Tool for rural development
SA’s national parks should be playing a significant role in the rural economy as catalysts for economic and enterprise development, says SA National Parks (SANParks) CEO Fundisile Mketeni.
He sees the role of SANParks as that of a leading conservation institution, which simultaneously works to achieve excellence in tourism service.
Mketeni believes that his mandate is to provide leadership, facilitate positive change and give direction to the staff within the organisation — ensuring that both individually and collectively, employees reach their full potential.
The vision for the organisation as a whole is to manage “a sustainable national park system connecting society”.
“This implies that SA’s national parks should be connected to the societies they serve, and that they should provide focal points for cohesion within society,” he says.
As he begins his tenure at the helm of SANParks, Mketeni is under no illusion as to the challenges facing the organisation.
He points out that while wildlife crime (and rhino poaching in particular) are major obstacles that are grabbing the headlines, SANParks’ greatest challenge is to ensure that national parks remain relevant to the economic life of their adjacent communities.
Ultimately, if the organisation is able to meet this challenge, it will mean that previously excluded sectors of society will develop an enhanced sense of ownership and support for the national parks.
Indeed, the sustainability of the national parks system hinges on SANParks meeting this challenge, while at the same time managing to balance biodiversity, conservation and development within the national parks so as not to compromise their integrity.
While meeting this challenge remains a key focus, the everpresent threat imposed by rhino poaching cannot be ignored.
The situation, fuelled by a thriving black market in rhino horn, is on the increase. Between April 1 2014 and March 31 2015, a total of 1 247 rhinos were poached across the country, of which 878 (70,4%) where poached in the Kruger National Park alone.
“Unfortunately, there is no single answer that will provide the solution to rhino poaching in our national parks,” says Mketeni.
Government has developed a multipronged strategy to tackle rhino poaching head on, including dealing with the demand for rhino horn by engaging with user countries through various memoranda of understanding. Mketeni maintains that SANParks has a key role to play in this regard, by holding the line within parks such as the Kruger National Park, while other key elements of the multipronged strategy kick in.
SANParks is also a key implementer of government’s Strategic Rhino Translocation strategy, which is aimed at ensuring effective meta-population management within the country and making sure that viable rhino populations are developed within a range of areas, including on private properties.
He believes that SA is moving in the right direction in terms of its attempts to combat poaching, thanks to a cohesive effort by all sectors of security and justice, as well as support from many other sectors of society.
A case in point would be efforts made within the Kruger National Park over the past year to improve the support provided to rangers on the ground in deploying greater aerial and canine support.
In addition, Mketeni says SANParks is testing a number of technological innovations to ensure even greater support for rangers.
“A total of R1,2bn has been allocated to SANParks’ Expanded Public Works Programme for the period 2014/2015 to 2017/2018 as a way of addressing poverty levels in the areas surrounding our parks,” says Mketeni.
“In the past financial year, our visitor numbers grew by 6,6%, with over 5,5m visitors to the national parks,” he says.