.....about South African National Parks
Introduction
South African National Parks, (SANParks), manages a system of parks which represents the indigenous fauna, flora, landscapes and associated cultural heritage of the country. Of all the national parks, most have overnight tourist facilities, with an unrivalled variety of accommodation in arid, coastal, mountain and bushveld habitats.
National parks offer visitors an unparalleled diversity of adventure tourism opportunities including game viewing, bush walks, canoeing and exposure to cultural and historical experiences. Conferences can also be organised in many of the parks.
The national parks are: Groenkloof, Kruger, Table Mountain, Marakele, Golden Gate, Camdeboo, Mountain Zebra, Addo Elephant, Tsitsikamma, Knysna, Wilderness, Bontebok, Agulhas, West Coast, Karoo, Namaqua, |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld, Augrabies, Kgalagadi, Mapungubwe and Tankwa Karoo and a soon to be proclaimed new park that will replace Vaalbos.
Brief History
In 1910 the Game Reserves and general wildlife preservation were placed under the Transvaal Administration. At this stage Stevenson-Hamilton was very optimistic about the future of the reserves and conservation. He had managed to convince landowners to oversee the land between the Sabie- and Olifants rivers, as well as between the Letaba- en Shingwedzi rivers. In 1912 he submitted a proposal to Sir Patrick Duncan that the reserves should become a national park. This idea was well accepted and was also supported by the Wildlife Society of Southern Africa.
In 1923 Col Deneys Reitz MP visited the Sabie Game Reserve, was very impressed and used his influence to lobby the idea of a national park. He drafted the bill on national parks, but due to the elections and change in government, the bill was not passed.
Minister Piet Grobler, the minister of Lands, once again tabled the bill in parliament. At long last the memorable day dawned and it was on 31 May 1926, that Minister Grobler moved the National Parks Bill in Parliament. He presented it as a realisation of President Kruger’s ideal. Despite opposition, the National Parks Act, Act No. 56 of 1926, was promulgated on this day, finally turning a vision into a reality and the first board of South African National Parks was appointed.
The stylised face of a kudu with its magnificent, curved horns was adopted as the face of South African National Parks. First appearing in 1955, it has undergone many improvements over the years. This logo was considered secondary to those of the individual parks, however, now the Kudu is the predominant logo used to represent all parks within the SANParks framework.
South African National Parks (SANParks) is the leading conservation authority in all national parks around this country, responsible for 3 751 113 hectares of protected land in 20 national parks. The focus for SANParks in the first decade of democracy has been to make national parks more accessible to tourists in order to ensure conservation remains a viable contributor to social and economic development in rural areas.
With the changed structure of the country after 1994, and with majority rule, the then National Parks Board re-conceptualised its role in South African society. SANParks, supported by the government through the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has also increased the area of land under its protection by 360 000 hectares in this time.
The organization has managed to transform itself, continue its high research and management standards, expand the land under its protection at an entirely unprecedented rate and has also begun to generate 75% of its operating revenue – a spectacular financial achievement compared to most conservation agencies in the world, including those in developed countries.
Tourism
The National Parks of South Africa have 3 fundamental spheres of focus:
* The conservation of a representative sample of the biodiversity of the country
* To maintain a relationship of community upliftment and capacity building amongst people
living in the areas in and around the parks
* To provide a recreational outlet to the public to experience and enjoy the wonders of the parks
This last responsibility is achieved through tourism and is necessary to provide the financial
resources required by the organisation in order to sustain the first and second responsibility.
Nature Reserves and Game Parks in South Africa
The many National Parks and Game Reserves certainly belong to South Africa's main attractions. Here one can observe the huge variety of African animals at close range and in grandiose sceneries. In a safari group with tour guide or travelling on your own - you can always be sure to have unforgettable encounters and lastung impressions.
Most of them dispose of beautifully positioned camps where bungalows and huts of different quality standards are for rent. Some also have a camping ground.
This menu presents the most outstanding and important of these South African reserves.
Addo Elephant National Park
About 500 elephants on 12,000 ha. Also rhinos, antelopes and many bird species. Good travelling throughout the year. Close to Port Elizabeth.
Augrabies Falls National Park
820 sq km nature reserve. On both sides of the Orange river. Impressive waterfalls. Rhinos. Desert vegetation with Kokerboom trees. Best time: April to September.
