People and Parks

People and Conservation

School children having the experience of a lifetime in a camp full of learning and fun in the bush. Communities starting to use water more efficiently or planting a food garden. Elders reviving indigenous knowledge about the medicinal use of fynbos. These are just a few exciting examples of the unique and rewarding work of the People and Conservation specialists of SANParks.

The natural and cultural heritage of the South African parks should be the pride and joy of everyone. The People and Conservation division creates the crucial connection between the daily work of rangers and the South African people. Talking to people is a core business for SANParks - nowadays just as important as tourism and conservation.

People and Conservation enlarges understanding, support and participation – particularly amongst neighbouring communities and young people. National parks have a bright future in South Africa if they manage to bring local benefits to the people living around the parks, and if they can inspire the youth of today to be the ambitious conservationists of tomorrow. So what is the mission of the People and Conservation specialists?

Community-based Conservation

Explaining to neighbouring communities what the parks are doing and why is very important and has been neglected in the past. By promoting conservation, improving park access, assisting with environmental initiatives and inviting local people to discuss and cooperate in future policies – the parks are taking up a responsible role in society. Thanks to this people are starting to see their SANParks neighbour as a benefit – and not a burden.

Working with communities and building long term relationships with them involves more than saying hello to each other every day over the fence of a national park!

People and Conservation works hard at building understanding and support for biodiversity conservation within communities living around our parks, and also works on improving how communities can access our national parks for cultural, spiritual and recreational purposes. People and Conservation also assists communities to decide how to use their natural resources wisely and live sustainable lifestyles.

The community work done by People and Conservation covers a wide variety of projects. Some examples include:

• education and awareness projects
• setting up food gardens
• indigenous nurseries
• interpretation of medicinal plant use
• forest rehabilitation projects
• performing arts and craft projects.

The programmes are usually aimed at communities neighboring the parks, but sometimes people living in the parks – staff, workers from the expanded pulic works projects – are also targeted.

Park Forums

The establishing and managing of Park Forums has recently been one of the biggest leaps forward for SANParks.

Conservation cannot function without involvement of surrounding communities, local stakeholders and other interested and affected parties. Communities are encouraged to actively participate in the management of their local park and raise issues affecting their lives and the environment. The scope of concern is extensive, particularly in the rural areas and ranges from HIV/aids through to employment, and issues like the security of park fences. Representatives are elected by the community who help to minimize friction between the park and its neighbours.

Environmental Education

There is no better classroom for conservation lessons than a national park. Every year hundreds of schools visit the parks. Many children see, hear and smell the wonders of nature for the first time and learn a lot in the process. What does an elephant eat? Why is a snake important too? Why should we not litter? From day programmes, to the celebrated Kids in Parks camp to special calendar events: environmental education opens young people’s eyes.

For most schoolchildren a visit to a national park is an unforgettable day, but more than this, it is also a crucial learning experience. Many of the children that are brought into our parks have been told or taught very little about South Africa’s unique flora and fauna and the necessity of environmental protection and eco-friendly behaviour.

That is why Environment Education is one of the priorities of the People and Conservation division, with some extra attention going to rural and poorer communities. Poverty and inequality contributes substantially to environmental degradation. SANParks is privileged to be able to welcome South Africans from all different backgrounds and talk passionately about the conservation mission of the national parks.

Many parks offer day programs for primary and secondary schools, for free or for a small fee to cover the costs. The variety of lessons offered throughout the country is wide - water use, job opportunities, the Big 5 - but the main message about the importance of biodiversity is the core of all programs.

Some parks, like Golden Gate Highlands National Park, take in children for multiple days and combine education with outdoor activities like hiking, abseiling and horse riding. Other parks occasionally organize these kind of camps often through the Kids in Parks programme. But that is not all. People and Conservation officers organize special programmes on calendar days like Arbour Day or Wetlands Day to drive home messages about conserving the environment. There are puppet shows, after school learning activities, interpretive walks, the Morula Kids competition and adventure activities that children can participate in.

Many of the displays that are found in the parks are also created by People and Conservation. An impressive and renowned example is the Elephant Hall in Kruger's Letaba camp. There visitors can gaze at the tusks of the Magnificent Seven or find information on the current biggest tuskers before going out to find them in the park!

