The greater St Lucia Wetland Park along with other conservation areas in
northern Maputaland is part of the Lubombo Trans-Frontier Conservation Area.
The creation of this conservation area, which will extend through South Africa,
Swaziland, and Mozambique is part of a larger process in Southern Africa of
setting up trans-frontier Parks.
The Lubombo region of SA, Swaziland and Mozambique is one of the poorest regions
in Southern Africa.
The Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative (LSDI) was established as part
of SA’s national economic policy (GEAR) to stimulate development in
marginal areas where there is development potential.
The LTFCA is part of this broader co-operation between the three countries
and was established as a trilateral development process between the governments
of South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland to stimulate development of this
zone – the focus being on tourism and conservation.
The SA government has committed significant resources to the achievement
of these objectives, with particular emphasis on road infrastructure and the
prevention of malaria. The goals of the LTFCA are:
• To stimulate development in the marginal area of Lubombo where there
is development potential as part of South Africa’s national SDI economic
policy.
• To promote regional integration with a focus on tourism and conservation
in accordance with NEPAD
• To consolidate protected areas across the region
• To create a regional eco-tourism node, which is linked to adjacent
tourism nodes in Southern Africa.
In May 2002, ministers of the 3 countries gave the go-ahead for the development
of the LTFCA and protocols between the 3 countries were signed and a Trilateral
Commission set up which is currently in the process of setting up Task Teams
for the 4 nodes within the LTFCA which will develop development plans and
programmes for each of the nodes.
The 4 nodes of the LFTCA are:
Ndumu-Tembe-Futi (SA/Mozambique)
Ponto do Ouro-Kosi Bay (SA/Mozambique)
Nsuabane-Pongola (SA/Swaziland)
Lubombo Conservancy-Goba (Swaziland/Mozambique)
The GSLWP Authority subscribes to integrated environmental management and sustainable development principles. Where required in legislation, the Wetlands Authority seeks environmental authorisation from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism through the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. In addition, an internal assessment process is undertaken for activities that do not require such authorisation. For all projects, an Environmental Management Plan is prepared and implemented during construction to ensure sound management of environmental impacts. An overarching Environmental Management System (EMS) is currently being developed for the Park to ensure sound environmental management is achieved right from “cradle to grave” of a project, thus including operation and decommissioning.
Phase 2 of the Infrastructure Development Project is currently in the planning stage, with preliminary design and EIAs being undertaken. Phase 2 EIAs initially commenced in February 2001 but was put on hold in response to an earlier than anticipated land claim settlement of Sodwana State Forest. The reconfigured Phase 2 now focuses, among others, on tourism roads in Ozabeni, extension of the Sodwana Bay landing strip, fencing of Block B (Sodwana to Nibela Peninsula), a new eastern entrance to uMkhuze as well as other tourist infrastructure such as jetties.
In response to Regulations published under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), the GSLWP Authority appointed ACER (Africa) to undertake a beach driving and boat launching study for the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park. The purpose of the study was to identify environmentally acceptable areas for beach driving and boat launching in the Park. The study also had to ensure that the requirements of the World Heritage Convention Act and Marine Living Resources Act were met. Following extensive public participation as well as input from various specialists, applications were submitted to the Marine and Coastal Management division of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in December 2002. The GSLWP Authority is currently awaiting a Record of Decision for these applications.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Fifth World
Parks Congress as it has become known, is a 10 yearly event, which provides
the major global forum for setting the agenda for protected areas or parks.
Previous Congresses have had a tremendous impact in assisting national governments
to create new protected areas, and direct more resources towards biodiversity
conservation.
The IUCN World Parks Congress will be held in Durban from 8 to 17 September,
2003. Both Patrons of the Congress, former South African President and Nobel
Peace Prize winner Mr Nelson Mandela and Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan
strongly endorse the theme of the Congress, `Benefits beyond Boundaries’.
The IUCN World Parks Congress is organised by IUCN - The World Conservation
Union, its World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), South African National
Parks and the Government of South Africa.
One of the Congress field trips being organized to take place during the Congress
will be visiting the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park and about 400-500 international
visitors to the Park are expected during this event.
The GSLWPA and KZNW are actively planning this event at present.
Website: www://iucn.org and select the World Parks Congress.
The GSLWPA is currently preparing the final draft of the Integrated Management
Plan (IMP), which it is required to formulate in terms of the World Heritage
Convention Act (1999) as the key set of management guidelines for the Park.
A previous version went out to public comment in August 2000 and it is envisaged
that the final draft will once again go out for comment at the end of June
2003. Thereafter after including the comments of the public and other government
departments it will be ratified by the GSLWP Board and the Minister of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism. This document will be accompanied by a suite of more
detailed subordinate management plans and programmes, one of which is the
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).
All decisions taken for the Park will be in terms of this management plan.
Established in 1989, the Wildlands Trust is a registered Charitable Trust
which supports Cultural and Natural Heritage conservation projects throughout
KwaZulu-Natal. The Trust’s activities are structured around a fundamental
philosophy that the successful facilitation of these projects depends on the
active involvement of local communities in these conservation efforts.
The shining success of this philosophy has been shown in two areas: the landmark
establishment of a community game reserve at the tribal area of Mabaso on
the shores of Lake Sibaya, and the remarkable achievements of the Silethukukanya
School in Khula Village, a rural settlement that is partially inside the endangered
Dukuduku forest on the shores of Lake St Lucia.
At Mabaso the Wildlands Trust facilitated an agreement between the Mabaso
community, led by iNkosi Justice Nxumalo, and the GSLWPA, to establish a community
game reserve and eco-tourist resort.
With logistical and funding support from the Wildlands Trust, the Mabaso community
erected a fence around their reserve, received a consignment of wild animals
donated by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and initiated a development agreement with
private sector development partner Uthungulu Resorts and Leisure.
Members of the local community are already being trained in tourism disciplines
through the THETA Tourism Learnership Project. Plans to establish horse-riding
trails, a tented camp, canoe safaris and guided hikes are well under way.
The ‘school in the forest’ - Silethukukanya School in Khula Village,
under the vigorous leadership of headmaster Bhekithemba Nomandla, has become
part of Unilever’s Sacred Forest project, which is an extension of the
global Living Lakes project.
Lake St Lucia was one of the founding lakes in this world-wide healthy lake
initiative.
The Wildlands Trust has also facilitated the establishment of the Simunye
Tourism Association, which aims to market community developments to the South
African and international tourism fraternity.
This association represents community based tourism projects from 10 of the
communities bordering on the Park.
Earlier this year, Simunye’s chairman attended an international travel
fair in Germany to interest European tour operators in their community projects
and promote the attractions offered by the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park.