iSimangaliso Wetland Park: ‘The goal is to end the...
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**** 5 International Herald Tribune | ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT | Tuesday, December 16, 2008 T here are so many different things to see and do in the iSimangaliso Wet- land Park that few risk going home disappointed. Centered around Lake St. Lu- cia, the park contains Africa’s largest estu- ary system and its southernmost coral reefs. The variety of natural beauty and abundant wildlife draw about one million vis- itors every year. Formerly known as the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park (after the name given by Por- tuguese sailors in 1576), it received its new African name in November 2007 — iSi- mangaliso, or ‘‘Miracle.’’ The name is apt. Former South African President Nelson Mandela describes it this way: ‘‘The Wetland Park must be the only place on the globe where the world’s oldest land mammal (the rhinoceros) and the world’s biggest terrestri- al mammal (the elephant) share an ecosys- tem with the world’s oldest fish (the coel- acanth) and the world’s biggest marine mammal (the whale).’’ A collection of protected areas, iSi- mangaliso has game reserves, marine re- serves, freshwater reserves, state forests and most of South Africa’s remaining swamp forests. Numerous organized tours and excursions are geared around almost every living thing on its land, waters or skies. On land, feline fanciers can take a close look at Africa’s endangered cheetahs and wild- cats at the African Wildcat Center. Reptile enthusiasts can visit a crocodile and snake center. The Web site of Go2Africa, an inde- pendent safari travel service, says: ‘‘Prob- ably the most rewarding experience is a boat trip on the lake, which provides en- counters with waterfowl, hippos, Nile cro- codiles as well as the beautiful fish eagle.’’ Photographers can go on game reserve tours and snap buffalo, rhinos, lions and leo- pards. Night drives offer sightings of porcu- pine, aardvark, elephant and antelope. Those who prefer a slower pace might enjoy a wilderness walk. There are 196 species of butterflies, and bird-watchers can identify more than 500 species on the hiking trails. iSimangaliso is also a refuge for water birds, and flocks of flamingoes and pelicans can be found feeding along the coast. The park’s marine system includes 220 kilometers (about 140 miles) of coastline facing the Indian Ocean’s warm waters and tropical reefs. Lovers of sea creatures can go whale-watching from June to November, or take a marine mammal tour for dolphins and sharks from December to May. There are even midnight turtle tours. From Novem- ber to January, visitors can watch turtles lay eggs — a spectacle available in very few countries. Swimmers can snorkel and dive in the shallow reef, and there is good fishing at Cape Vidal. Visitors can also explore the wetlands on horseback. Other activities in- clude golf, kayaking, camping and caravan- ning — there is a wide range of recreational opportunities in the park. iSimangaliso’s wealth of animal life is due to its unique diversity of ecosystems. A rare combination of coastline and game park, the site includes reefs, lakes, lagoons, thickets and woodlands, dry sand forest, bushland, beaches, grasslands and marshes. iSimangaliso also boasts Africa’s highest forested sand dunes. Monkeys, squirrels and reptiles live here. The visitor can enjoy guided tours or stroll alone. The site is as rich in culture as it is in nat- ural beauty and biodiversity. Visitors can see Zulu and Thonga arts and crafts; receive a lesson on local history, traditions, marriage rites and religion; watch tribal dancers and musicians; and even visit a witch doctor. Unesco’s 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage states that the following shall be considered as natural heritage: natural features of physical and biological formations, or groups of formations, of outstanding universal value from the aesthetic or scientific point of view; geological formations and delineated areas that constitute the habitat of threatened species of animals and plants of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation; and natural sites or delineated natural areas of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty. Visit http://whc.unesco.org Sports enthusiasts — particularly divers, who expose their watches to unique shocks and pressures — need a more resistant, and therefore larger, timepiece. Ideally, divers should also know how long they’ve been underwater and exactly how deep they are. