The partnership is essential to ensure a uniform framework for the protection, management and socio-economic beneficiation of the open system conservation footprint.

The partnership is essential to ensure a uniform framework for the protection, management and socio-economic beneficiation of the open system conservation footprint.

SKUKUZA – Three years of hard work, consulting and thinking should lead to a bigger and better-managed total conservation area.

This is the vision and reason for the cooperative partnership agreement signed between SANParks and state and private reserves with the Greater Kruger area, as well as communal areas on the western border of the Kruger National Park.

This agreement follows the establishment of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP) in December 2002, when the three heads of state of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe signed a treaty that made provision for the expansion of the GLTP by integrating the Limpopo National Park (LNP), KNP and Gonarezhou National Park (GNP).

The signing ceremony took place in Skukuza last week. CEO of SANParks, Fundisile Mketeni said that the agreement seeks to address conservation matters and make the most of opportunities within the open system of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP) and surrounding conservation areas.

“The partnership is essential to ensure a uniform framework for the protection, management and socio-economic beneficiation of the open system conservation footprint, including the regularisation of the conservation area network,” he said.

According to Mketeni, the KNP should benefit people in many ways. Apart from the purpose of conservation, it should also help to fight poverty and grow tourism. “There should be a national benefit from conservation, and the way we manage it should bring hope to neighbouring people too,” he said.