The African Wildlife Foundation and the Makuleke community

The establishment of conservation areas in South Africa happened partly as a result of communities being forcefully removed from their ancestral land, including the establishment of Kruger National Park. The national reforms of 1994, however, provided for new developments with regard to ownership, utilisation and benefit allocation from land and natural resources by rural communities.

In 1969 the Makuleke community (pictured here at the opening of the Parfuri gate into Kruger) was forcefully removed from their ancestral land what became the most northern part ofKruger National Park.  After having successfully reclaimed the rights to their land (December 1999) the community signed a management agreement with South African National Parks (SANParks) to ensure that the Makuleke Contract Park would remain an integral part of Kruger National Park and would benefit from SANParks' expertise. This restitution of 24,000 hectares of land also opened up opportunities to benefit the community directly. 

The African Wildlife Foundation was able to broker a deal between the community and Wilderness Safaris to construct, manage and market a high-end, commercial lodge. As part of the agreement with Wilderness Safaris, jobs were created, a training track established, a profit sharing scheme agreed, and support provided to build up business opportunities in Makuleke village, which included vegetables and production of curios. Even the camp itself was constructed with Makuleke community's labour. The community was also able to agree on the establishment of a second lodge (Outpost Wilderness lodge) and a training facility for field guide and nature conservation training. These three concessions have provided a longer-term and sustainable link between the land, its biodiversity and livelihood improvement for the community.

Currently, more than 50% of Kruger National Park is still under land claims by different communities. While the arrangements with the Makuleke community have demonstrated sustainable approaches that benefit both conservation and livelihood improvement, a number of aspects will have to be considered to assess these practises are apply equally to the communities having outstanding land claims.

This concerns the overall integrity of the park and the obligations South Africa holds regarding national and international conservation legislation, but equally so regarding the land rights of the affected communities,  suitability of the land under claim for similar developments, the overall carrying capacity of Kruger National Park for tourists (lodges, roads, provision of services, etc.), and the interest of the private sector to make substantial investments even in potentially less appealing locations.

The Sodwana Bay recycling project

Sodwana and the surrounding areas continue with basic recycling but in a vacuum of an integrated approach to recycling, the local community and municipalities are struggling to keep pace. Markets are not easily accessed and a co-ordinated effort is required to engage on a larger scale. An integrated approach is being discussed, which will incorporate all environmental assets of this remote northern KZN community. Amongst these are sustainable agriculture projects, food gardens, (pictured above) and a very exciting biomass to energy project.

Gavin and Francois and the ZCSD have recently met with a range of foreign investors and community representatives and are poised to embark on a massive project which will generate up to 100MW of electricity for these rural communities. By using the existing forests, the community has a real opportunity to share in the profits of an enterprise that adds value to a basic resource, namely trees. The model is being finalised and all indications are that real benefits will begin to flow in this impoverished community within the next 6 to 12 months.

While the biomass to energy project is important for job creation, the real strength of the project lies in a range of ancillary and complimentary projects. This is a logical expansion and incorporation of the recycling and environmental education process that the Sodwana Bay recycling project has been facilitating. The first phase of managing community expectations and developing a sound plan for the way forward is already well advanced and the implementation team have been tasked with finding and evaluating options most suited to the long term empowerment of the Mbazwane and Sodwana communities.

Stretching over a 30,000 to 80,000ha area, the project will generate significant jobs, employment opportunities and entrepreneurship possibilities, as well as ensuring household food security in this fragile economy. This is in fact the first step, to ensure household food security through a programme of training and establishment of gardens and intercropped lands between forested areas. The Biomass to energy project is a cornerstone industry but the fundamental principles are to secure household food security, generate massive employment opportunities and stimulate the local economy.

The Green Revolution

The G-Revolution team led by Eugene Cussons (pictured above) are individuals from that live to negotiate, plan and execute rescuing missions. The team has now created the larger effort to rescue not only the orphans but also their habitat in Africa, especially the forested areas that form an integral part of endangered species conservation such as that of the great apes.

The project has set its first goal of protecting the Maiombe forest in the Cabinda province of Angola (pictured here) where they will make use of resources provided by the Green Revolution Fund and the volunteer base formed solely from Green Revolutionists.