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new line, the Master Compressor Diving series, offers three models that are designed with both professional and nonprofessional divers in mind; they provide unique precision, reliability and resistance, essential when diving. The Master Compressor Diving Pro Geographic is larger than previous models — 46.3 millimeters (1.8 inches) in diameter — for easier readability below the waves. Its casing of grade-five titanium is waterproof down to 300 meters (about 980 feet). A steel membrane inside the case expands and contracts according to the water pressure. These movements are transmitted to a hand in the middle of the dial that shows how deep the diver is, from zero to 80 meters. Since no water can enter the membrane, the gauge is 100- percent reliable. These new additions make the in- house, hand-decorated Diving Pro Geographic the showpiece for Jaeger-LeCoultre’s state-of-the-art technique. Chief Executive Officer Jérôme Lambert says, ‘‘Jaeger- LeCoultre can produce, from A to Z, inside and out, from case to movement, anything needed in a diving watch today.’’ This expertise is built on 175 years of watchmaking, Lambert adds. ‘‘Generation after generation,’’ he says, ‘‘we have grown more capable of leading the new dimension of sports watches.’’ SPOTLIGHT | Rejuvenation and national pride iSimangaliso Wetland Park: ‘The goal is to end the paradox of poverty amidst the bounty of nature’ The Master Compressor Diving watch: A gift for divers EXPLORING | Earth, water and culture From tropical reefs to Africa’s highest forested dunes What is natural heritage? Courtship display of the African Jacana. South Africa’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a Unesco World Heritage marine site, aims to balance conservation and development, protecting its biodioversity while empowering the area’s historically disadvantaged communities T he story of iSimangaliso Wetland Park — the first South African site to be in- scribed on Unesco’s World Heritage List — is tied to South Africa’s recent postdemocratic evolution. It is a tale of reju- venation and national pride. The story be- gins in the park’s coastal dunes. The park is a marine site with terrestrial components, and its dunes, formed over the past 25,000 years, rise up to 170 meters (560 feet). But what matters is underneath them: the dunes contain mineral wealth, including titani- um, ilmenite, rutile and zircon. In the late 1980s and early ’90s, the site faced a menace from miners. That the dunes held ore was not a new discovery. There is evi- dence of the use and trade of iron tools in the area from early times. But a mining com- pany wanted to look for minerals in a big way, and revealed plans to bulldoze the dunes along the eastern shore of Lake St. Lucia, the heart of the park. Opposition from conservationists and a public outcry over what was understood to be a looming ecological disaster prompted half-a-million citizens — including then-Pres- ident Nelson Mandela — to sign a no-mining petition. This led in 1996 to a government ban on industrial development in the area. It also led to the nomination of the park as a World Heritage site. But the battle was iSi- mangaliso’s defining moment. Thrust into the spotlight, it became emblematic of the new nation and the focus of an emphasis on strategic nature tourism as a spur to eco- nomic growth in the country as a whole. After outlawing mining in the park, the government went further, outlining in 1999 a strategy of development initiatives for the entire region. Together with the govern- ments of neighboring Swaziland and Mozambique, it began a drive to promote em- ployment in the area, with iSimangaliso as the core. Focusing on tourism and agricul- ture, initiatives included the creation of 4,500 temporary jobs a year for local com- munity members. Today, initiatives support local entrepreneurs; build skills in tourism, conservation and hospitality; train chefs and tour guides; provide opportunities for local contractors; and put people to work on con- struction and maintenance of park roads. Specialized initiatives, such as craft and cul- tural performance programs, target women and young people. Guy Debonnet, chief of Unesco’s Special Projects Unit, notes: ‘‘Instead of going for large-scale economic development based on resource extraction, the government de- cided to stimulate a more sustainable local development, directly benefiting the local communities.’’ These communities are among the nation’s poorest. World Heritage status, authorities believed, would help pro- duce momentum to generate opportunities for them. So great was this belief that South Africa became one of only two countries (Australia is the other) to incorporate the World Heritage Convention into national law. The World Heritage Convention Act of 1999 ensures that the country complies with the commitment it made to Unesco when pro- posing iSimangaliso as a World Heritage site. It created a special Wetland Park Au- thority to manage iSimangaliso and — per- haps its most important function — over- see the betterment of the social and economic conditions of local people. The World Heritage Convention Act gives the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority a mandate to deliver tangible benefits to com- munities living in and around the park. An- drew Zaloumis, chief executive officer of the park authority, says: ‘‘Importantly, this law laid the foundation for a new model for pro- tected area management in South Africa, as it recognized that conservation without ac- knowledging the needs of the poor people living in and around the park would ulti- mately erode its conservation status.’’ ‘‘Developing to conserve’’ is iSimangal- iso’s motto, and its objective is to safeguard its ecological wealth while empowering its historically disadvantaged communities. Adds Zaloumis: ‘‘The purpose of the devel- opment initiatives was simple but ambitious — to end the paradox of poverty amidst the bounty of nature. The park is a people's park, balancing biodiversity protection and ecosystems rehabilitation with a commit- ment to social equity and economic devel- opment.’’ The law amounts to a proud na- tional pledge for the park’s conservation. Unesco leaves countries free to make good on their obligations to World Heritage as they see fit, but considers the South African statute an example of best practice, often citing it to other World Heritage Convention signatories. The new model, combining a new nation- al consciousness and World Heritage status, has helped deal with other park is- sues. At its time of inscription in 1999, some of iSimangaliso’s landscapes had been planted with introduced species, such as eu- calyptus. Park authorities began a drive to remove foreign flora; today the park is free of commercial plantations. Seven thousand hectares (17,300 acres) of pine and euca- lyptus have been removed from its Eastern and Western Shores area, and many zones have recovered their natural vegetation. The park is also restocking animals that have disappeared. Three years ago, the cheetah was reintroduced, and the park authority has brought back many endemic species, in- cluding elephant, buffalo, black rhino, wild dog and hyena. World Heritage status has played a role here. Says Zaloumis: ‘‘The gov- ernment invested considerable resources in the World Heritage site, due to its status and its potential to deliver economic benefits. Restoration and rehabilitation of the site was an important part of the overall devel- opment and conservation strategy.’’ The fight against mining was iSimangaliso’s defining moment Male hippos fighting. NIGEL DENNIS NIGEL DENNIS ’ ’
Transcript of iSimangaliso Wetland Park: ‘The goal is to end the...
**** 5International Herald Tribune | ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT | Tuesday, December 16, 2008
T here are so many different things tosee and do in the iSimangaliso Wet-land Park that few risk going home
disappointed. Centered around Lake St. Lu-cia, the park contains Africa’s largest estu-ary system and its southernmost coralreefs. The variety of natural beauty andabundant wildlife draw about one million vis-itors every year.
Formerly known as the Greater St. LuciaWetland Park (after the name given by Por-tuguese sailors in 1576), it received its newAfrican name in November 2007 — iSi-mangaliso, or ‘‘Miracle.’’ The name is apt.Former South African President NelsonMandela describes it this way: ‘‘The WetlandPark must be the only place on the globewhere the world’s oldest land mammal (therhinoceros) and the world’s biggest terrestri-al mammal (the elephant) share an ecosys-tem with the world’s oldest fish (the coel-acanth) and the world’s biggest marinemammal (the whale).’’
A collection of protected areas, iSi-mangaliso has game reserves, marine re-serves, freshwater reserves, state forestsand most of South Africa’s remainingswamp forests. Numerous organized toursand excursions are geared around almostevery living thing on its land, waters or skies.On land, feline fanciers can take a close look
at Africa’s endangered cheetahs and wild-cats at the African Wildcat Center. Reptileenthusiasts can visit a crocodile and snakecenter. The Web site of Go2Africa, an inde-pendent safari travel service, says: ‘‘Prob-ably the most rewarding experience is aboat trip on the lake, which provides en-counters with waterfowl, hippos, Nile cro-codiles as well as the beautiful fish eagle.’’
Photographers can go on game reservetours and snap buffalo, rhinos, lions and leo-pards. Night drives offer sightings of porcu-pine, aardvark, elephant and antelope.Those who prefer a slower pace might enjoya wilderness walk. There are 196 species ofbutterflies, and bird-watchers can identifymore than 500 species on the hiking trails.iSimangaliso is also a refuge for water birds,and flocks of flamingoes and pelicans canbe found feeding along the coast.
