SOUTHERN AFRICA TFCAS

|Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park

Progress Report

1997 - 2008

  • Stories | people [© 2009 Francois Poolman]An MoU toward the establishment of |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park was signed by the respective Ministers of the Environment on 17 August 2001. This was preceded by extensive community consultations, as Richtersveld National Park is owned by the Richtersveld communities and jointly managed with SANParks. This management structure allows full participation by the local communities through elected members representing the four towns in the area (Kuboes, Sanddrift, Lekkersing and Eksteenfontein), as well as the local pastoralists.
  • In 2001 the partner countries appointed an international coordinator to be the driving force in the transfrontier park's development; the position was funded by the Foundation.
  • Stories | people [© 2009 Peace Parks]Presidents Nujoma and Mbeki signed a treaty establishing the transfrontier park on 1 August 2003.
  • While |Ai-|Ais Hot Springs and the Fish River Canyon on the Namibian side offered good accommodation, Richtersveld National Park had limited facilities. The South African government's poverty relief fund supported the upgrading of roads and Nama huts for educational purposes, and the construction of entrance gates, four new rest camps and the establishment of socio-ecology offices.
  • The Joint Management Board was appointed in 2004 and subsequently drafted the management, tourism and financial plans.
  • To guide the development of the Orange River borderline, 18 scientists from varying disciplines formed an informal interest group, the Gariep Transfrontier Research Group, which will collaborate with Biota Southern Africa to develop a database of the area's ecological and socio-economic factors.
  • Stories | something... [© 2007 Antoinette Goosen] An entrance gate to |Ai-|Ais Hot Springs Game Park was built at Dreigat.
  • The TFCA route was chosen by both partner countries as the most effective way for the region to benefit from the 2010 World Cup Soccer event.
  • The pontoon at Sendelingsdrift was refurbished and customs and immigration offices, as well as staff housing on both sides of the Orange River are being built to enable the opening of a tourism access facility in 2007.

    • Stories | boat on lake [© 2007 Dries Engelbrecht]

  • On 16 October 2007, Namibia and South Africa's Ministers for Home Affairs opened the Sendelingsdrift Tourist Access Facility, thus enabling tourists and local communities to travel between Namibia and South Africa through the Transfrontier Park.

    On the same day, the ministers for the Environment from the two countries officially commissioned the restored pontoon that allows visitors to cross the Orange River.

    "This pontoon symbolises joint approaches to tourism across a shared border," said Minister Konjore of Namibia. "We are no longer planning tourism country by country. We are looking at regional tourism planning and seeing how best we can harness it for the benefit of all".

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  • Stories | people [© 2009 Peace Parks]A key figure of any transfrontier conservation area and/or park is the international coordinator who serves as the driving force of its development. Among other things, that person encourages the effective functioning of the Joint Management Board (JMB) and its management committees that discuss and resolve matters pertaining to conservation, tourism, security and finance. For the first time since 2003, the coordination rotated to Namibia in May 2008 and in the ensuing months international coordinator Mr Karl Aribeb expended a lot of energy on strengthening existing structures and enhancing new opportunities.
  • Donor funding will be raised to build a bridge at the confluence of the Orange and Fish rivers, on the arterial road traversing the Ai-Ais Hot Springs Game Park. At the moment this road becomes impassable for up to four months every time the Fish River is in flood. A management plan for the game park is also being developed, as well as an access control point on the eastern boundary of the park.
  • In August the JMB approved the joint management plan as a guideline document. In terms of article 4 of the treaty, the JMB has also been investigating the feasibility of establishing a TFCA in order to cooperate with adjacent freehold and community landowners involved in compatible land-use practices. Their research was based on the integrated conservation development plans of Namibia and South Africa, and the Lower Orange River Management Study. The studies identified biodiversity, cultural and economical justifications for expanding the project to cover selected areas from Oranjemund in the west to Augrabies Falls National Park in the east, and found that a phased development of the area would be feasible. This culminated in the JMB's decision at its November meeting to extend work to areas beyond the boundaries of the Transfrontier Park.
  • On 1 August 2003 the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld International Treaty, as well as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop the Iona/Skeleton Coast TFCA were signed. The Ministers for the Environment at the time expressed the idea of creating a conservation area that would stretch from |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld along Namibia's coast into Angola. The subsequent proclamation of the Sperrgebiet National Park on 1 December 2008 was therefore of great significance. Namibia's entire coastline is now protected and the Sperrgebiet having been closed to the public for so long, is a biodiversity treasure trove with about 1 050 plant species, 56 vegetation types, 35 coastal and marine bird species, 60 wetland and 120 terrestrial bird species, 80 terrestrial and 38 marine mammal species, 100 reptile species and 16 frog species. The Namibian government is envisaging a conservation area that links the Sperrgebiet National Park to the envisaged |Ai-|Ais/Richterveld TFCA.