Bontebok National Park
A small game Reserve in the Western Cape for the conservation of the rare Bontebok antelope.
De Hoop Nature Reserve
Enchanting dune landscape. 60,000 ha nature reserve. Nursery of the Southern Right Whale. More than 200 bird species, zebra, bontebok, eland.
Giant's Castle Game Reserve
Mountain park in the southern Drakensberg. For nature lovers and hikers. Lots of game, especially eland antelopes. Breeding area for Cape and Bearded vulture.
Golden Gate National Park
A quiet mountain world for nature lovers and hikers. Colourful sandstone formations. Zebras, wildebees and eland antelopes. Bushman paintings.
Ithala Game Reserve
30,000 ha game reserve of exquisite scenic beauty. Savannah, plateaus and river valleys. Huge game stock and variety, but no lions.
Karoo National Park
32,000 ha nature conservation area. Springbok, kudu klipspringer and tortoises. Fossiles collection. Good accommodation. Best time to travel: April to October.
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
A well kept secret. 20,000 sq km in the middle of the Kalahari desert. Excellent for lion viewing. Very good accommodation. Best time: April to September. No malaria.
Kruger National Park
Kruger National ParksBiggest game reserve on 20,000 sq km. Unique game stock with 147 mammal and 507 bird species. Good infrastructure. Best time to travel: June to August.
Madikwe Game Reserve
Game reserve of 60,000 hectares at the Groot Marico river on the border to Botswana. Vast savannah with sporadic mountains. All big game species.
Mapungubwe National Park
Reserve of 28,000 hectares on the Limpopo river. Cultural history park with important archaeological sites.
Marakele National Park
A relatively new game park in the Waterberg area of the Limpopo Province. Many Cape Vultures breeding pairs. 4x4 required.
Mkhuze Game Reserve
5 hours from Durban. 250 sq km. Large herds of blue wildebeests, kudus, nyalas, zebras, giraffes. Over 400 bird species. Game viewing hides. Perannual season.
Mountain Zebra National Park
Small game reserve near Cradock in the Karoo, dedicated to the protection of the Cape Mountain Zebra. 28,000 ha of rocky plateau. Also buffaloes and antelopes. Malaria-free.
Ndumo Game Reserve
10,000-hectare game reserve in northern Zululand. Wetlands, lakes and grassland. Many hippos and crocodiles. No lions.
Pilanesberg National Park
Quite a spectacular park with the "Big Five" in the North-West Province near Sun City. Big 5.
Pongola Nature Reserve
Game Reserve at the Pongolapoort dam. Antelopes, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, buffaloes and elephants. No lions. Anglers' paradise.
Pretorius Game Reserve
Small game reserve. African savannah around a dam. Rhino, herds of buffalo and giraffes. Good accommodation with chalets overlooking dam. Perannual season.
Richtersveld National Park
Spectacular mountain desert. Unique vegetation with numerous species of succulents. Difficult accessibility. 4WD and compass required.
Royal Natal National Park
Mountain park at the foot of the Mont-aux-Sources (3280). Roaring wild streams and thundering waterfalls. A paradise for hikers. Good accommodation and campground.
Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park
Huge lagoon, separated from the sea through chain of dunes. Swamp forests and mangroves. Numerous seabirds, crocodiles and hippos. Anglers' paradise.
Table Mountain National Park
Small nature reserve on the Cape Peninsula. Different kinds of antelopes and birds. In spring beautifully blooming fynbos fields.
Tembe Elephant Park
30,000 ha game reserve in northern Zululand. Sandy bushland. Elephants and other big game. Four-wheel drive required.
Tsitsikamma National Park
80 kilometres coastline at the Storms River. Rainforest. Extended hiking trails. Waterfalls. Interesting tidal waves. Good accommodation and camping site.
Umfolozi & Hluhluwe Game Reserve
3 hours from Durban. Hilly savannah landscape. 1100 sq km. Many rhinos, but also elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, giraffes etc. Perannual season.
West Coast National Park
Lagoon and swamp plains. Nesting place for numerous bird species. At times over 100,000 migratory birds. Walking and canoeing.
Wilderness National Park
Rivers, lagoons, saltwater lakes and swamps. One of the riches and most diverse waterbird reserves.