The park’s marine system includes 220kilometers (about 140 miles) of coastlinefacing the Indian Ocean’s warm waters andtropical reefs. Lovers of sea creatures cango whale-watching from June to November,or take a marine mammal tour for dolphinsand sharks from December to May. Thereare even midnight turtle tours. From Novem-ber to January, visitors can watch turtles layeggs — a spectacle available in very fewcountries. Swimmers can snorkel and divein the shallow reef, and there is good fishingat Cape Vidal. Visitors can also explore thewetlands on horseback. Other activities in-clude golf, kayaking, camping and caravan-ning — there is a wide range of recreationalopportunities in the park.
iSimangaliso’s wealth of animal life isdue to its unique diversity of ecosystems. Arare combination of coastline and gamepark, the site includes reefs, lakes, lagoons,thickets and woodlands, dry sand forest,bushland, beaches, grasslands andmarshes. iSimangaliso also boasts Africa’shighest forested sand dunes. Monkeys,squirrels and reptiles live here. The visitorcan enjoy guided tours or stroll alone.
The site is as rich in culture as it is in nat-ural beauty and biodiversity. Visitors can seeZulu and Thonga arts and crafts; receive alesson on local history, traditions, marriagerites and religion; watch tribal dancers andmusicians; and even visit a witch doctor.[
Unesco’s 1972 ConventionConcerning the Protection of theWorld Cultural and Natural Heritagestates that the following shall beconsidered as natural heritage:natural features of physical andbiological formations, or groups offormations, of outstanding universalvalue from the aesthetic orscientific point of view; geologicalformations and delineated areasthat constitute the habitat ofthreatened species of animals andplants of outstanding universalvalue from the point of view ofscience or conservation; and naturalsites or delineated natural areas ofoutstanding universal value fromthe point of view of science,conservation or natural beauty.Visit http://whc.unesco.org
Sports enthusiasts — particularlydivers, who expose their watches tounique shocks and pressures —need a more resistant, andtherefore larger, timepiece. Ideally,divers should also know how longthey’ve been underwater andexactly how deep they are.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new line, theMaster Compressor Diving series,offers three models that aredesigned with both professional andnonprofessional divers in mind; theyprovide unique precision, reliabilityand resistance, essential whendiving. The Master CompressorDiving Pro Geographic is larger thanprevious models — 46.3 millimeters(1.8 inches) in diameter — foreasier readability below the waves.Its casing of grade-five titanium iswaterproof down to 300 meters(about 980 feet). A steel membraneinside the case expands and
contracts according to the waterpressure. These movements aretransmitted to a hand in the middleof the dial that shows how deep thediver is, from zero to 80 meters.Since no water can enter themembrane, the gauge is 100-percent reliable.
These new additions make the in-house, hand-decorated Diving ProGeographic the showpiece forJaeger-LeCoultre’s state-of-the-arttechnique. Chief Executive OfficerJérôme Lambert says, ‘‘Jaeger-LeCoultre can produce, from A to Z,inside and out, from case tomovement, anything needed in adiving watch today.’’ This expertiseis built on 175 years ofwatchmaking, Lambert adds.‘‘Generation after generation,’’ hesays, ‘‘we have grown more capableof leading the new dimension ofsports watches.’’
SPOTLIGHT | Rejuvenation and national pride
iSimangaliso Wetland Park: ‘The goal is to end the paradox of poverty amidst the bounty of nature’
The Master Compressor Diving watch: A gift for divers
EXPLORING | Earth, water and culture
From tropical reefs to Africa’s highest forested dunes
What is natural heritage?
Courtship display of the African Jacana.
South Africa’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park,a Unesco World Heritage marine site,
aims to balance conservation anddevelopment, protecting its biodioversity
while empowering the area’shistorically disadvantaged communities
T he story of iSimangaliso Wetland Park— the first South African site to be in-scribed on Unesco’s World Heritage
List — is tied to South Africa’s recentpostdemocratic evolution. It is a tale of reju-venation and national pride. The story be-gins in the park’s coastal dunes. The park isa marine site with terrestrial components,and its dunes, formed over the past 25,000years, rise up to 170 meters (560 feet). Butwhat matters is underneath them: thedunes contain mineralwealth, including titani-um, ilmenite, rutile andzircon.
In the late 1980s andearly ’90s, the site faceda menace from miners. That the dunes heldore was not a new discovery. There is evi-dence of the use and trade of iron tools inthe area from early times. But a mining com-pany wanted to look for minerals in a bigway, and revealed plans to bulldoze thedunes along the eastern shore of Lake St.Lucia, the heart of the park.
