The Italian Cooperation funded programme intends to contribute to the development of rural areas outside the core GLTFP area, where the three affected countries come together.  It is thus strategically positioned to convert the community-oriented rhetoric into reality, by ensuring that the interests of the rural communities are safeguarded, while  benefiting from the TFCA initiative as much as  the conservation agencies, the commercial interests based on natural resource uses and the environment itself. At the same time, the programme intends to support the gradual development of a broad planning framework for the core area of TFCA through policy analysis and dialogue, sharing of experiences and expertise.
The Italian Development Cooperation (IDC), which is administered by the Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGCS) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAAEE), is actively engaged in supporting international strategies for the management of global and transboundary ecosystems.

More specifically, under the Italian presidency of the European Union, and in collaboration with reference international institutions, a process has been promoted by DGCS which includes the establishment of a EU Biodiversity Expert Group inclusive of its Biodiversity in Development Project (BDP), Tropical Biodiversity Action Group (TBAG), and Transboundary Protected Areas (TBPA) components.  Consistently, DGCS also supported and actively participated in the relevant TBPA reference conferences (in Somerset West and Bormio).  In turn, and besides its involvement at the strategic global level, DGCS also supports a number of environment conservation and sustainable rural development transfrontier initiatives in Africa, the Middle East and South America. In the Southern African region, the IDC initiatives directly relevant to the present programme in support of transboundary and regional cooperation on ecosystem management issues include:

• The Sustainable development and natural resource management project in southern Zimbabwe (1998-2005) supported local and regional level planning and management of natural resources around the GLTFCA and Shahse-Limpopo TFCA.
• The SADC Regional Programme for Rhino Conservation (1999-2004), implemented by CESVI in cooperation with a Consortium comprising also IUCN-ROSA, WWF-SARPO, SADC Secretariat and the African Rhino Specialist Group of IUCN. This programme’s goal was to foster regional cooperation in the conservation of rhinoceros as flagship species.
• The SADC Regional Herbaria Programme (1999-2001), with the aim to foster regional cooperation in the management of herbaria collection and biodiversity inventory.