Category: News

 

World Rhino Day is celebrated on the 22nd of September every year to inspire people to acknowledge this iconic species. The day spotlights the importance of rhinos and raises much needed awareness and education on how people can be part of the solution to protect rhino. This past Friday, a life-size rhino sculpture was unveiled at the Durban harbour, recognizing the importance of rhino conservation. This rhino idea was inspired by the late Stephanie Seaward, who noticed how visiting seafarers to the centre took great delight in anything iconic of Africa.

Durban Seafarers’ Mission, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and WILDTRUST partnered to unveil a life-size rhino in celebration of World Rhino Day. Rhinos are poached in South Africa every day with the onslaught of poaching continuing throughout various parastatal and privately owned rhino reserves. Peter Houston, Chairman of the Mission to Seafarers comments, “We want to use our unique position in Durban to show seafarers the plight of rhinos in South Africa. As many seafarers come from Asia, we hope to spread awareness about rhino conservation right into the heart of where rhino products are consumed and even raise funds to adopt a real rhino at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve in support of WILDTRUST’s Adopt-A-Rhino campaign.”

WILDTRUST CEO, Dr Roelie Kloppers joined in the celebrations and had this to say, “WILDTRUST’s vision of a thriving and resilient world drives our passion for rhino conservation. We say no to rhino poaching and we will continue to pursue opportunities to raise awareness about this crisis both in South Africa and the world. We want to congratulate the Durban Mission To Seafarers for showing support to our rhino conservation efforts and we wish them a successful campaign that will see our project support rhino conservation efforts at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve.”

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife recognizes the partnership and support of all stakeholders involved in conservation efforts across the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Ezemvelo’s East Regional Manager, Mr Cedric Coetzee mentioned that “Ezemvelo is delighted to have the involvement of the Mission to Seafarers NGO assist in the Save-the-Rhino campaign. An awareness initiative of this kind is most significant, as it showcases this critical megaherbivore species to international seafarers that can make an impact, sharing the conservation message to family and friends afar.”

Should you wish to view and / or donate to this campaign, visit: https://wildtrust.co.za/support-us/ , search for the “HELP SUPPORT THE SEAFARERS SAVE THE RHINO” graphic and donate. The minimum target is R25 000 and we appeal to the public to help us exceed this target so we can do more in fighting for the rhino’s survival. This campaign will run for as long as it receives the support it deserves. Rhino conservation is an on-going process which all South Africans, Africans, and the globe, should support, to avoid this iconic species becoming extinct.

WILDTRUST is proud to announce its partnership with Jeep® Apparel SA, a global brand on a journey to a zero-emission future. As part of this new strategy, it recognises the power trees have to improve the quality of our planet and individual well-being. In keeping with this commitment, Jeep® Apparel has partnered with WILDTRUST through its WILDLANDS programme to bring the OneTeeOneTree initiative to life.

“Jeep® Apparel aims to plant 6000 new indigenous trees in South Africa, with a vision of planting even more next year,” commented their Marketing Manager Jonathan Bradbury. “Although we believe Jeep is not just planting trees – we are planting hope, cleaning the air, strengthening our communities, and creating economic opportunities.”

The fashion brand is fulfilling this commitment in collaboration with its customers and WILDTRUST and for every 100% organic cotton Jeep® Apparel ladies’ or men’s t-shirt sold, WILDTRUST will plant a tree.

Jeep® Apparel is working with the WILDLANDS and community Tree-preneurs to restore degraded forest, grasslands, savanna, and fynbos landscapes, combating land degradation, adapting South Africa’s landscape, and preparing for climate change.

“Tree-preneurs are local community members who grow indigenous trees at their homesteads and barter them with the Trust for livelihood support,” commented WILDTRUST CEO Dr Roelie Kloppers. “Our teams, together with Tree-preneurs work to re-establish ecosystem function and resilience. All the trees are planted into restoration sites and we ensure that the trees are looked after and contribute to national and global targets for restoration, reforestation, and carbon sequestration.”

“We are extremely proud to partner with Jeep® Apparel on this campaign and hope it will raise awareness of climate change and the actions we can take for a better tomorrow. This campaign does not only address environmental issues, but also supports our network of unemployed Tree-preneurs who are actively growing the trees that will be planted,” commented Kloppers.

“We believe every contribution is essential, and we thank our customers for doing their bit. These trees will help build hope, community, and a cleaner future,” said Bradbury. “The T-shirts can be bought online (https://www.jeepapparel.co.za/sustainability/ ) or at any of our 9 Jeep® concept stores nationwide.”