Opposition from conservationists and apublic outcry over what was understood tobe a looming ecological disaster promptedhalf-a-million citizens — including then-Pres-ident Nelson Mandela — to sign a no-miningpetition. This led in 1996 to a governmentban on industrial development in the area. Italso led to the nomination of the park as a
World Heritage site. But the battle was iSi-mangaliso’s defining moment. Thrust intothe spotlight, it became emblematic of thenew nation and the focus of an emphasis onstrategic nature tourism as a spur to eco-nomic growth in the country as a whole.
After outlawing mining in the park, thegovernment went further, outlining in 1999 astrategy of development initiatives for theentire region. Together with the govern-ments of neighboring Swaziland and
Mozambique, it begana drive to promote em-ployment in the area,with iSimangaliso asthe core. Focusing ontourism and agricul-
ture, initiatives included the creation of4,500 temporary jobs a year for local com-munity members. Today, initiatives supportlocal entrepreneurs; build skills in tourism,conservation and hospitality; train chefs andtour guides; provide opportunities for localcontractors; and put people to work on con-struction and maintenance of park roads.Specialized initiatives, such as craft and cul-tural performance programs, target womenand young people.
Guy Debonnet, chief of Unesco’s SpecialProjects Unit, notes: ‘‘Instead of going forlarge-scale economic development basedon resource extraction, the government de-cided to stimulate a more sustainable local
development, directly benefiting the localcommunities.’’ These communities areamong the nation’s poorest. World Heritagestatus, authorities believed, would help pro-duce momentum to generate opportunitiesfor them. So great was this belief that SouthAfrica became one of only two countries(Australia is the other) to incorporate theWorld Heritage Convention into national law.The World Heritage Convention Act of 1999ensures that the country complies with thecommitment it made to Unesco when pro-posing iSimangaliso as a World Heritagesite. It created a special Wetland Park Au-thority to manage iSimangaliso and — per-haps its most important function — over-see the betterment of the social andeconomic conditions of local people.
The World Heritage Convention Act givesthe iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority amandate to deliver tangible benefits to com-munities living in and around the park. An-drew Zaloumis, chief executive officer of thepark authority, says: ‘‘Importantly, this lawlaid the foundation for a new model for pro-tected area management in South Africa, asit recognized that conservation without ac-knowledging the needs of the poor peopleliving in and around the park would ulti-mately erode its conservation status.’’
‘‘Developing to conserve’’ is iSimangal-iso’s motto, and its objective is to safeguardits ecological wealth while empowering its
historically disadvantaged communities.Adds Zaloumis: ‘‘The purpose of the devel-opment initiatives was simple but ambitious— to end the paradox of poverty amidst thebounty of nature. The park is a people'spark, balancing biodiversity protection andecosystems rehabilitation with a commit-ment to social equity and economic devel-opment.’’ The law amounts to a proud na-tional pledge for the park’s conservation.Unesco leaves countries free to make goodon their obligations to World Heritage asthey see fit, but considers the South Africanstatute an example of best practice, oftenciting it to other World Heritage Conventionsignatories.
The new model, combining a new nation-al consciousness and World Heritagestatus, has helped deal with other park is-sues. At its time of inscription in 1999, someof iSimangaliso’s landscapes had been
planted with introduced species, such as eu-calyptus. Park authorities began a drive toremove foreign flora; today the park is freeof commercial plantations. Seven thousandhectares (17,300 acres) of pine and euca-lyptus have been removed from its Easternand Western Shores area, and many zoneshave recovered their natural vegetation. Thepark is also restocking animals that havedisappeared. Three years ago, the cheetahwas reintroduced, and the park authorityhas brought back many endemic species, in-cluding elephant, buffalo, black rhino, wilddog and hyena. World Heritage status hasplayed a role here. Says Zaloumis: ‘‘The gov-ernment invested considerable resources inthe World Heritage site, due to its status andits potential to deliver economic benefits.Restoration and rehabilitation of the sitewas an important part of the overall devel-opment and conservation strategy.’’[
The fight against miningwas iSimangaliso’sdefining moment
Male hippos fighting.
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