Cultural Heritage

National parks are often hotspots of cultural heritage and play a major role in reviving indigenous knowledge and oral history. Cultural sites draw tourism, but can also enhance SANParks relationship with communities outside the parks. Rock art, Iron Age sites, traditional sacred grounds or an old colonial building: conservation and management of cultural heritage is an equal counterpart of nature conservation.

From the spectacular African history of Mapungubwe Hill or the famous red-and-white lighthouse at Africa’s southernmost point in Agulhas to the storytelling of the Nama people – conservation and exhibition of cultural heritage lies very much at the heart of SANParks activities.

Many known historical sites can be found in national parks and some are already open for the public. However, a lot of cultural sites, rock art shelters, burial grounds and historical buildings still need to be identified and protected-and People and Conservation play a active role in this. Besides their role as custodians sites of cultural and historical significance, People and Conservation promotes indigenous knowledge and facilitates the traditional passing on of oral history. Not only will all of this boost national pride and the rediscovery of lost identities – it also opens up opportunities for increased tourism, improved relations with communities, education and job creation.

Current opportunities for cultural tourism include:

Archaeological sites – The historical wonders of Mapungubwe can be admired by booking a guided heritage tour. Popular sites in Kruger National Park include Thulamela and Masorini. Most other parks also have a variety of Stone Age and Iron Age sites.

Rock art – Impressive and very old rock art was left by San and Khoekhoen throughout South Africa. Parks like Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site, Tsitsikamma National Park, Mountain Zebra National Park and Kruger National Park offer opportunities to visit those shelters.

Historical buildings – From remnants of old kingdoms to old colonial buildings and the Agulhas Lighthouse.

Fossils – Look for them in Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Karoo National Park, and Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Site,or find Eve’s footprints in the West Coast National Park.

Ancestral graves – Can be found in most parks.

Historical war sites – Battlegrounds of the Anglo-Boer war can be found in Golden Gate Highlands National Park.

Traditional storytelling – Oral history associated with specific sites, indigenous fauna and flora is important in for example Namaqua National Park, Richtersveld National Park, and Augrabies Falls National Park.

Local Cultural Experiences – Indigenous music, dance and other cultural performances are sometimes offered by cultural groups in various parks.

Further information may be found on www.sanparks.org

Youth Development

Awareness and support of the country’s youth is conditional for successful biodiversity conservation. Through exciting programs for youth leaders and secondary school learners SANParks challenges people to consider a career in conservation. Wise elders – former rangers – are involved to share their knowledge and experience. The full support and participation of young South African people is vital for the future of conservation and national parks in our country.

Social Science Research

What damage do animals cause in communities? Are the educational programs efficient? What prominent black rangers have worked in the parks? Social science research answers these kinds of questions and provides SANParks staff with essential insight and information to do their everyday jobs.

Working with people is a priority for SANParks. The organisation gets its fresh ideas and information that helps to optimize its daily work and decisions from Social Science Research. The quantity and quality of this research in the parks has increased remarkably since the inception of the Social Science Research unit in 2004. In the previous year 41 research projects were conducted on a range of topics including archaeology, womens rights, community/park relations, legislation and the demand for social and spiritual benefits of protected areas.

Social Science Research is managed from head office in Pretoria. The unit initiates, coordinates and monitors all research which focuses on the interface between people, parks and conservation. It then makes sure the research results find their way to managers and specialists – so it can be used as input for informed decisions in park planning, interventions and development. The unit also promotes and markets Social Science Research in SANParks to researchers and academic institutions and related organizations.

In the past when scientists were doing research on things such as population studies of lions or elephants little consideration was given to the need for studies around the people and parks’ interface. It has only been in the last decade that the importance of engaging with local communities and a whole range of constituencies has come forward. This was highlighted more recently at the World Parks Congress (2003) which was hosted by South Africa. It is now acknowledged worldwide that protected areas can no longer be managed as islands using a ‘fences and fines’ mentality. The future existence of those areas hangs on the ability of local communities and conservation agencies to engage and resolve issues around sustainable development.

During 2006 the Social Science Research Committee was constituted. This body plays a key role in monitoring and ensuring quality research and playing an educational and supportive role to researchers. The members provide SANParks with an excellent networking opportunity and provide guidance and assistance with social science issues. The committee comprises specialists in various fields of social science from a broad range of tertiary education and research institutions including specialists from SANParks' Conservation Services.