People and Conservation
All-in-One
This page displays all information relevant to this site, except the following:
School children having the experience of a lifetime in a camp full of learning and fun in the bush. Communities starting to use water more efficiently or planting a food garden. Elders reviving indigenous knowledge about the medicinal use of fynbos.
These are just a few exciting examples of the unique and rewarding work of the People and Conservation specialists of SANParks. Find out more about their community and educational work or have a look at some great projects.
The natural and cultural heritage of the parks should be the pride and joy of everyone. The People and Conservation division creates the crucial connection between the daily work of rangers and the South African people. Talking to people is a core business for SANParks - nowadays just as important as tourism and conservation.
People and Conservation enlarges understanding, support and participation – particularly amongst neighbouring communities and young people. National parks have a bright future in South Africa if they manage to bring local benefits to the people living around the parks, and if they can inspire the youth of today to be the ambitious conservationists of tomorrow.
So what is the mission of the People and Conservation specialists?
Community-based Conservation
Explaining to neighbouring communities what the parks are doing and why is very important and has been neglected in the past. By promoting conservation, improving park access, assisting with environmental initiatives and inviting local people to discuss and cooperate in future policies – the parks are taking up a responsible role in society. Thanks to this people are starting to see their SANParks neighbour as a benefit – and not a burden.
Environmental Education
There is no better classroom for conservation lessons than a national park. Every year hundreds of schools visit the parks. Many children see, hear and smell the wonders of nature for the first time and learn a lot in the process. What does an elephant eat? Why is a snake important too? Why should we not litter? From day programmes, to the celebrated Kids in Parks camp to special calendar events: environmental education opens young people’s eyes.
Cultural Heritage
National parks are often hotspots of cultural heritage and play a major role in reviving indigenous knowledge and oral history. Cultural sites draw tourism, but can also enhance SANParks relationship with communities outside the parks. Rock art, Iron Age sites, traditional sacred grounds or an old colonial building: conservation and management of cultural heritage is an equal counterpart of nature conservation.
Youth Development
Awareness and support of the country’s youth is conditional for successful biodiversity conservation. Through exciting programs for youth leaders and secondary school learners SANParks challenges people to consider a career in conservation. Wise elders – former rangers – are involved to share their knowledge and experience.
Social Science Research
What damage do animals cause in communities? Are the educational programs efficient? What prominent black rangers have worked in the parks? Social science research answers these kinds of questions and provides SANParks staff with essential insight and information to do their everyday jobs.
-- Top --
Cultural Heritage
From the spectacular African history of Mapungubwe Hill or the famous red-and-white lighthouse at Africa’s southernmost point in Agulhas to the storytelling of the Nama people – conservation and exhibition of cultural heritage lies very much at the heart of SANParks activities.
Many known historical sites can be found in national parks and some are already open for the public. However, a lot of cultural sites, rock art shelters, burial grounds and historical buildings still need to be identified and protected-and People and Conservation play a active role in this.
Besides their role as custodians sites of cultural and historical significance, People and Conservation promotes indigenous knowledge and facilitates the traditional passing on of oral history. Not only will all of this boost national pride and the rediscovery of lost identities – it also opens up opportunities for increased tourism, improved relations with communities, education and job creation.
Current opportunities for cultural tourism include:
Archaeological sites – The historical wonders of Mapungubwe can be admired by booking a guided heritage tour. Popular sites in Kruger National Park include Thulamela and Masorini. Most other parks also have a variety of Stone Age and Iron Age sites.
Rock art – Impressive and very old rock art was left by San and Khoekhoen throughout South Africa. Parks like Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site, Tsitsikamma National Park, Mountain Zebra National Park and Kruger National Park offer opportunities to visit those shelters.
Historical buildings – From remnants of old kingdoms to old colonial buildings and the Agulhas Lighthouse.
Fossils – Look for them in Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Karoo National Park, and Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site,or find Eve’s footprints in the West Coast National Park.
