Parks Week launched to strengthen relations with local communities

Forestry, fisheries and environment minister Dion George says the government is working hard to fight poaching.

George was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of National Parks Week at Marakele National Park in Thabazimbi, Limpopo, on Sunday.

The week, spearheaded by SA National Parks (SANParks), officially starts on Monday and gives South Africans free access to most national parks.

George said poaching remains a scourge but efforts are under way to ensure systems are tightened to leave no room for poachers. He said he wanted to see national parks being able to increase the population of endangered animals such as rhinos.

“I’m committed to them [national parks] strengthening a range of populations, making sure the full vacancies of rangers are filled, and making sure there are enough boots on the ground to detect such incidents and see when a strange person is wandering around,” George said.

The minister said recent cases in which courts handed poachers lengthy sentences were encouraging and would serve as a deterrent to would-be poachers.

Last month SANParks issued a statement welcoming the sentencing of Mozambican poaching syndicate leader and kingpin Simon Ernesto Valoi, known as “Navara”. SANParks at the time said he was one of the rhino-poaching bosses targeting the Kruger National Park. A Mozambican court sentenced him to 27 year's imprisonment. His accomplice, Paulo Zukula, received a hefty 24-year jail sentence.

In the same week, SANParks marine unit rangers in Table Mountain National Park arrested four suspected poachers in Simon's Town. The rangers spotted a suspect vehicle during a routine patrol. They called for backup and, after ordering the car to a halt, conducted a search. A substantial quantity of abalone was found in the vehicle. The team seized 94 whole-state abalones, two Alikreukels and diving equipment.

George said this year’s theme for the Parks Week is “Own Your National Parks”, which he said is a call to action.

“It is an invitation to visit one of our national parks and an opportunity to embrace the parks as our own — to see them not only as the picturesque landscapes they are but as living, breathing parts of our heritage, our culture and the legacy we leave behind.

“The parks belong to everyone, and it is our collective responsibility to protect and preserve them for the generations to come.”

The minister said he hoped by allowing access to communities that would not ordinarily be able to access the parks, they would see what is in the parks and build a sense of pride.

“This week is a wonderful way of creating an ecosystem with people who live close to parks because when people have a sense of ownership, they will know these belong to them and will not hurt them. If they see anybody hurting it, they will do something.” 

SANParks CEO Hapiloe Sello said Parks Week, launched 19 years ago, allows communities to be part of safeguarding the country's assets for future generations because communities get closer to what conservation and biodiversity are about.

“When we expose them to the parks, we turn them into future tourists. Exposure is important because it makes one appreciate what is in their backyard,” Sello said.

She said they are recovering well from the effects of Covid-19 and standing at 90% of their tourism volumes, which she said were mainly from domestic travellers.

Parks Week will run from September 9 to 13. Kruger, Kgalagadi, Addo and some sections of Table Mountain will be open until September 13. The week will extend to September 15 at selected parks. Free access to national parks at this time does not include free access to accommodation facilities and other tourist activities.

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