Five Southern African nations have decided to make it easier for tourists to move around the region with a special visa. Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe—part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area—are getting cozy with the idea of expanding this special pass, dubbed the “univisa.” Currently, this magical piece of paper works its wonders in Zambia and Zimbabwe, even granting day-trippers a peek into Botswana through Kazungula.
At a summit in Livingstone, Zambia, leaders from these countries came together and basically said, “Why stop there?” They want to spread the univisa love to other spots in the conservation area and even throw in some perks for the Southern African economic bloc.
President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia seemed pretty chuffed about the whole thing, declaring it a done deal. Meanwhile, Botswana’s Vice President, Slumber Tsogwane, gave a thumbs-up, promising full adoption of the univisa.
“We must simply say that this will happen,” Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said in his address. “I am grateful that my colleagues have reached consensus on the univisa.”
These nations aren’t just in it for the visa fun. Oh no, they’ve got bigger plans. They’re itching to convince the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to loosen the reins on elephant ivory trade, . Despite the global ban on ivory trade since 1989, these guys are eager to dip their toes back into that controversial pool.
Why, you ask? Well, they claim to have a whopping $1 billion worth of ivory lying around, just waiting to be traded for conservation cash. So, while tourists may soon be flooding in with their shiny new visas, the real elephants in the room are the ethical and environmental implications of this ivory trade resurrection.
