Conservation
|Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park
Background
Map provided by the Peace Parks Foundation
On 1 August 2003 President Sam Nujoma of Namibia and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa signed an international treaty establishing the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park in Windhoek, Namibia. Extensive community consultations were conducted beforehand, as the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld National Park in South Africa is owned by the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld community and managed on a contractual basis with South African National Parks (SANParks). This allows the full participation of the local community through elected members representing the four towns in the area, Kuboes, Sanddrift, Lekkersing and Eksteenfontein, and also of local pastoralists. These communities would all benefit from increased tourism to the area, while at the same time conserving its unique biodiversity. In addition, a transfrontier park would help maintain the cultural heritage and traditional lifestyle of the Nama people.
Various bilateral committees, as well as national working groups on community development, planning and management, security and customs, and finance were constituted to formalise the establishment of the transfrontier park. The signing of the international treaty effectively transformed the bilateral technical committee into a joint management board and the working groups into management committees.
A comprehensive consultative process was initiated in June 2002 and drafts of the treaty, as well as integrated tourism and management plans were discussed over the ensuing months. To assist in the process, Peace Parks Foundation has funded workshops, as well as the appointment of an international coordinator and a community liaison officer. The Foundation’s GIS laboratory also assisted in the drafting of land-use and tourism plans.
Description of the area
The |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park measures 6 045 km2 and spans some of the most spectacular arid and desert mountain scenery in southern Africa. It incorporates the 4 420 km2 |Ai-|Ais Hot Springs Game Park in Namibia and the 1 625 km2 |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld National Park in South Africa. It features the world’s second largest canyon, the Fish River Canyon, which meanders for 161 km between the steep, spectacular cliffs that divide the Nama plateau. In places the canyon floor is more than 550 m below the plateau, exposing rock of up to 2 600 million years old.
Other areas will eventually be added to the park, such as the Namib Desert belt along the Namibian coast and the Iona National Park in Angola. This area will measure some 180 000 km2 and will incorporate a wide range of community-based natural resource management programmes.
Major features
Two major climatic regions meet within the transfrontier park, namely the warm temperate winter rainfall area, characteristic of the Succulent Karoo biome, and a non-seasonal rainfall region to the east, akin to the Nama-Karoo biome. The rainfall in the winter rainfall area (May - September) varies from 15 mm per annum in the valleys to 300 mm on the mountain tops. Chilly misty conditions are often caused by the Benguela anti-cyclone. In winter the temperature can drop to below 0°C, while in summer it can soar to 52°C, hence the appropriate name of the area: |Ai-|Ais, meaning “hot, very hot”.
The |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park is a renowned geological classroom, featuring many distinct periods of geological history that span some 2 000 million years. Complex, intensely folded, fractured and actively uplifted landmasses are now heavily eroded. The Orange River mouth is a Ramsar site, and the 350-million-year-old erosion-rich lower Orange River gorge abounds with history, folklore and grandeur.
The area is renowned for housing most of the richest succulent flora of the world. The Orange River is characterised by striking endangered riparian bush. At the Gariep Centre of Plant Endemism, with the transfrontier park at its core, at least 2 700 species of plants, 560 of which are endemic or near-endemic, can be found. A soft but regular and therefore effective rainfall is mainly responsible for this abundance of plant life. Many of the endemic plants are limited to small areas, mostly on mountains where the rainfall is higher and habitat diversity is greatest. The best-known endemic plants are the stem succulents known as the “halfmens”, Pachypodium namaquanum, and the giant tree aloe, Aloe pillansii.
The animal species found in the area are adapted to withstand the harsh, arid climate. Other species are concentrated in the denser vegetation bordering the Orange River, including 56 species of mammals and 194 bird species. Furthermore, a large variety of lizards (35 species) and snakes (16 species) are found in various microhabitats.
Cultural importance
The traditional lifestyle of the Nama people is based on nomadic pastoralism, the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld being one of the last regions where this way of life has been preserved. A number of significant archaeological sites are situated in the area. The earliest evidence of human habitation within the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld National Park was discovered in a shelter at Die Toon near Tatasberg. This site has been dated back to 2200 BC. Bones uncovered at Kokerboomkloof reveal that at least some of the animal species currently present in the region, such as springbok, zebra and klipspringer, were also present over 4 000 years ago. The presence of fish bones indicates that the Orange River was an important source of food for the hunter-gatherers.
Tourism opportunities
Desert tourism is set to bloom with the implementation of the transfrontier park in this once remote corner, especially given the increasing demand for adventure activities.
At present, this transfrontier park has limited visitor facilities. The |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld National Park has three wilderness camps, five serviced campsites and an overnight camp for hikers. Each of the four nearby community settlements has a small rest camp with 8 – 12 beds. The South African government has allocated yet another R11 million to upgrade infrastructure and tourist accommodation.
On the Namibian side the |Ai-|Ais Hot Springs and Hobas offer more extensive tourist accommodation and camping facilities, with extensive luxury accommodation available at a number of adjacent privately managed lodges. Well-known state and privately run 5-day hiking trails are on offer in the cooler season.
The opening of the traditional pontoon in the park will greatly facilitate cross-border tourism.
Enquiries
Specific TFCA enquiries
Dr. Peet van der Walt
International Coordinator
Tel: +27(0)12 426 5213
Fax: +27(0)12 343 2832
e-mail: peetV@sanparks.org.za
Governments
Namibia
Mr Ben Beytell
Director: Wildlife Management
Ministry of Environment and Tourism
Tel: +264 (0) 61 263 131
Fax: +264 (0) 61 259 101
e-mail: bbeytell@mweb.com.na
South Africa
Mr Ernest Mokganedi
Director: TFCAs
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Tel:+27 (0) 12 310 3689
Fax: +27 (0) 12 320 2849
e-mail: emokganedi@deat.gov.za
Parastatal
Mr Piet Theron
South African National Parks (SANParks)
TFCA Programme Manager
Tel: +27 (0) 12 426 5018
Fax: +27 (0) 12 343 2832
e-mail: pietT@sanparks.org
General enquiries
Namibia
Mr Patrick Lane
Regional Park Warden
|Ai-|Ais Hot Springs Game Park
Tel: +264 (0) 63 22 3223
Fax: +264 (0) 63 22 3955
e-mail: metkhp@iafrica.com.na
South Africa
Mr Willem Louw
Park Manager
|Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld National Park
Tel:+27 (0) 27 831 1175
Fax: +27 (0) 27 831 1175
e-mail: willemL@sanparks.org.za