EXPLORING MICRO- AND SECTORAL-LEVEL COLLABORATION WITHIN A TRANSFRONTIER CONSERVATION NETWORK IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

Collaborations and partnerships are widely recognised as essential for effective tourism operations, destination efficiency and resilience, and the effective implementation of SDGs, through coordinated action among government, private sector, and community stakeholders. However, despite their importance, research shows that power imbalances, weak policies, and marginalisation, especially in wildlife destinations, often limit the effectiveness of these partnerships. This study draws attention to Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs), as multi-country agreements to address pressing environmental and socioeconomic concerns. Focusing on the latter, this study explores the micro and sectoral level stakeholder collaborations and partnerships existing in and between the three prominent wildlife destinations in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, being Kasane (Botswana), Livingstone (Zambia), and Hwange (Zimbabwe), to reveal how these partnerships are able to filter to higher governance levels to achieve shared objectives. Interviews were conducted with relevant stakeholders including businesses, non-governmental organisations, and governing authorities. This data was supplemented by focus groups with community representatives in the three study areas. Sectoral collaborative networks were found to be geared towards improving destination efficiency and visitor experiences, with concerns related to service quality and regulations staggering the formation and continuance of some of these relationships. Micro-level (community) partnerships differed in the three study sites owing to the traditional leadership structure, level of agency, and power held by communities as their position i n the tourism network. Overall, this exploratory study provides some insights into the nature of formal and informal relationships amongst tourism stakeholders in the Transfrontier Conservation Area and provides practical and policy -related recommendations, including the training and upskilling of local tourism businesses and community organisations to ensure their deliberate inclusion in TFCA networks, as well as supporting the re-emphasising of the importance of harmonising policies and strategies, along with localised implementation. The study further provides directions for future research to interrogate the role of these partnerships in implementing sustainability and resilience outcomes in the region.