| Summary |
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Title:
Blyde River Canyon National Park |
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Duration:
July 2001 - ongoing |
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Donors:
Sabi
Sand Wildtuin; Core government
funding from DEAT
and MPB. |
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Partners:
Please see PDF Brochure, at bottom,
for full details. |
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Contact:
Christopher Clarke, chris@xnet.co.za |
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Overview
This project is borne out of a
bioregional conservation and development programme
planned for the Central Lowveld and Escarpment
bioregion of Mpumalanga and Limpopo Provinces
in South Africa. The initiative is a cooperative
partnership between the World Conservation Union
(IUCN) and the Department of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism (DEAT). The initiative targets primarily
the protected areas along the upper catchments
of the northeast Drakensberg Escarpment, linking
them to integrate mountain grasslands and montane
forests with Lowveld mixed woodland and savannah
systems. The Blyde Canyon is the third largest
canyon in the world and is renowned for spectacular
views, peaks, deep ravines, sheer cliffs, towering
mountains, plunging waterfalls and fast-flowing
streams. This bioregional initiative offers a
trans-provincial vehicle for transformation that
seeks to advance the conservation and tourism
economies of the Central Lowveld sub-region. The
initiative aims to link people and ecosystems
in a way that maximizes sustainable benefits through
responsible tourism development, and seeks to
restore valuable ecosystem goods and services
provided by the Blyde complex. The Blyde River
initiative also promotes a new model park that
is consistent with national development objectives
while protecting the country's natural and cultural
heritage.
The Blyde River Canyon National Park project
has now completed its 2-year detailed planning
phase. The economic indicators are positive and
the park aims to inject R550 million into the
local economy over the next 10 years, with leveraged
multipliers, secondary enterprise linkages, and
a total job creation capacity of 6,500 (permanent
and temporary). The potential for contributing
to national biodiversity targets and critical
ecosystem functioning is equally compelling. The
park is positioned to be an effective vehicle
for socioeconomic transformation in the sub-region
and will be the first national park to be assigned
to a province in accordance with provisions in
the new protected areas legislation.
Blyde
River Canyon National Park: In the heart of Mapulaneng
(PDF brochure)
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