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19 October 2007

Minister van Schalkwyk on 27 August 2007 announced the intention to proclaim a Garden Route National Park. He today received a briefing from SANParks in the Garden Route on the progress being made in this regard.

The Minister said at the briefing that "South African National Parks is currently undertaking planning processes which will inform the realisation of the proposed Garden Route National Park (GRNP). This park will include the following:

* the currently proclaimed Tsitsikamma and Wilderness National Parks
* the Knysna National Lake Area
* the Southern Cape Indigenous Forests
* the associated fynbos Mountain Catchment Areas (MCA's) and Mountains to Oceans (MTO) plantation exit areas.

The function of managing the indigenous forests under the Forest Act (84 of 1998) is currently delegated to SANParks with a vision to change this status to an assignment so that the management responsibilities are fully transferred to SANParks. The assignment of these areas will then lay the foundation for a process towards the proclamation of all these protected areas as components of the Garden Route National Park by the end of March 2008."

The Minister further said that "currently these areas are managed as separate entities under different legislation, systems, processes and financial arrangements. The idea is to integrate the management of these areas so as to lay a better foundation for protected area management, and for the management of eco-systems within the wider Garden Route bioregional landscape."

The proposed GRNP is entirely within the Garden Route Initiative (GRI) planning domain, which comprises the six local municipalities in the region from Mossel Bay in the West to Kouga in the East. The GRI is a Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded partnership programme and forms part of SANParks strategic bioregional projects. Partners include local municipalities, other state agencies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other potential beneficiaries. The GRI aims to conserve and restore the unique biodiversity and sense of place of the Garden Route while supporting the sustainable management of the region and the delivery of benefits to local communities.

Through this process, a number of planning products are being developed over a period of five years. These include a land consolidation strategy with associated maps, alien clearing mapping, fire management mapping, tourism plans and identification of benefits for local communities. The GEF project will be completed in 2009. The GRNP falls within the footprint of this planning domain, and together with other partners in the Region it is envisaged that there will be a suite of socio-economic development initiatives which will be accrued from this process, including opportunities for public or private and community partnerships.

"Currently SANParks in the region has a number of initiatives that are in place and a variety of tourism products in the pipeline. As custodians of these national assets, SANPARKS, with the support of national departments, Department Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) and Department of Water Affairs Forestry (DWAF), is currently implementing a number of Expanded Public Works Programmes (EPWP), including Working for Water, Working for the Coast, and DEAT Social Responsibility Programmes. These programmes are geared towards conservation of our natural coastal environment by eradicating alien vegetation and improving tourist facilities, whilst at the same time they contribute towards poverty relief, and job skilling of workers through training. Since 2004, all these programmes collectively, have employed about 800 people from local communities, said Dr David Mabunda, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SANParks.

This year only, the tourism products which will be finished include Forest Camping Decks in the Diepwalle forests, upgrading of the famous Outeniqua hiking trail, new chalets in the Wilderness National Park, boardwalks and the groundwork for the development of infrastructure on Thesen's Island.

Enquiries:
Riaan Aucamp
Cell: 083 778 9923

Issued by: Department of Environmental and Tourism
19 October 2007