The Great Karoo in South Africa straddles four provinces. Each provincial administration is responsible for economic development, agriculture, tourism, arts and culture, and roads and transport. Provincial planning has become sophisticated - but there is, as yet, no way of promoting cross-border planning or development implementation. The same problem is replicated at the level of District Municipalities. The Karoo remains institutionally fragmented, without a common developmental vision. This problem may not be unique to South Africa, as biomes often straddle administrative jurisdictions. We need international sharing of best practices to learn how to address these unintended consequences of jurisdictional barriers.