrontier environmental governance and institutions are shaped and operate. In doing so, the paper relies predominantly, but not exclusively, on research done on the Maloti- Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development project between Lesotho and South Africa, where much of the project area connotes common property. The paper shows that especially the commonage areas form the central loci where the politics - anti-politics paradox unfolds."