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“Frank, necessary, and very constructive.” This was how Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, described a series of meetings and consultations held on Tuesday with traditional leaders, local political authorities, and community representatives in the Wild Coast region of the Eastern Cape.

Minister Van Schalkwyk, Premier Nosimo Balindlela, and the Eastern Cape MEC for Economic Affairs, Environment, and Tourism, André de Wet, were joined by senior managers of the national and provincial departments in the first public consultations about plans for the establishment of a new Wild Coast National Park. Announced by the Minister and Premier, following the decision in August by the Provincial Cabinet to support the creation of the park, the meetings were arranged to inform local communities and authorities about the plans, and to request their support for the process.

“The National Cabinet has identified the Wild Coast region as a priority for development, both because of the poverty and the eco-tourism potential of the area,” said Minister Van Schalkwyk. “This means that not only will significant financial resources be invested in developing the region, but also that we will act to create an environment and infrastructure to attract and unlock private sector investment as well. The Wild Coast National Park will be the centre-piece of the efforts of our departments to bring positive change to the communities of Pondoland and the wider Eastern Cape.”

“Few areas in the world have biological and geographical riches that can compare with our Wild Coast,” said the Premier. “This process is designed to help us protect these assets and at the same time to leverage from them the growth, investment, and local empowerment so badly needed by our people. The new National Park will be a concrete demonstration of how conservation, social upliftment, and tourism are best achieved together.”

The first phase of the new park will include the Pondoland Marine Protected Area (representing about 130 000 hectares); the 1km wide coastal strip (about 10 000 hectares); the Mkhambati Nature Reserve (about 3 200 hectares); and the state forests north of Port St. Johns (about 20 000 hectares) * brining a total of more than 163 200 hectares into the park.

“Developing the Wild Coast to its full potential requires a fully integrated approach,” said Minister Van Schalkwyk. “In addition to the new National Park we have also recently seen the successful conclusion of the Wild Coast Conservation and Development Project, funded by the Global Environment Facility and the Development Bank of Southern Africa * the outcomes of which include a Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, a Land Use Plan, and the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Wild Coast, which will soon be handed over to Government.”

The Minister also recommitted substantial funding from the Department’s social responsibility programme to help create temporary jobs and training opportunities in the region. “Projects to the value of R94 million are already being implemented and projects valued at a further R83 million have been identified for implementation over the next three years,” he said. “Through these programmes we aim to generate more than 806 000 job days of employment.”

Following the conclusion of the community consultations, the next steps in the creation of the park will include a community capacitation workshop to be conducted early in the new year, which will be followed by the formal declaration of a National Protected Area, and the further development of marketing and tourism infrastructure to further unlock the growth potential of the new park.

Enquiries: JP Louw
Cell: 082-569-3340