WILDTRUST continues to pursue the realisation of its vision of ‘a thriving and resilient world’ through biodiversity conservation, empowering and uplifting communities as well as advocating and protecting wildlife through its two core programmes – WILDLANDS and WILDOCEANS.

In celebration of Women’s Day 2022, WILDTRUST, through their Ocean Alive Project based in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park invited women from in and around the Marine Protected Area to their 3Community Resource Hubs to discuss several topics that affect the women of Northern Zululand.

Two hubs were launched late last year as valuable spaces for communities, namely Mabibi and KwaDapha. The third in eNkovukeni is under construction but this didn’t stop the tenacious women of the area from congregating on the plot of land set to be developed into the hub to discuss matters of importance to them.

Mabibi invited female elders of the community for a cup of tea and scones to a resource mapping session, where knowledge was imparted on where natural resources are found locally, how best to preserve them, and their use to the people and the land they inhabit. This session was aimed at the youth and acted as an important transfer of knowledge to the younger generation to be reminded how the order of the land once was and still can be.

When asked their thoughts before the session the youth commented about being mildly intimidated by the conversations to be had but were relieved after the session to learn that the older methods did what scientific intervention now aims to do, preserve the natural environment for all while having enough to use.

“It was inspiring to see how much knowledge the women of Mabibi have when it comes to caring for the natural environment and their dedication in sharing this knowledge to ensure future generations can reap the benefits of calling Mabibi home,” commented Siphamandla Masuku after the session.

KwaDapha held a session on Gender Based Violence in parallel to women’s empowerment and the eNkovukeni hub, hosted a local resource expo where indigenous knowledge was shared about key local species, plants, trees, and fish and how to use the natural resources sustainably.

“It is an honour to have been invited to speak on my connection to the ocean and my voice to be valued as a resident of eNkovukeni,” said Lungile Vumase, a female farmer. “For as long as I could remember it has always been the ocean and the people and vice versa, as a young girl I was taught to understand the ocean by looking at the stages of the moon, that is when we would know it is welcoming us to harvest mussels and fish. Things over the years have changed a lot, the link between people and the ocean has been compromised, and we now also must rely on other things to indicate if the ocean has enough provisions for us. Because taking without permission always leads to tragedy.”

This session which explored the interconnectedness between plants, trees, fish, the ocean, and community resulted in discussion around the need for systems to be put in place to help keep this nformation for generations to come. ‘’Asikucelayo ukuthi abazayo bazi ukuthi imvelo iyahlonishwa” translated into English means “Our plea is for those in the future to know that nature is respected.”

“It is so heart-warming to see the hubs buzzing with so many powerful women,” said WILDTRUST Project Manager Nozi Mbongwa. Thank you to the Blue Action Fund, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the Isimangaliso Wetland Park Authority for their support of the Oceans Alive Project. Without them none of these important engagements, discussions and ultimately action would be possible.”

Sadly, since the beginning of 2022, more than 100 rhinos were killed in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) game reserves.

Amid these heart-breaking losses the team at Somkhanda Community Game Reserve, a 12 000ha reserve nestled in the heart of Northern KZN supported by WILDTRUST, a leading environmental non-profit organisation with a vision of a thriving and resilient world; made it a priority to dehorn their rhino population at the reserve as a crucial anti-poaching strategy to deter poachers from this community-owned reserve.

Almar Container Group is excited to join the WILDTRUST Adopt-A-Rhino programme which is designed to assist the reserve to receive a consistent flow of funding to safeguard its rhino population for future generations.

Rhino dehorning is a non-invasive and safe procedure that is done approximately every 18 months. How is a dehorning process carried out?

• Rhinos are usually darted from a helicopter by the vet.
• Once the rhino is down, a pen is used to mark the point of entry – usually 7cm from the base of the front horn and 5cm from the base of the back horn.
• While under anaesthesia a chainsaw is used to cut the horn off horizontally.
• Eyes and ears are covered to prevent noise / disturbance / damage from the saw.
• The stump is trimmed to remove excess horn at the base, then smoothed.
• On completion, the vet wakes the rhino up and observes that he/she is well from a distance.

The Almar SA team has named our adopted rhino Ajani meaning ‘he who wins the struggle’ and are grateful for the opportunity to help safeguard this white rhino from poachers.

“Saving rhino from extinction is a rallying call to our partners, donors, and the communities where we work. We are extremely fortunate to work on the frontlines of rhino conservation and to be able to contribute directly to range expansion and species survival across various reserves and community areas,” explains WILDTRUST CEO, Dr. Roelie Kloppers.

