State Rationality, Development, and the Making of State Territory: From Colonial Extraction to Postcolonial Conservation in Southern Mozambique

On December 9, 2002, the governments of Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe launched the 3.5-million-hectare Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP), creating one of the world's most expansive conservation spaces (see map 9.1). The GLTP has drawn the world's attention to a little-known area of Mozambique that lies adjacent to South Africa's renowned Kruger National Park. In stark contrast to Kruger, Mozambique's portion of the GLTP, the Limpopo National Park (LNP), is only beginning to house tourist accommodation and lacks Kruger's concentration of large game, as most were killed during Mozambique's seventeen-year civil war. Today the area is undergoing significant transformation as the park administration is building infrastructure, restocking the park with wildlife, and working to attract tourists. Supporters of the park argue it has the potential to not only protect wildlife, but also bring economic development to the region and, as a "Peace Park," promote peaceful relations among the three countries.