NEWS
Wide open spaces : Eastern Cape landowners near the Lesotho border stand to benefit if plans for a new national park are realised
South African National Parks ( SANParks ) is working on establishing a high-altitude national park in the mountains of the Eastern Cape close to the Lesotho border and the spectacular Naude ’ s Nek pass .
If all goes according to plan , the Eastern Cape will be home to a new 30,000-hectare national park in the next five years .
The proposed national park , a collaboration between SANParks and the World Wide Fund for Nature ( WWF ), will become South Africa ’ s newest national park and contribute significantly towards the conservation of grasslands and water security .
Tembile Sgqolana
To establish the park , SANParks and the WWF will be looking to sign voluntary agreements with private and communal landowners using the biodiversity stewardship approach . This means the landowners will continue to own the land that will fall under the park , and they will get assistance in co-managing the area . If they decide to sell the land , it will be to SANParks at market value .
Funding for the long-term implementation of the park will be provided through the Department of Forestry , Fisheries and Environment , with income generated by SANParks through tourism , as well as some innovative conservation finance mechanisms that are being piloted , such as carbon payments .
The process is still in the planning and stakeholder engagement stage . So far , potential private and communal land for inclusion into the project has been identified through desktop assessment .
Figure 1 : The beautiful view of the mountains and river in the Eastern Cape near the Lesotho border is earmarked for a national park . ( Photo : Nick Helme )
Over the next two years , engagements with private landowners and chiefs will be held and data such as the number of villages , what the land is used for , its ownership status and valuation will be gathered . A biodiversity site assessment will be conducted before the park is officially declared .
SANParks general manager of park planning and development , Kristal Maze , confirmed they were engaging landowners and communities affected .
“ This is still at a sensitive stage . We have engaged farmers ’ associations and Rhodes town residents , and we are still engaging Chief Montoeli Lehana of the Batlokoa Traditional Council and the community in Mount Fletcher ,” she said .
The process was still in the foundation phase and it depended on the landowners to make it a success , she said .
“ The creation of this new park will play a significant role in buffering communities from the impacts of climate change . Impacts of climate change
Grassroots Vol 21 No 3 November 2021 18