Ancestral graves – Can be found in most parks.
Historical war sites – Battlegrounds of the Anglo-Boer war can be found in Golden Gate Highlands National Park.
Traditional storytelling – Oral history associated with specific sites, indigenous fauna and flora is important in for example Namaqua National Park, Richtersveld National Park, and Augrabies Falls National Park.
Local Cultural Experiences – Indigenous music, dance and other cultural performances are sometimes offered by cultural groups in various parks.
For more information – send an e-mail to Edgar Neluvhalani, Manager Cultural Heritage
-- Top --
Community-based Conservation
Working with communities and building long term relationships with them involves more than saying hello to each other every day over the fence of a national park!
People and Conservation works hard at building understanding and support for biodiversity conservation within communities living around our parks, and also works on improving how communities can access our national parks for cultural, spiritual and recreational purposes.
People and Conservation also assists communities to decide how to use their natural resources wisely and live sustainable lifestyles.
The community work done by People and Conservation covers a wide variety of projects. Some examples include
- education and awareness projects
- setting up food gardens
- indigenous nurseries
- interpretation of medicinal plant use
- forest rehabilitation projects
- performing arts and craft projects.
The programmes are usually aimed at communities neighboring the parks, but sometimes people living in the parks – staff, workers from the expanded pulic works projects – are also targeted. An exciting example from Addo Elephant National Park is the Mayibuye Ndlovu Development Trust that grew from a conflict solving body into a partnership for community projects, and Wire Frame Products project in Augrabies Falls National Park
Park Forums
The establishing and managing of Park Forums has recently been one of the biggest leaps forward for SANParks.
Conservation cannot function without involvement of surrounding communities, local stakeholders and other interested and affected parties. Communities are encouraged to actively participate in the management of their local park and raise issues affecting their lives and the environment.
The scope of concern is extensive, particularly in the rural areas and ranges from HIV/aids through to employment, and issues like the security of park fences. Representatives are elected by the community who help to minimize friction between the park and its neighbours.
For more information – send an e-mail to Alexis Symonds, Manager Community-based Conservation
-- Top --
Imbewu
-- Top --
Wise elders share stories, experiences and enthusiasm in this unique 4-day wilderness camping programme for South African youth leaders. They plant a seed – ‘imbewu’ in Zulu and Xhosa – of passion for African nature and culture. Using their oral tradition and indigenous knowledge the elders lead walking trails and interpret the natural environment. After sunset they tell folk stories around the camp fire.
Imbewu is a joint project of SANParks and the Wilderness Foundation. It was created in 1996 in the Kruger National Park. Since then camps have been established in the national parks of Addo Elephant, Tsitsikamma and Namaqua as well as in Imfolozi Game Reserve (KZN Wildlife). In 2007 the programme will expand to Marakele, Golden Gate and Kgalagadi. Special women’s Imbewus are planned in August 2007.
So far the programme has taken over 6 000 historically disadvantaged youth leaders to the experiential bush camps. Each Imbewu course is made up of eight participants and two guides; Kruger takes the double amount of people. The participants sleep out in the bush, under tree in an open sky. In cases where there are dangerous animals, an electric fence is made for participants to stay and sleep inside. All participants are aged between 15-24 years old with an equal number of young men and women. Imbewu works with local AIDS community-based organizations and have taken a number of counsellors and youth that are HIV positive on the courses.
Throughout the years Imbewu has trained 22 wise elders as teachers. They were drawn from a small circle of retired black game rangers, many of whom cannot read or write. They share wisdom from lifelong work in the parks and from traditions learnt from their forefathers. Almost every traditional cultural group in South Africa is represented through these elders – all the teaching and interpretation takes place in home languages. The average age of the guides is 66 years and they each have at least 30 years work experience in the park or game reserve in which the course takes place. Currently most of the elders are men but there are three woman elders in the programme.