Nine southern african countries have united in an ambitious initiative to create a new concept in conservation and tourism.
Vast transfrontier parks are in the process of being created to provide a varied and exciting experience for visitors and to preserve habitats for endangered animals and precious flora. The international scheme will also create sustainable livelihoods for communities living in these areas.
The scheme envisages links between conservation areas and parks stretching from the West Coast in Namibia to the east coast of Mozambique and South Africa. Along the way, travellers will see the deserts of the Richtersveld, the wetlands and deltas of Botswana, the largest contiguous population of elephant meandering among huge baobab trees in Zambia and Zimbabwe, the incredible variety of the Kruger National Park and its Mozambican neighbour, Parque Nacional Do Limpopo, the leatherback turtles, hippos and white rhinos of the east coast of Africa, and the dramatic mountains of Lesotho.
The statistics behind the venture are impressive: two oceans, seven transfrontier conservation areas, nine countries, 30 national parks and reserves, three major river systems, three Ramsar (wetland) sites, four biomes, seven World Heritage Sites, the world’s largest inland delta and oldest desert.
The scale of the natural beauty on offer is impressive, as is the scale of opportunity to develop this scheme into a viable and sustainable business proposition. The estimated value of investment opportunities in the whole project is about R785-million.
The concept was born out of a meeting between South African businessman Anton Rupert and Mozambique’s former president, Joaquim Chissano, in 1990. The idea of ‘peace parks’ grew into a Peace Parks Foundation to support the concept across the region. Fourteen transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) have been identified and steps have been taken to promote conservation as a tool for creating employment. The foundation estimates that, at full capacity, the region’s TFCAs could accommodate eight million visitors in a year, with massive positive economic spin-offs for local communities.
The brand
At the 2008 Tourism Indaba in Durban, the nine
participating countries agreed that the TFCA
concept needed a brand, and so Boundless
Southern Africa was born. The uniqueness of the
brand lies in offering tourists experiences based
on ecosystems rather than national boundaries.
The first major marketing initiative for the brand
is the ongoing cross-continental adventure by veteran explorer Kingsley Holgate. He set off
in the Maloti Drakensberg with the intention of
visiting each of the areas, travelling from east
to west, armed as usual with anti-malaria nets
and educational equipment. The twist to this
expedition was that it has been linked to the
2010 Fifa World Cup. Villages
along the way are
being given soccer balls and whistles and a
Boundless Southern Africa soccer tournament
will be inaugurated to further promote the brand.
The plan
The seven major transformation conservation
areas that comprise Boundless Southern Africa are:
• Ai-Ais-Richtersveld – Namibia, South Africa
Three national parks, a conservancy and a
provincial reserve make up a total of 6 045
square kilometres. Includes the desert,
Ai-Ais hot water springs, Orange River and
Fish River Canyon.
• Kgalagadi – South Africa, Botswana Formerly
each nation had a Gemsbok National Park.
Attractions include the Kalahari Desert and
its unique lions.
• Kavango Zambezi – Angola, Namibia,
Zambia, Zimbabwe Four national parks, one
game reserve, several forest reserves. The
Okavango is the world’s biggest inland delta.
Includes the Zambezi River, Victoria Falls,
Makgadigadi Pans, baobab trees.
•
Limpopo-Shashe – Botswana, Zimbabwe,
South Africa Mapungubwe National Park,
Northern Tuli Game Reserve, private game
farms. Iron Age civilisations, San paintings,
famous free-ranging Tuli elephants.
• Great Limpopo – South Africa, Mozambique,
Zimbabwe Kruger National Park, Limpopo
National Park, Gonarezhou National Park,
Manjinji Pan Sanctuary, Malipati Safari Park.
Now 35 000 square kilometres, planned
to expand to 100 000. Biggest white-rhino
population (3 000) in the world, rare
antelope, 147 mammal species.
• Lubombo – Swaziland, South Africa,
Mozambique Five ecosystems, leatherback
turtles, World Heritage Site (iSimangaliso
Wetlands Park), Songimvelo Nature
Reserve, mountains of Malolotja Nature
Reserve, Royal Jozini Big Six, Pongolapoort
Dam developments, Tembe Elephant Park,
Maputo Special Reserve.
• Maloti Drakensberg – South Africa, Lesotho
The highest points of two mountain
ranges: the Drakensberg and the
Maloti.
Four national parks, three reserves,
Lets’eng-la-Letsie wetlands. World Heritage
Site (uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park),
elevations above 3 000m, impressive
waterfalls, Sani Pass, adventure tourism.
Mpumalanga
The province of Mpumalanga has two areas that
fall under the Boundless Southern Africa scheme.
This falls under the Great Limpopo Transfrontier
Conservation Area.
The southern section of the Kruger National Park has long been an important component of the province’s tourist offering. This area is already well developed in terms of tourist facilities, but the transfrontier development taking place on the province’s border with Swaziland is a new and exciting venture.
The project will link the Songimvelo Game Reserve, administered by the Mpumalanga Parks Board, with Swaziland’s Malolotja Nature Reserve to create a 67 000-hectare park. The defining feature of the area is the impressive Drakensberg escarpment, and there is a wide variety of animals in the area. A number of rare plants have also been identified in the region, with the most significant being the last surviving wild population of the woolly cycad. Investment opportunities include the creation of tented lodges, 4x4 trails and a family lodge at Malolotja.
KEY CONTACTS
Boundless Southern Africa: www.boundlesssa.com
Kingsley Holgate: www.kingsleyholgate.co.za
