KNOW YOUR NATIONAL PARKS 1 KNOW YOUR NATIONAL PARKS KNOW YOUR NATIONAL PARKS Our Parks, Our Heritage Table of contents Minister’s Foreword 4 CEO’s Foreword 5 Northern Region 8 Marakele National Park 8 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 10 Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage site 11 Arid Region 12 Augrabies Falls National Park 12 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 13 Mokala National Park 14 Namaqua National Park 15 /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park 16 Cape Region 18 Table Mountain National Park 18 Bontebok National Park 19 Agulhas National Park 20 West Coast National Park 21 Tankwa-Karoo National Park 22 Frontier Region 23 Addo Elephant National Park 23 Karoo National Park 24 DID YOU Camdeboo National Park 25 KNOW? Mountain Zebra National Park 26 Marakele National Park is Garden Route National Park 27 found in the heart of Waterberg Mountains.The name Marakele Kruger National Park 28 is a Tswana name, which Vision means a ‘place of sanctuary’. A sustainable National Park System connecting society Fun and games 29 About SA National Parks Week 31 Mission To develop, expand, manage and promote a system of sustainable national parks that represent biodiversity and heritage assets, through innovation and best practice for the just and equitable benefit of current and future generation. 2 3 KNOW YOUR NATIONAL PARKS KNOW YOUR NATIONAL PARKS Minister’s Foreword CEO’s Foreword We are blessed to live in a country like ours, which has areas by all should be encouraged through a variety of The staging of SA National Parks Week first took place been hailed as a miracle in respect of our transition to a programmes. It is the view of government that through the in September 2006. This year, 2015, therefore marks democracy and which also enjoys beautiful weather and SA National Parks Week and many other programmes, we the 10th anniversary of this event and we are pleased to a spectacular natural environment. We are blessed to still will continue to develop reciprocal relationships between report that it has grown from strength to strength over the have areas where our wildlife is protected. protected areas and our citizens, making our national years to the extent that it is now a significant part of the parks a true mirror of our society’s values. SANParks annual calendar. South Africa has approximately 550 terrestrial and 48 coastal protected areas. Collectively, terrestrial protected I wish everybody a wonderful experience during SA The idea of having a week in September of each year, areas exceed 7,9 million ha (7,5% of the country), while National Parks Week and hope that you will return in the during which free access to the national parks is granted the coastal/marine protected areas comprise over 426 near future to experience the breadth and width of our 21 to South Africans, had its origins in the recognition that 000 ha. Nearly 4 million ha (50,6% of the protected area national parks situated in seven provinces of our country. there are large numbers of our citizens living in the vicinity estate) is under SANParks management. of national parks who have never had the opportunity Our sincere gratitude and thanks goes to First National to visit these parks and to experience the wonders that It is therefore, of outmost importance that every one play Bank and Total SA for continuing to be pioneering partners they have to offer. During this week therefore SANParks a part in conserving what we have. What we do today in the successful hosting of SA National Parks Week. not only offers free access but also has a wide variety will determine what happens in the future. Fortunately of programmes to actively bring members of local in our country, we have managed to make conservation I thank you and have an enjoyable SA National Parks communities into the parks. everyone’s business. Politicians, business leaders, Week. economists and ordinary citizens are becoming involved It is acknowledged that under the pre-1994 dispensation in this task of saving the planet from ourselves. Together it was only a part of society that had full access to our we can weather the storm of environmental change. national parks and consequently developed a sense of Mother Planet has been kind to us and it is time that we ownership and support for the national park system. reciprocated. SANParks has taken steps in the 21 years since the advent of democracy to ensure that this sense of ownership Charity begins at home, and this has been proven with a encompasses all sectors of our society, and that national huge number of South Africans visiting our national parks parks play a meaningful role in providing benefits to Table Mountain National Park in the