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SOUTH AFRICA AND NAMIBIA TO SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON CONSERVATION
The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, will on Friday, 17 August 2001, sign a Memorandum of Understanding with his Namibian Counterpart, Mr Philemon Malima. The Memorandum of Understanding will put in place an environmental collaboration programme through the establishment of the Ai-Ais/Reichtersveld Transfrontier Conservation Park, a protected conservation area.
This ceremony follows just two months since a similar agreement was signed with Lesotho establishing the Maloti-Drakensburg TFCA, a few months since the establishment of the Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou Transfrontier Park between Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with Botswana.
The establishment of the Transfrontier Conservation Park is part of a regional collaboration aimed at the eradication of political fences in the interest of responsible environmental management and conservation with high potential for tourism growth and development.
The proposed park is about 5,086 square kilometres, of which 1,625 square kilometres (32%) is in South Africa and the remaining 3.461 square kilometres, making up 68%, is on the Namibian side. With the possible expansion of the park into Angola, all could add up to approximately 19 million ha - the third largest protected area in the world.
For more information please contact Onkgopotse JJ Tabane at 082 465 6166
Issued by Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
15 August 2001