“There is still so much to do, but we draw strength from every ranger working tirelessly in the field, every facilitator raising awareness in their communities, and every donor, partner, and supporter who contributes to our work,” Roelie concludes.

Almar is also happy to announce that Ajani has been dehorned and was fitted with a new collar which is tracked by the reserve management via the Earth Ranger system which allows the team to have live information on him, ensuring his safety and security at all times.

It has been four years since Somkhanda last had a rhino poaching incident, proving the success of dehorning as part of the anti-poaching strategy to keep poachers away from the reserve.

Watch the launch VIDEO:  https://fb.watch/dRlTAgKV4_/

Last week welcomed significant news and positive movement for marine conservation in South Africa – a country that sits in the top five as a global hotspot for shark and ray diversity – as the WILDTRUST announced the launch of its newest marine campaign called ‘ON THE BRINK’.

‘ON THE BRINK’ is a campaign underwriting a 3-year project called ‘Sanctuary for Sharks & Rays’ driven by WILDTRUST, in partnership with the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) and funded by the Rainforest Trust with co-funding from Oceans 5 and the Shark Conservation Fund.

This national campaign for sharks and rays aims to highlight the importance and value of new sanctuary areas in South Africa’s Ocean for the species and to strengthen support for the designation and establishment of Protected Areas, and their effective management. With around 200 species in our waters – South Africa can be a ‘lifeboat’ for the species. South Africa is ‘on the brink’ of expansion for the protection of our sharks and rays, or ultimately extinction for the species – the choice is ours.

Sharks and rays are arguably one of the most endangered species on the planet, with it being reported in 2021 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that a third of the world’s shark and ray species are threatened. We are already too late for two species. The Largetooth Sawfish and Green Sawfish are now considered locally extinct in South Africa.

“This project is a result of many years of collaboration, research, and partnerships in marine conservation. New data is telling us that of almost 90 of some 200 shark and ray species found in South Africa’s oceans, only 28% of their range is currently protected within Marine Protected Areas (5% of our mainland waters). The expansion of 5% to 10% of our ocean in Marine Protected Areas will potentially almost double their protection – protecting up to 50% of their range,” said Dr Jean Harris, Executive Director of the WILDOCEANS programme at WILDTRUST.

In the same week, and also announced at the ‘ON THE BRINK’ launch event, South Africa’s second National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (NPOA-Sharks II) was released, stating it builds on the achievements and lessons learned from NPOA-Sharks I and closely follows the recommendations of the Shark expert panel that was elected.

“We are very proud of everyone who came on board to collaborate on this plan. It shows everything we have done to change our fisheries and how to improve things. It has a comprehensive roadmap which details how we can conserve our Chondrichthyes in South Africa, from research to management and monitoring. It also has a comprehensive review of the sharks that are caught in our various fisheries and highlights what we have done to reduce catches in sharks with a reduction in catches by 50%,” commented Charlene da Silva, Production Scientist, Fisheries research and development for the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment.

The campaign name and logo, ‘ON THE BRINK’ has made use of negative space in its graphic implementation under the concept that we know what should be there, but it isn’t. The two arrows that make up the non-existent ‘N’ reinforce the concept of extinction vs expansion – that we can either eradicate species from our waters or grow them.

“This is the precipice that ‘ON THE BRINK’ aims to highlight. Negative space allows one to see something that is both there and not there at the same time and this duality defines the message of the campaign. A world without sharks and rays could be the reality for future generations, and its impact runs far deeper than what the general public might assume,” said Lauren van Nijkerk, WILDTRUST Campaign & Communications Director.

42% of chondrichthyan species (sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras) occurring within South African waters are threatened, either Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered. Two of the 29 species listed as Endangered are South African endemics and only found in our waters – namely the Puffadder shyshark and Twineye skate. However, considering that two species are already considered locally extinct in our waters and with negative trends such as habitat destruction, illegal fishing and fisheries and climate change and economic development gaining momentum – we need to increase protection or risk further extinctions.

The hope is for an additional 5% ocean protection for South Africa in achieving our global commitment of 10%, which will include critical habitats and areas for slow growing species which are late to mature and produce few young. The creation of sanctuaries for sharks and rays in South Africa is critical for their increased protection and the health of our ocean and our people.

South Africa is ‘on the brink’ of expansion for the protection of our sharks and rays, or ultimately extinction for the species – the choice is ours.

