03/04/2005 : Conservation,
eco-tourism, and economic growth in the Sunday's
River region of the Eastern Cape was today
given a double-boost by Marthinus van Schalkwyk,
Minister of Environmental Affairs & Tourism.
Speaking from the Addo Elephant National Park
(AENP) the Minister announced both the addition
of the St Croix and Bird Islands to the park,
as well as the official opening of the new
Matyholweni Rest Camp, with local communities
set to benefit directly both from the revenue
generated, and from the greater influx of
tourism to the expanded park.
New Addo Islands Bring ‘Big 7' Together
“Visitors to Addo will now be able to experience,
for the first time ever in South Africa ,
the Big 7 in one conservation area,” said
Minister Van Schalkwyk. “The allure of the
traditional Big 5 will be bolstered by the
extra attraction of whales and Great White
Sharks – creating a uniquely marketable environmental
experience.”
The new marine area, officially proclaimed
by the Minister in the Government Gazette
on Friday, also cements the park's eastern
boundary in Algoa Bay , providing critical
protection to the internationally important
populations of Cape Gannet and African Penguins.
“This initiative adds a new habitat to South
Africa's most ecologically diverse park,”
said Dr. David Mabunda, Chief Executive of
South African National Parks (SANParks), welcoming
the move.
Speaking about future tourism and conservation
strategies for the region, Minister Van Schalkwyk
added: “The proclamation of these islands
is a key step in our plan to proclaim a larger
Marine Protected Area in Algoa Bay, which
will link the islands to the mainland in a
single continuous conservation area through
to the Darlington Dam in the north-western
extension of the park. It also brings the
islands' threatened Perlemoen stocks under
the control of SANParks, which we believe
will boost enforcement, clamping down on poaching.”
R6,5m for New Camp “In the Bush”
Camp Matyholweni , named after the Xhosa
expression for “in the bush”, is a 12-unit
rest facility in the new southern block of
the park. It was also officially opened by
the Minister on Sunday. The construction of
the new camp was made possible by a R6,5 million
poverty relief grant by the Department of
Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
“People must be at the centre of our environmental
equation,” said the Minister. “Conservation
is most sustainable when it is linked to the
development of communities.” The Mayibuye
Ndlovu Development Trust – a community forum
representing eight communities surrounding
the park – will receive between six and twelve
percent of the gross revenue generated by
the new rest camp.
“We will use these funds to finance much-needed
community development projects”, said Zolile
Lose, Mayor of the Sundays River Valley Municipality
, and chairperson of the Mayibuye Development
Trust. Park Manager, Lucius Moolman, added
that the new partnership would be a further
step in cementing the SANParks commitment
to local community empowerment.
“Not only will Camp Matyholweni benefit local
communities, but it will also offer visitors
to the park a greater variety of accommodation
and travel options,” said Dr Mabunda. The
12 chalets are placed within a secluded valley,
surrounded by pristine thicket and a wealth
of birdlife. Two of the fully-equipped chalets
are specially designed to accommodate disabled
visitors.
The new rest camp is situated close to the
town of Colchester at the Sundays River mouth.
Access from the N2 highway will provide visitors
with an alternative entry point to the park.
A new access road to the park has been constructed,
and will be opened to visitors late in 2005,
linking the new camp to the existing tourist
roads in the park and allowing visitors to
drive from Colchester to Addo through the
park.
Additional Background on the New Camp:
The AENP first constructively began to engage
with the neighbouring Nomathamsanqa community
in 1993, resulting in the creation of the
Addo Liaison Committee, which later became
the Mayibuye Ndlovu Development Forum, for
the purpose of communication and accruing
benefits to the community. In 2000, the Forum
was restructured into an effective People
and Parks Forum, including all eight communities
neighbouring the AENP, the local government
and local tourism forum.
Subsequent to the revenue sharing agreement,
workshops were held to formalise the Forum
into a legal entity which would allow efficient
flow of funds. The Mayibuye Development Trust
was formally registered in March 2005.
Although this area of the park is already
populated with wildlife such as bushbuck,
kudu and smaller antelope, future plans include
the introduction of large game including elephants,
buffalo, zebra and other antelope. Wildlife
introduction will only take place once electrified
fencing around this new area has been completed
within the next two years.
The return of elephants to this area will
be something of an historic moment. When the
Addo Elephant National Park was first proclaimed
in 1931, the small herd of elephants – 16
in total – that had escaped the hunters' guns
had to be herded from an area close to Matyholweni
– the farm of Mr. Harvey – into the newly-proclaimed
park area.
