Campaigners and communities view progress at St Lucia
By Michelle Nel
A landmark decision not to mine the dunes on Eastern shores of Lake Lucia
was taken in 1994 and hopes for developing this World Heritage Site and its
people were pinned on tourism instead. One of the big questions asked during
an information weekend held at the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in May was
whether tourism was bringing the benefits promised.
The mobile ‘workshop’ was organised by the Wildlife and Environment
Society of South Africa, the Botanical Society of South Africa, the Zululand
Environmental Alliance, Earthlife Africa, the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park
Authority and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.
Over 90 delegates from veteran anti-mining campaigners such as Jim Phelps,
Paul and Sheila Dutton and Wally Menne to representatives of the Bhangazi
community who successfully settled a land claim in the park came together
for two days to assess progress in the rehabilitation and development of the
park and tourism exchange ideas on the way forward for the park and its people.
Issues such as game re-introduction, conservation management, removal of plantations,
partnerships with business and communities, infrastructure development, land
restitution and empowerment, and benefits to local communities were discussed.
Participants were taken on site to see land management and infrastructure
improvements.
A major theme to emerge was community frustrations at the slow delivery of
tourism benefits was weighed against conservationists’ concerns about
inappropriate development in the park.