Please follow ‘ON THE BRINK’ here for campaign updates and actions:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onthebrinksa
• Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/onthebrinksa/
• Twitter – https://twitter.com/OnTheBrinkSA
• TAKE ACTION at onthebrinksa.co.za
• Watch the launch VIDEO clip: https://fb.watch/dRlTAgKV4_/

2021 drew to a close and with it, the WILDLANDS’ Rural Sustainable Enterprise Development and Skills Strengthening Programme, funded by the Walmart Foundation.

The programme is a three-year small business skills training grant which WILDLANDS obtained in 2018 from the Walmart Foundation, to upskill and develop the community members from the rural areas in which WILDLANDS work to pursue the Trusts’ vision of a thriving and resilient world.

In the final year of the project, 54 individuals completed 8 Unit Standards of New Venture Creation training. This group consisted of individuals employed doing restoration work through the Natural Resource Management (NRM) programme funded by Department of Fisheries Forests and the Environment (DEFF).

As a final step in their training, the individuals presented their business ideas to the team.  With the support received from the Walmart Foundation, each learner was awarded stock to kick start their businesses within their communities.

“Over the duration of the programme, 180 small business owners have been supported in 6 peri-urban and rural communities: eSikhawini, Kwambonambi, Dukuduku, Sokhulu, KwaJobe and Gumbi. Each small business owner has received training, a start-up stock award and mentorship as they start their business journey. This programme has been a great way to help reinvigorate local community economies and encourage entrepreneurial community members to move forward with their business ideas,” Samantha Smith of WILDLANDS concluded.

Time is running out to protect nature — that is the clear message from the newly launched 30×30 NOW campaign which aims to highlight the severity and urgency of the biodiversity crisis that South Africa and the world is facing and champion the global goal of protecting at least 30% of the world’s land and sea by 2030.

As President Ramaphosa highlighted at the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday, 10^th February, we live in one of the regions of the world that is most affected by climate change. Globally, species are becoming extinct at a rate 1,000 times above natural levels. This has resulted in nearly 1 million plant and animal species facing extinction, many within the decade, and in Africa 50% of Africa’s bird and mammal species could disappear by 2100, meaning we are potentially entering a sixth mass extinction. If left unchecked, our food, water, and medical sources are at risk, and climate change will be further accelerated.

However, overwhelming scientific evidence shows that conserving at least 30% of our land and sea globally can not only curb this biodiversity loss but also store carbon, tackle climate change, help prevent future pandemics, create jobs, and bolster economic growth – it’s a win-win. Biodiversity protection can and should be part of the new consensus that President Ramaphosa is looking for.

With this in mind, the 30×30 NOW campaign was launched on Friday, 11^th February, exactly 30 days from the start of the UN Convention on Biodiversity’s fourth and final round of negotiations on the new Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).

Often considered the “little sister” to the UN’s Climate Conferences Of the Parties (the most recent of which was COP26 in Glasgow), the Biodiversity COPs convene the UN Member States from around the world to decide upon a set of goals and targets aimed at halting the further loss of biodiversity. While lesser-known, the decisions made here are no less serious than those made at COP26, and many would argue they are as important if not more urgent. One such goal to be decided at the next biodiversity conference, or COP15, is Target 3 which includes the provision of protecting 30% of the world’s land and sea, especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity through equitably managed, economically representative, and well-connected systems of protected areas.

South Africa is no stranger to the benefits of protected areas. As one of only 17 megadiverse countries globally, both the government and NGOs have been working tirelessly to protect our country’s rich natural heritage while promoting both novel and traditional ways for local communities to live in harmony with nature. We stand in a unique position to be a leader on the African continent; not only have we increased both our marine and mainland areas — standing at an admirable 15.5% and 15.6%, respectively — but South Africa has identified its future protection targets within its National Protected Area Expansion Strategy.

More recently, Minister Barbara Creecy, at a pre-COP15 meeting in October, further clarified that South Africa will increase its terrestrial protection by 0.5% per year until 2036 from almost 16% to 23%. Despite this show of momentum in the direction of protecting 30%, South Africa still lags behind in showing public support for the essential global 30% target and has also yet to join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (HAC) —a group of over 80 countries, more than 20 of which are from Africa —calling for this goal.

The 30×30 NOW campaign aims to highlight the astonishing work already being undertaken by South Africans, demonstrate that we are in a strong position to contribute to this global goal and encourage high-level public support for the 30×30 target. By embracing the global 30×30 target South Africa will be embracing our shared responsibility to one another and acknowledging that, as President Ramaphosa stated, ‘we are all in this together.’

