Garden Route National Park Draft Park Management Plan For the period 2020 - 2029 1 Invitation to comment South African National Parks (SANParks) hereby provides you with an opportunity to provide information and to express your opinion, on how the Garden Route National Park (GRNP) will be managed over the next 10 years. How to make effective comments It is important to indicate those objectives and management actions you agree with as well as those with which you disagree. Each submission is important, but those that give reasons for concerns give support where appropriate and offer information and constructive suggestions are most useful. To ensure your submission is as effective as possible, please provide the following: • Make it clear and concise; • List your points according to the subject sections and page numbers in the plan; • Describe briefly each subject or issue you wish to discuss; • Say whether you agree or disagree with any or all of the aims or objectives within each subject or just those of specific interest to you – clearly state your reasons (particularly if you disagree) and provide supportive information where possible; and • Suggest alternatives to deal with issues with which you disagree. Where to send your comments Submissions are welcome for five weeks after the release date of the draft management plan and can be made in writing to: Manager: Park Management Plans PO Box 787 Pretoria 0001 Submissions can also be emailed to [email protected] Photo by: ??? Draft Garden Route National Park Management Plan 2020 – 2029 2 Section 1: Authorisation This management plan is hereby internally accepted and authorised as required for managing the Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site in terms of Sections 39, 40 and 41 of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act [(Act No. 57 of 2003) (NEM: PAA)] and chapter 4 of the World Heritage Convention Act (Act No. 49 of 1999). Mr P. Gordon Park Manager: Garden Route National Park Date: T PLAN Mr A.H. Engelbrecht N General Manager: Frontier Region Date: MANAGEME Mr. P.S. Mokoena Managing Executive: Parks Date: DRAFT – Mr F.G. Mketeni Chief Executive: SANParks Date NATIONAL PARK NATIONAL Ms J. Yawitch Date: Chair: SANParks Board Approved by the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries GARDEN ROUTE Ms B.D. Creecy, MP Date: Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Draft Garden Route National Park Management Plan 2020 – 2029 3 Table of contents No. Index Page Invitation to comment 2 1 Section 1: Authorisation 3 Authorisation 3 Table of contents 4 Glossary 7 Acronyms and abbreviations 9 Lists of figures, tables and appendices 11 Executive summary 12 Introduction 13 2 Section 2: Legal status 14 2.1 Name of the area 14 2.2 Location 14 2.3 History of establishment 14 2.4 Contractual agreements 14 2.5 Co-management agreements 15 2.6 Total area 15 2.7 Highest point 15 2.8 Municipal areas in which the park falls 15 2.9 Land claims 15 2.10 International, national and provincial listings 16 2.11 Environmental authorisations 16 2.12 Biophysical description 16 2.12.1 Climate 17 2.12.2 Geology, topography and soils 18 2.12.3 Freshwater and estuarine ecosystems 18 2.12.4 Marine and coastal processes 19 2.12.5 Flora 20 2.12.6 Fauna 22 2.13 Cultural heritage 25 2.14 Socio-economic context 26 2.15 Tourism 26 3 Section 3: Policy framework 30 3.1 Introduction 30 3.2 Strategic adaptive management 31 3.3 Park specific framework 32 3.4 Park regulations and internal rules 33 3.5 Support to the park 33 4 Section 4: Consultation 34 5 Section 5: Purpose and vision 36 5.1 Purpose of the park 36 5.2 Desired state of the park 36 5.2.1 Vision and mission 36 5.2.2 SANParks strategic plan 37 5.2.3 SANParks corporate vision of the desired state 37 5.2.4 Operating principles 37 5.2.5 Park context 39 5.2.6 Vital attributes 39 5.2.7 Determinants and risks to the vital attributes 40 5.2.8 High-level objectives 43 Draft Garden Route National Park Management Plan 2020 – 2029 4 No. Index Page 5.2.9 Unpacking the high-level objectives 44 6 Section 6: Zoning 50 6.1 Introduction 50 6.2 Synopsis of updates to the 2008 zonation 50 6.3 Guiding principles underpinning the Conservation Development Framework 51 6.4 Rationale for use zones 51 6.5 The zoning system 52 6.5.1 The zoning process and it’s linkages to the underlying environmental analysis 52 6.5.2 Remote zone 55 6.5.3 Primitive zone 57 6.5.4 Quiet zone 58 6.5.5 Low intensity leisure zone 60 6.5.6 High intensity leisure zone 63 6.6 Overview of the special management overlays 65 