Largest game park up and running by June

2001-12-24 12:53

Skukuza - South Africans can soon look forward to holidaying at the first tourist camp on the Mozambique side of the world's largest game park - the 35 000 square kilometre Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.

Project manager for Mozambique's newly-proclaimed Limpopo National Park, Arrie van Wyk, said although no development has taken place in the area - there are no tarred roads or infrastructure - the plan is to have the first camp up and running in six months' time.

"The development of a camp will go to open tender and tourists will initially have to use 4x4 vehicles to travel in the area because of the lack of roads," he said.

The GLTP will include land next to the Kruger National Park, the Limpopo National Park, Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park, private game reserves, hunting concession areas and community-managed natural resource areas.

It will be the first-ever national park to encompass three countries and will be more than 35 000 square kilometres in size, making it bigger than Taiwan, Switzerland, Belgium or Israel.

A passing-out parade held for the first 30 game rangers and to proclaim the Limpopo National Park - previously a hunting concession known as Coutada 16 - was held last week in Massingir on the southern border of the park.

The rangers have been trained to assist in the wildlife management of the Limpopo National Park, which covers an area of 10 000 km2.

Van Wyk said temporary facilities have been erected for the rangers to begin their field operations.

He said three breeding herds of 21 elephant were released into the area in October and are doing well.

"We are constantly monitoring the elephants, because they have radio collars which transmit a signal to a satellite. Three bulls have returned to the Kruger, but their families have stayed in Mozambique. One of the families has even joined up with a resident herd in the Limpopo National Park." Van Wyk said representatives of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park are discussing accommodation and living options with representatives from the numerous villages in the Limpopo National Park.

"Some of the villagers want to move out. Others want to stay and be fenced in. Various options are being looked at and the communities are very much a part of these discussions."

Spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, JJ Tabane, said the process of developing the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park is still on track in Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park, despite the ongoing unrest and land invasions in that country.

"We are hoping that it will be all systems go for the development of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park by April 2002," Tabane said.

A department statement last week said the establishment of the proposed park will not only support the broader political aims of socio-economic upliftment of rural areas with high unemployment and low income, but also greatly improve regional ecosystem management.

"The vision of cross-border collaboration will moreover give effect to the stated objectives of the Southern African Development Community, namely synergistic regional initiatives aimed at the economic, social and conservation development of the subcontinent."

- SAPA