Issued by: Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
11 December 1997
South Africa has identified St. Lucia as its anchor tourism investment project in the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative (SDI). The Tourism development programme is designed to prevent this rare ecosystem, one of South Africa's great natural assets, from being despoiled by mining activities. To support this programme and to ensure that increased economic development and job creation does not lead to the destruction of St. Lucia, we have also decided to implement a far-reaching Strategic Environmental Management Framework.
The tourism and conservation plan for the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, devised as part of the Lubombo Spatial Development Iniative (SDI), is a follow-up to the Cabinet's decision in 1995 to place an embargo on mining for heavy minerals on the Eastern Shores of St. Lucia.
It indicates government's commitment to conserve the remarkable beauty of this natural heritage site for all South Africans and their future generations.
This 218 000-hectare tract of state land has the largest estuarine system in Africa, some of the best Big Five game reserves on the subcontinent and a stretch of coastline that consists of stunning beaches, coral reefs and abundant marine mammals. It offers an almost unique ability to combine wildlife safaris with high quality coastal recreation - and could thus become an internationally competitive tourism destination.
"Government has adopted the Lubombo SDI as part of its commitment to promote economic development and job-creation in KwaZulu-Natal. The SDI aims to attract some R300-million in private sector investment into the Greater St. Lucia Park over the next five years. This will be used to create a set of new game lodges, coastal resorts and cultural villages in a way that is compatible with the ecological integrity of the region," says Dr. Z. Pallo Jordan, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.
"As part of this plan, the Cabinet has given the go-ahead for the creation of a new Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park Authority to manage the development and conservation of the system's biological diversity on behalf of the country's citizens."
The model for this Authority is based on the best practices we have been able to identify in other parts of the world where national environmental assets are subjected to careful commercial use. Government has especially been influenced by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the Kakadu National Park Board of Management in Australia. A further bench marking exercise will be undertaken in the new year.
The Authority will be a coalition of stakeholders in the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park and government through the relevant line functions and adjacent communities. This includes affected state departments such as Land Affairs, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government as the responsible authority for nature conservation in the province, as well as the Departments of Economic Affairs and Tourism, Traditional Affairs and the new provincial conservation authority.
Many land claims have been lodged against parts of the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park. The SDI is awaiting the outcome of the land claim process presently being undertaken by the Land Claims Commission and Department of Land Affairs in line with the Restitution of Land Rights Act of 1994. Considerable progress in this regard has been made. The Authority will accommodate the outcome of this land claim process.
The Authority will provide a clear regulatory framework in which to accommodate increased private sector investment and partnerships with the local communities, with the ongoing conservation and protection of this incredibly beautiful and important tract of land. The authority will therefore enable the removal of conflict and red tape associated with tourism development in these areas in the past, and allow transparent and competitive private sector involvement.
"To ensure that increased economic development and job-creation does not lead to the destruction of St. Lucia's ecosystems, we have also decided to support the development and implementation of a far-reaching Strategic Environmental Management Framework. this will guide all future development initiatives in the region.", said Minister Jordan.
A top team of ecologists and technical experts have been appointed to work with national, provincial and local government agencies on this consultative process over the next nine months.
We believe this mechanism will enable us to combine far-reaching economic growth with environmental care in a way that takes into account the wishes and needs of the region's residents, and which rapidly delivers on national Cabinet's decision.
Further details will be announced at a media briefing by Minister Jordan on 11 December 1997, 14h00.
For more information contact:
Cassandra Gabriel, Public Relations Officer - Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. Ph: (012) 325 2581 / 3129 587, Cell - 082 573 4168