Peace park

A Transboundary Protected Area is a protected area that spans across boundaries of multiple countries, where the political border sections that are enclosed within its area are abolished. This includes removal of all forms of physical boundaries, such as fences, allowing free migration of animals and humans within the area. A boundary around the area may however be maintained to prevent unauthorised border crossing. Such areas are also known by terms such as Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs) or Peace Parks.

The preservation of traditional animal migration patterns, ensuring sufficient food and water sources for population growth, are the primary reason for the creation of peace parks. Peace parks however also encourage tourism, economic development and goodwill between neighbouring countries, as well as facilitating travel of indigenous inhabitants of the area.

Africa

on 1 February 1997, Dr Anton Rupert, together with HRH Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands and Dr Nelson Mandela founded Peace Parks Foundation as a not-for-profit organisation to facilitate the establishment of transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs), also called peace parks.

Treaty signed

*Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Botswana/South Africa)
*|Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park (Namibia/South Africa) (see also Nama people: Namaqua)
*Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park

Memorandum of agreements signed

*Limpopo-Shashe TFCA (Botswana/South Africa/Zimbabwe)
*Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource Area (Mozambique/South Africa/Swaziland)
*Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area (Lesotho/South Africa)
*Iona - Skeleton Coast TFCA (Angola/Namibia)
*Kavango - Zambezi TFCA (Angola/Botswana/Namibia/Zambia/Zimbabwe)
*Malawi - Zambia TFCA (Malawi/Zambia)
*Chimanimani TFCA (Mozambique / Zimbabwe)

Conceptual phase

*Liuwa Plain - Kameia TFCA (Angola/Zambia)
*Lower Zambezi - Mana Pools TFCA (Zambia/Zimbabwe)
*Niassa Reserve - Selous TFCA (Mozambique/Tanzania)
*Mnazi Bay - Quirimbas Transfrontier Marine Conservation Area (Mozambique / Tanzania)

The best known of these is the "Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park". It links national parks in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and covers an area of 35,000km², including the famous Kruger National Park.

Americas

The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park across the United States/Canada border is the world's first "International Peace Park", formed by the merger of the Waterton Lakes and Glacier National Parks in 1932. In contrast to other peace parks, the primary purpose of the union was to serve as a symbol of friendship and peace between the two countries.

The International Peace Garden was also established in 1932, another United States/Canada park with a similar purpose. It lies on the North Dakota/Manitoba border.

Another United States/Canada peace park, Peace Arch Park, lies on the British Columbia/Washington border, and is famous for the Peace Arch, a large peace structure straddling the border itself.

Efforts are under way for a U.S./Mexico international park with a similar purpose, joining the Big Bend National Park in the United States with the Maderas del Carmen and Cañon de Santa Elena protected areas in Mexico, as well as a USA/Russia international park in the Bering Strait, highlighting the shared heritage of Russians and Americans of the area.

Acting under the recommendation of UNESCO, the governments of Costa Rica and Panama declared Parque Internacional La Amistad an international park in 1988.

Asia

Numerous other peace parks have been proposed throughout the world, such as in the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea and the Siachen glacier region between India and Pakistan. Professor Saleem Ali, from the University of Vermont, is involved in this research.

Europe-Middle East

The European Green Belt is running along the former Iron Curtain is considered a Peace Park. A Peace Park has been established in the Red Sea between Israel and Jordan.A project for the Green Line Peace Park in Cyprus, between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot Territories, is being researched by Dr. Anna Grichting, Harvard University.

External links

* [http://www.peaceparks.org Peace Parks Foundation]
* [http://www.iloveparks.com/peaceparks/ US-Mexico International Park Initiative]
* [http://www.nps.gov/akso/beringia/index.htm Beringian Heritage International Park Program]
* [http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/205.pdf UNESCO La Amistad International Park overview] (PDF file)
* [http://www.unep-wcmc.org/protected_areas/transboundary/index.html UNEP-WCMC Transboundary Protected Areas website] (has a list of Adjoining Protected Areas)
* [http://www.uvm.edu/~envprog/k2peacepark.htm Siachen peace park campaign web site]
* [http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=11250 Peace Parks: Conservation and Conflict Resolution (MIT Press)]