West to the Kruger on a yearly basis. It has been noted that in the previous year adjacent communities. National Park in the East; from Mapungubwe in the North the total number of visitors to National Parks increased to the Garden Route in the South. Our 21 national parks by 9,9% year on year to 4 167 216 with SA Citizens SA National Parks Week is geared to creating awareness will be ready to provide you with an exciting diversity of accounting for 73,8%, while SADC and international and instilling a sense of pride in South Africa’s natural, eco-tourism experiences that will cultivate a long lasting guests stood at 1,4% and 24,8% respectively. Black cultural and historical heritage. It is also aimed at memory and sense of being Proudly South African. SA visitors improved by 2,2% year on year to 408 880 exposing the public to the importance of biodiversity and Our partnering with corporate South Africa, particularly (25,9% of domestic visitors). promoting a broader understanding of the custodianship First National Bank and Total South Africa, has provided role played by SANParks in conservation. This is in line the financial security on which this programme is built. If these impressive figures are anything to go by, we are with the organisation’s efforts towards bringing national Without the resource injection provided by these partners, really succeeding in managing a sustainable national parks closer to the people. SA National Parks Week would not be the success that park system connecting society as SANParks vision it is, and we wish to express our appreciation for their strives to achieve. With over 50 000 South Africans young It is in this week that we acknowledge our natural and steadfast support in this regard. and old taking advantage of free access to national parks cultural heritage which is all around us. It includes our during the 2014 SA National Parks Week we can state landscapes, oceans, rivers and lakes, our archaeological To the public at large we would like to say: Please visit our with confidence that we are making good progress in sites, our buildings, our history, folklore, language and parks and enjoy SA National Parks Week. promoting access to our parks by people who previously customs. Heritage gives a place its identity, its character, were excluded from visiting the parks. its distinctiveness. As we plan for our own futures, we Mr. Fundisile Mketeni must also plan for the future of our heritage. CEO; South African National Parks We must be the first to acknowledge that the tide has Mrs. Edna Molewa, MP long turned, therefore issues of access to our protected It is for this reason that, on behalf of all in SANParks, Minister; Environmental Affairs we invite you to be part of SA National Parks Week from 4 5 KNOW YOUR NATIONAL PARKS KNOW YOUR NATIONAL PARKS 6 7 KNOW YOUR NATIONAL PARKS KNOW YOUR NATIONAL PARKS Northern Region MARAKELE NATIONAL PARK The Big 6- Birds found in Marakele • GROUNDHORNBILL-The colourful ground hornbill is a very The Big six are slow-breeding and very rare birds. They need a great slow breeder and to add to this, its nesting sites are threatened amount of space to live in and they are extremely vulnerable to human “The Place of Sanctuary” by the destruction of large trees and open savannah areas. development. If they are not protected, these unique birds may become They spend three-quarters of the day looking for food and can extinct. About the Park Accommodation walk up to 11km during the day. Marakele National Park (formerly Kransberg National Park) is one of the Marakele offers different accommodation options such as: youngest national parks in South Africa. It was proclaimed in 1986 to • Tlopi safari tented units • Bontle camping site conserve some of the poorly protected savannah veld types of South • Bontle tented units • Guest cottage for family and They are: Africa. friends • PEL’S FISHING OWL – The secretive and guarded Pel’s fishing owl is on the The Park came about as a result of the state purchasing nucleus farms Activities and things to do endangered list. It hunts for its food at totalling about 15 000ha. In 1994, the name Kransberg National Park • Self Drives • Guided Game Drives night, scooping fish from the water. As was changed as it was realised that many other places in South Africa • Bush Walks wetlands are being drained by farmers, also had the name “Kransberg” and a new unique name had to be found. these owls food supply is also decreasing. • SADDLEBILLED STORK - In the quiet streams of some of our rivers, one will at times find the saddlebilled stork. Each bird has its own unique colour pattern; it only Educational Services of Marakele National Park Marakele serves as an exciting outdoors environmental education centre.