Transfrontier Parks Plan More Projects  

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism is negotiating projects with potential investors within the six transfrontier parks valued at R298 million.These projects are part of the 51 projects valued at R785m that were first announced during the Transfrontier Conservation Area 2010 Tourism Investment Conference held last year.

According to the Boundless website, these projects, a bulk of which are accommodation establishments such as lodges and hotels, are expected to be ready by next year.The nine southern African countries involved last year established an entity called Boundless Southern Africa to market the concept. The department was unable to give details about the projects.

In total there will be nine transfrontier parks. Launched so far are Ai-Ais/Richtersveld between Namibia and South Africa; Greater Mapungubwe between Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe; Great Limpopo between Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe; Kgalagadi between Botswana and South Africa; Lubombo between Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland and Maloti-Drakensberg between Lesotho and South Africa.

The department's Albi Modise said this week that the transfrontier parks were in rural areas near poor communities. Tourism development, investment and rehabilitation of ecosystems in these areas provided employment and contributed to poverty reduction.Modise could not quantify the economic effect of these parks on the countries involved nor was he able to say how many jobs had been created so far. He could only say that Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park had created 91 jobs last year.

These conservation areas had registered many successes, such as the dropping of fences to improve free movement of wildlife in the ecosystem range, the establishment of tourist access facilities, legal instruments for collaboration and development and implementation of joint conservation management and tourism development plans.

"But there are challenges that need to be addressed for the collaborating states to realise the potential of transfrontier conservation areas."They include limited awareness about transfrontier conservation areas at local and global levels as well as limited investment in tourism facilities and supporting infrastructure in transfrontier conservation areas," said Modise.

Source: www.boundlesssa.com.

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