AWF Will Lead USAID Conservation Project In Southern Africa Where 4 Countries Meet

The African Wildlife Foundation has been awarded a major grant from USAID Regional Center for Southern Africa (RCSA) to lead a conservation initiative across national borders.

The Four Corners Project represents unusual potential for transboundary conservation activities on almost 8,000 square miles of land, where Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe intersect. In addition, the region's wildlife and natural beauty are ingredients for a premier tourist destination: AWF has proposed developing tourist attractions along corridors radiating out from Victoria Falls, where AWF recently established a Conservation Service Center.

"AWF competed to be the primary partner on the project with Conservation International (CI) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), organizations with a long, impressive history in southern Africa," says AWF's Rosalind J. Aveling, director, program design and technical support. "But AWF was the only competitor focused entirely on the African continent and with a landscape management theme. With this major grant, RCSA has expressed its confidence in AWF's role in the region."