Parks/Biodiversity Management

Objectives:

The Parks Management Section is necessary in order to protect the natural fauna and flora for the benefit of present and future generations of mankind, through recreational, educational, scientific and other forms of sustainable utilisation. A vital role played by parks is the long term conservation of endangered species of flora and fauna, through the protection of their natural ecosystems. The objectives of the Parks Management Section are:

• to promote ecosystems conservation
• to promote and conserve indigenous flora and fauna and their habitats, i.e. biodiversity protection
• to promote wise use of resources outside parks (e.g. through a rationalised permit system)
• to promote conservation related tourism management of protected areas
• to eradicate non-indigenous flora and fauna from protected areas and to prevent new invasions to collect together and restore to the park or reserve a representative selection of the plants and animals which are indigenous, or are reasonably considered to have been indigenous, to the area
• to protect and preserve or to restore objects of archaeological, historical and cultural value in the protected area
• to provide facilities for scientific study to provide facilities for education (interpretation)
• to promote public appreciation of the social, economic and aesthetic value of nature conservation
• to facilitate sustainable resource utilisation within the protected area
• without compromising the foregoing objectives, to provide enjoyment to visitors to the park or reserve
• without compromising the foregoing objectives, to generate revenue

Reserve Specific Policy

Introductions

The policy with regard to introductions of fauna or flora is that for all potential introductions the following factors must be carefully considered:

• Genetic composition of donor population, and genetic composition of any existing (in the reserve) populations of that species.
• Habitat requirements of the species, size and distribution of this habitat type in the reserve.
• Effects of this species on its habitat.
• Effects on any existing (in the reserve) populations of this species.
• Effects on other species through competition, predation or other indirect effects.
• Will the population to be introduced be viable in the long term?
• Will the introduced animals cause unacceptable problems to neighbours?

If any of the above factors indicate that such introductions could be detrimental to the reserve, the introduction should not be carried out.

Management of Vegetation

In order to maintain the high biodiversity in the reserve, the area should be managed as part of a dynamic ecosystem. Management activities should not aim to try to keep the reserve in a static state.

Culling

The policy with regard to culling in the reserve is that culling should be carried out for two reasons, firstly, when there are ecological grounds for reducing the population size of the species, and secondly, in order to promote good neighbour relations through provision of affordable meat.

Existing protected areas include Malolotja, Mlawula, Mantenga and Hawane Nature Reserves.