6.7 The park buffer zone 68 6.7.1 Priority natural areas 69 6.7.2 Catchment protection 69 6.7.3 Priority alien vegetation clearing area 70 T PLAN N 6.7.4 Fire management area 70 6.7.5 Marine buffer area 70 6.7.6 View shed protection 70 6.8 Coastal management lines 71 6.9 Future improvements 72 MANAGEME 7 Section 7: Access and facilities 74 7.1 Public access and control 74 7.2 Areas with restricted access 75 DRAFT 7.3 Airfields and flight corridors 77 – 7.4 Administration and other facilities 77 7.5 Visitor facilities 79 7.6 Commercial activities 81 7.6.1 Accommodation 81 7.6.2 Public private partnerships 82 7.6.3 Retail and other facilities 83 NATIONAL PARK NATIONAL 7.6.4 Activities 83 7.7 Cultural heritage sites 83 7.8 Community use 83 7.9 Mining 83 7.10 Servitudes 83 8 Section 8: Consolidation strategy 84 9 Section 9: Concept development plan 88 9.1 Long term development 88 GARDEN ROUTE 9.2 Development nodes 88 9.3 Communication routes 89 9.4 Service supply routes 89 9.5 Infrastructure development proposals 90 9.5.1 Commercial facilities and activities 90 9.5.1.1 Accommodation 90 9.5.1.2 Public private partnerships 90 9.5.1.3 Retail and other facilities 91 9.5.1.4 Activities 91 10 Section 10: Strategic plan 92 10 .1 Introduction 92 10.2 Natural heritage 93 10.2.1 Integrated fire management programme 93 10.2.2 Invasive alien species programme 96 10.2.3 Aquatic ecosystem management programme 101 10.2.3.1 Fresh water management programme 101 Draft Garden Route National Park Management Plan 2020 – 2029 5 No. Index Page 10.2.3.2 Estuarine management programme 103 10.2.3.3 Marine and coastal management programme 107 10.2.4 Terrestrial ecosystem management programme 110 10.2.5 Landscape functionality programme 113 10.3 Cultural heritage programme 115 10.4 Responsible tourism programme 118 10.5 Equitable access and benefit sharing 123 10.5.1 Consumptive resource use programme 123 10.5.2 Ecosystems services programme 125 10.5.3 Engaged environmental awareness, education and capacity development 126 programme 10.5.4 Equitable access programme 127 10.5.5 Local economic development and co-development of products programme 127 10.6 Participative engagement 129 10.6.1 Communication programme 130 10.6.2 Stakeholder and public engagement programme 131 10.7 Learning, interpretation and research and monitoring programme 132 10.8 Effective park management 136 10.8.1 Environmental management programme 136 10.8.2 Risk management programme 138 10.8.3 Financial management and administration programme 139 10.8.4 Human capital development programme 140 10.8.5 Information and records management programme 142 10.8.6 Infrastructure programme 143 10.8.7 Security and safety programme 145 10.8.8 Safety, health, environment and quality programme 147 10.8.9 Climate change programme 148 10.9 Evaluation and learning 149 10.9.1 Introduction 149 10.9.2 Operationalisation 150 11 Section 11: Costing 152 11.1 Introduction 152 11.2 Income 152 11.3 Expenditure 153 11.3.1 Recurring costs 153 11.3.2 Once-off costs 153 11.3.3 Unallocated fixed costs 153 11.3.4 Maintenance 153 11.3.5 Replacement of minor assets 154 11.4 Summary 155 11.5 Implications 155 11.6 Future 155 12 References 156 Appendix 1: Declarations 164 Appendix 2: Stakeholder participation report 168 Appendix 3: Product development framework 170 Appendix 4: Internal rules 178 Appendix 5: Maps 180 Draft Garden Route National Park Management Plan 2020 – 2029 6 Glossary Means an airborne craft of any type whatsoever, whether self- Aircraft propelled or not, and includes hovercraft and drones. Fauna that live on, in, or near the seabed, river, lake, or stream bottom, also known as the benthic zone. This fauna Benthic fauna lives in or near marine or freshwater sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the foreshore, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the abyssal depths. The use of living organisms, such as insects or pathogens, to Biocontrol control pest populations. An approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to Bio-mimicry human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies. T PLAN The park desired state is based on a collectively developed N vision and set of objectives of the desired future conditions (that Desired state are necessarily varying, across the full V-STEEP range) that stakeholders desire. Ecological infrastructure refers to naturally functioning ecosystems that deliver valuable services to people, such as MANAGEME Ecological water and climate regulation, soil formation and disaster risk infrastructure reduction.