The Garden Route National Park

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• The Garden Route National Park
• Conservation without boundaries

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Conservation in South Africa

• SA ranked 3rd highest country in the world in
  terms of biodiversity richness 122 mil ha
• SANParks contributes towards the national target
  of increasing areas under formal state protection
  conservation) from 6 (7.5 mil. ha) to 8
• 22 National Parks (4 mil. ha).

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National conservation targetsSouth Africas
National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan.
Dept. Environmental Affairs Tourism, Pretoria.
Figure 1. Priority areas for conservation action.
Areas are 1. North Eastern escarpment 2.
Bushveld-Bankenveld 3. moist grasslands 4.
Central grasslands 5. South Eastern Escarpment
6. Maputaland-Pondoland 7. Albany Thicket Wild
Coast 8. Cape Floristic region and 9. Succulent
Karoo.
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Garden Route Protected Areas

• Ha 11200 23500 42380
  34520 25200 43744 32250
  34300
• 252,600 ha - total of all Protected Areas
  including MPAs
• 157,000 ha - currently managed by SANParks
• 86,260 ha - currently managed by CapeNature and
  ECPB

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Area currently managed by SANParks
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Land cover Ha
Indigenous forest 43 500
Fynbos (incl. MCA) 80 000
Lakes and estuaries 3 400
Marine 27 500
Infrastructure (roads staff houses etc.) 2 600
Total 157 000

• SANParks
• management areas

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What makes the proposed GRNP unique?

• Diverse biomes ( from mountain to ocean)
• The largest continuous complex of indigenous
  forest in the country
• Aquatic systems The Knysna estuary (no 1) and
  Wilderness Lakes (No 6)
• Fynbos The Garden Route falls within the Cape
  Floristic Region which is designated as a global
  biodiversity hotspot.
• Marine Oldest MPA in Africa one of the most
  important marine conservation areas.
• The Garden Route is ranked as the 3rd most
  preferred tourism destination in SA.

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What makes the proposed GRNP unique?

• Footprint straddles between two Provinces two
  District Municipalities and four Local
  Municipalities
• The Garden Route is regarded as one of the
  countrys biggest development nodes and balancing
  development and conservation will require
  innovation that will promote responsible
  sustainable tourism (DEAT process).

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What makes the proposed GRNP unique?

• Boundaries (Administrative/ cadastral
  Ecological )
• Administrative Proclaimed cadastral
• Ecological Patterns and processes
• Conservation within the ecological boundaries
  requires multi- stakeholder partnership
  (Conservation without boundaries )

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Legislative framework for the GRNP

• National Parks managed in terms of NEMPAA (Act 57
  of 2003).
• Additional to NEMPAA - The National Forest Act
  and the Marine Living Resources Act will also
  apply.
• NEMPAA makes provision for dual designation of
  protected areas, mainly for the purpose of
  management effectiveness

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Milestones

• 1912 Stevenson-Hamilton first initiated the
  concept of
• National Parks.
• 1926 Kruger NP established.
• 1936 Indigenous Forests proposed to be National
  Park
• 1964 Tsitsikamma NP proclaimed.
• 1985 Wilderness NP Knysna National Lake Area
  
• proclaimed.
• 2005 GR Protected Area planning processes
• 2005 Delegation of indigenous forests to
  SANParks.
• 2007 Ministers media launch
• 2008 Proposed GRNP gazetted.

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Areas gazetted
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Benefits of a GRNP

• Ecological services how our natural habitat
  contributes towards human well being.
• Management MCAs
• Maintain natural open spaces for recreation and
  tourism
• Carbon sequestration (storage) that is important
  for reducing the impacts of climate change

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Benefits of a GRNP

• Sustained Socio-economic
• Aesthetic value contributes towards sustainable
• tourism and economic growth.
• SANParks second largest employer in region
• (372 permanent 750 contract personnel.)
• The total economic contribution of SANParks
  towards the region are calculated at R 94 636 539
  p. annum

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Process of proclamation

• Intention to proclaim GRNP gazetted 21 November
  2008.
• GRNP to be proclaimed towards mid 2009.
• Management plan for GRNP to be submitted within
  12 months after proclamation.

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Management plan for the GRNP

• First draft for public comment June 2009.
• Management Plan to include
• Land consolidation/inclusion strategy
• Fine scale biodiversity map to inform land use
  planning
• Integrated fire management plan
• Alien plant mapping and costing
• Tourism development and implementation plan
• Socio-economic study

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The Garden Route National Park Conservation
without boundaries is everyones responsibility.
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