Kruger National Park cultivates community-based conservation

SSpanning close to 2 million hectares, the Kruger National Park is renowned for its awe-inspiring biodiversity, wildlife encounters and splendid landscapes, which can all be explored on a game drive or a walking safari in this world-famous Big Five national park.

The Kruger showcases a wildlife experience that ranks among the best safari experiences in Africa, offering visitors an authentic encounter with its raw wilderness, and the chance to see 147 mammals, 507 birds, 114 reptiles, 49 fish, 34 amphibians and more than 336 trees species. Not only that, South Africa’s most famous national park allows one the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate one’s energy in the embrace of Mother Nature.

But the Kruger’s existence is made possible thanks for the local communities that border the park. Danny Govender, who manages the park’s research department, notes that land restitution and fostering strong community relationships is vital to the park’s sustainability journey. She emphasises that strong relationships with the community, especially land claimants, is crucial, so that the park may benefit them and future generations, and vice versa.

Community-based conservation comes first

In partnership with the many communities that lie on the outskirts of the park, the Kruger has established numerous ongoing projects that aim to encourage sustainable socio-economic empowerment opportunities, all while developing these communities within a responsible tourism framework.

Besides employing community members to work within the 12 main rest camps, five bushveld camps, two bush lodges and four satellite camps within the park, there is a strong emphasis to employ people from surrounding areas to work throughout the park across various initiatives. This includes construction work, fence maintenance, and the control of invasive and alien plants.

These projects not only encourage skills development and environmental conservation through education, but also create much-needed employment opportunities within resource-poor areas. By involving communities in various projects, the park fosters a sense of pride, personal ownership and responsibility towards the natural environment within which they live and work.

One of these projects is the setting up of so-called sales outlet structures throughout the reserve and near entrances/exits to the park. Here, local artisans, artists and crafters can earn a living by selling their handmade wares and souvenirs to visitors.

Since 2017, South African National Parks (SANParks) has donated empty drums and employed 30 community members to convert them into waste bins that are donated to rural schools and communities in the area. Furthermore, these waste bins from part of an integrated waste management system that keeps these communities clean, while instilling a sense of pride for their home.