If South Africa speaks up, our country can pave the way for more support across the continent, guarantee the rights and knowledge of our people and local communities are respected and ensure the new GBF is one that is inclusive and effective.

And vitally, South Africa can drive increased funding for the Global South, helping to shape the development of, and commitment to, the financial resourcing mechanisms provided by the global community to support developing nations achieve this critical target.

30×30 NOW believes South Africa is working hard for a better future for nature and people, but it is not enough. We must show the world our leadership by committing to the global 30×30 target. As President Ramaphosa noted in the recent State of the Nation Address “The path we choose now will determine the course for future generations.”

ACTION: To join the 30×30 NOW campaign’s public call to South Africa’s leaders, click this Change.org Link to place your name on an Open Letter to Minister Creecy: https://www.change.org/Support_30x30NOW

As we approach the tax year end, we call on all our friends, fans and family of the WILDTRUST to do your bit and donate to help us create a Thriving and Resilient World. Through our WILDLANDS and WILDOCEANS programmes you can make a difference in the lives of our local communities and the threatened species that we support, both on land and in the ocean. You can support our ongoing operations to conserve, protect, restore and empower, people and planet.

WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust – IT No: 4329/1991/PMB) is a South African Non-Profit (NPO: 004-949), and Public Benefit Organisation (PBO: 130001485) registered in terms of Section 18A of the Income Tax Act.

WILDTRUST is a Level 3 organisation in terms of the B-BBEE Codes which essentially means you or your company can donate up to 10% of your Net Profit after Tax (NPAT) to receive:

• Socio-Economic Development (SED) points on your scorecard
• The maximum SED scorecard points for your donation
• Your donation qualifies you for a Section 18A tax certificate that you can claim when submitting your tax return.
• Enterprise Development points on your scorecard directed to WILDENTERPRISE (Pty) Ltd.

To make your donation, click https://wildtrust.co.za/support-us/ for the payment option of your choice or use the banking details below. Then send your payment confirmation to info@wildtrust.co.za with your required details on the S18A certificate or ED confirmation letter.

Banking details:
Wildlands Conservation Trust
Investec Bank
Account number: 1001 101 4125
Branch code: 580105
SWIFT Code: IVESZAJJXXX
Reference: Your name/company & S18A (for SED) OR Your name/Company & EntDev (for ED)

For more info on our WILD work visit www.wildtrust.co.za or call 033 343 6380

Support the WILDTRUST and play your role in building a thriving and resilient world!

The WILDTRUST team is excited to announce that it has been selected as one of the beneficiary charities to benefit from the book sales of The ImagiNation Project. In these extraordinary times where fundraising has become a serious challenge for Non-Profit organisations around the world, The ImagiNation Project is set to donate 60% of their net sales proceeds to charity. This includes WILDTRUST who represent a nature conservation charity as well as two other charities – the PDSA of South Africa and The House Group – who represent animal and child welfare causes respectively.

The book is published by Story Exchange, an independent publisher which raises money for charity by producing exceptional books and donating 60% of its profits to charity. The ImagiNation Project is a collection of 18 outstanding short stories handpicked from 10 countries and 6 continents, bringing together some of the most original and imaginative fiction from across the globe in one exceptional collection, available to avid readers in South Africa.

“It has been my dream for as long as I can remember to produce a series of world-class books that benefit society and The ImagiNation Project is the first step towards the realization of that dream. I love to read and have scoured the globe to bring my readers some of the most original and imaginative fiction out there; packaged and distributed intelligently to benefit three wonderful nonprofit organizations with every book that we sell. I cannot think of a better business model than making things better with books,” comments Ettienne de Kock, Director, Story Exchange.

Our followers and supporters are encouraged to purchase this wonderful book in support of our conservation work, for the benefit of both our WILDLANDS and WILDOCEANS programmes of the WILDTRUST. The book can be purchased in South Africa on takealot.com (R260 plus delivery) in paperback format or as an e-book on Kindle (approximately R165). International readers can also get it on Amazon.com as a paperback or on Kindle, Kobo and Apple Books as an e-book

We are giving 5 WILDTRUST supporters an opportunity to win a copy of this outstanding book. We challenge them to visit their preferred channel to purchase the book and leave a review, then share a post on FB, Instagram or Twitter of them and their copy as well as the link to their review, tag WILDLANDS, WILDOCEANS and The ImagiNation Project Book pages, and they may stand a chance of winning a copy to gift to their friends and family. We believe this will help us grow the sales and in turn increase our fundraising potential for our programmes

Further to this, find and follow The ImagiNation Project Book on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn and you could be selected to name one of the many interesting characters in the next book!

