Eastern Cape Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism MEC, Mcebisi Jonas, has approved the declaration of four new reserves and one protected area in the Eastern Cape.
The reserves are the Lambasi Nature Reserve in the Mhlontlo Local Municipality; the Kromme Riviers Hoogtenature Reserve in Uniondale covering approximately 442 hectares; the Baviaanskloof Hartland Nature Reserve in the Willowmore district; and 17 hectares of the Royalston development by Nelson Mandela Bay. The protected area is situated in in the Jansenville region and will be known as the Noorsveld Protected Environment.
Jonas said that proclamation of the 8 810-hectare Lambasi Nature Reserve would provide a significant supplement to the income of the people of the area, who currently depend on welfare payments, subsistence agricultural production and income from the migrant labour system.
The involvement of the local communities in the planning of the nature reserve has ensured local ownership and “paved the way for the declaration of the area as a reserve which will have huge potential to change the economic landscape with tourism as the key driver,” said Jonas
The Lambasi Reserve will include the Tsitsa, Tina River Valley and Mzoboshe Horseshoe, which are special features of the Tsitsa Falls Valley.
Jonas points out that the Eastern Cape is a predominantly rural province with a relatively low level of economic activity, adding that environmental management is the “catalyst” that can provide empowerment opportunities that will in turn “propel economic development”. “We have yet to fully explore and exploit the ecotourism potential of our pristine areas in the province and we see this as a giant step towards achieving that goal,” he said.