It is a season of giving and why not give a gift for a cause this season and help us raise funds for our projects.

WILDTRUST CEO, Dr Roelie Kloppers comments, “As a keen reader myself, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get a copy into my hands. As a way of supporting nature and conservation, this is the perfect sustainable gift which will last for generations to come. The WILDTRUST is honored to be one of the beneficiaries from this world-class collection of stories.”

The ImagiNation Project Book social media pages:

• FB https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072550795581
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/improbook/
• Twitter https://twitter.com/ImproBook

 

The WILDSERIES Golden Gate Challenge which takes place at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park (GGHNP) in the Free State, will once again welcome runners from all parts of the country from the 21st to the 24^th of October 2021, to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of this unique event. This 3-day staged event explores some of the country’s most beautiful mountain landscape; traversing restricted areas of the park which are rarely open to the public. This year’s event also features a 2-day stage run, the Dino Run (10km) and the 17km Rock run so everyone can experience the majestic trails of the park.

The official volunteer organisation of South African National Parks, the SANParks Honorary Rangers (SHR) have assisted the WILDSERIES Golden Gate Challenge since 2011 with marshalling, water tables and logistics. Working hand-in-hand with the event organiser Wildlands Conservation Trust (WILDTRUST), the SHR have raised more than R 1 000 000 from the proceeds of the annual trail running event, contributing significantly to the maintenance, infrastructure improvements and vulture conservation in the park. The WILDSERIES Golden Gate Challenge is thus a significant source of income for conservation projects in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park, and SANParks as a whole.

Celebrating this 10^th year of the collaboration between WILDLANDS, a programme of the WILDTRUST, and the SHR will be raising funds for a new opportunity to support the revival of eco-tourism in the former QwaQwa National Park (QNP) as a way of expanding the reach and support needed by the local communities through the collective effort of the trail running community and these conservation entities.

Established as a National Park in 1992, the QwaQwa National Park is the historical home of the Bakoena and the Batlokoa people. The name QwaQwa is San and means “Whiter than White” due to the frequent snow on the Drakensberg mountains. The QwaQwa area of the GGHNP has a unique cultural heritage and history, which includes San rock art, traditional sacred sites and graves, historical war and battle sites. Altogether, GGHNP has 65 recorded cultural heritage sites, and is the only national park that specifically promotes the rich Basotho culture.

Biodiversity in the remote QwaQwa section of the park is rich, and SANParks is providing services to ensure clearance of alien invasive species, rehabilitation of wetlands, erosion control, fire management and law enforcement throughout the park, but the infrastructure for eco-tourism opportunities in the QwaQwa section have fallen into disrepair.

SANParks is developing a cultural heritage management plan to assist with its revival, and SHR have committed to assist.  The Welgedacht precinct – an area around the old Welgedacht Farm House in the QwaQwa section – has been rezoned for Low Intensity Leisure purposes, and the plans include a proposed camp site, trails, picnic sites and 4×4 routes. This would allow for self-drive game viewing in the “little Serengeti” area, as well as hiking, cycling and horse trails, star gazing, visiting rock paintings and learning about medicinal plants.

“SANParks Honorary Rangers of KZN Region are committed to help revive the eco-tourism activities in the QwaQwa section of GGHNP. The proceeds from this years’ Golden Gate Challenge will contribute to this revival for the benefit of visitors wanting a unique Wilderness Experience in the stunning but remote part of the Park, and the local residents who call QwaQwa home,” comments Lene Hansen, chairperson of the SHR KZN Region.

The trail running community and nature lovers are called to enter the 10^th edition of the WILDSERIES Golden Gate Challenge to contribute towards these plans to conserve and nurture the biodiversity and conservation of the QwaQwa section of the Golden Gate National Park. Entries are open and will remain open until the limit of 250 runners is reached. The event will be catered, and the local Phoka Coffee Shop will be serving hot drinks and cakes inspired by Basotho culture and heritage. All required protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19 at the event are in place, and the public are encouraged to get vaccinated to build the required immunity to allow such events as the Golden Gate Challenge to make the significant contribution to nature conservation that they are built for.

South Africa celebrated national Heritage Day on the 24^th of September 2021. Enter today by visiting https://wildtrust.co.za/wildseries/golden-gate-2/ or email events@wildlands.co.za

For more information visit https://wildtrust.co.za/wildseries/

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