SOUTHERN AFRICAN PEACE PARKS

Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area

Progress Report

1997 - 2008

• The natural and cultural diversity of the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park was recognised in November 2000 when it was declared a World Heritage Site. The mountains that cover an area of about 5 000km², with their highest peak rising to 3 482m, are of exceptional beauty and host the largest and most concentrated group of rock paintings in Africa south of the Sahara. There are some 600 known sites containing between 35 - 40 000 individual images, which were painted by the San people over a period of at least 4 000 years.
• The respective Ministers of the Environment signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) toward the establishment of this area on 11 June 2001.

• At the request of the Lesotho government, Peace Parks Foundation has been funding the post of the Lesotho TFCA facilitator since May 2000. In 2004, the Lesotho government requested the Foundation's further assistance with projects initiated by the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture. Lesotho's Sehlabathebe National Park was proclaimed on 2 November 2001. The Foundation is supporting the development of management and tourism plans, as well as infrastructural development in order to turn it into a major tourist attraction. The entrance gate and arrivals centre have been completed.
• The Maloti-Drakensberg Transfontier Conservation and Development Project is a collaborative initiative between the Kingdom of Lesotho and South Africa to protect the exceptional biodiversity of the Drakensberg and Maloti mountains through conservation, and sustainable resource, land-use and development planning. The five-year project, which began in 2003, is funded by the Global Environment Facility, with the World Bank as implementing agency.

• On 11 September 2007, marking the 10th anniversary of the Giant Castle Declaration, the Maloti-Drakensberg Tourism Route and a new book entitled The Maloti Drakensberg Experience were launched by the governments of Lesotho and South Africa. Previously known as the Maloti Route, the new route was expanded to incorporate links to the Sehlabathebe National Park in Lesotho and the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg World Heritage Site and tourism attractions in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The new book provides visitors with detailed travel information about the route.
• To improve access to the eastern part of Lesotho, a project is under way to tar the Sani Pass route which has been largely limited to 4x4 vehicles. The Lesotho government, through the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Project, requested Peace Parks Foundation to undertake the tourism development zoning of Sani Top, which was encompassed in the Highlands Triangle Route proposal.
• With Global Environment Facility (GEF) funding for the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Project (MDTP)  coming to an end in 2009, an exit strategy includes the continued functioning of the project coordination unit, the project coordination committee and the bilateral steering committee, with funding from mainly the Lesotho and South African governments. The 20-year strategic plan also includes the continued functioning of the government implementation agencies that were established during the first phase of the project. The Foundation is facilitating the processes necessary for the continuation of this transfrontier conservation and development initiative and was co-opted as a member of the project coordination and bilateral steering committees.
• The Foundation facilitated the completion of the management plan for Sehlabathebe National Park and contributed to the implementation of its strategic development plan. The government of Lesotho requested further assistance with its future management, as well as the MDTP programme. The upgrading of Sehlabathebe's road infrastructure is at an advanced stage and contractors have been appointed to build the Maluti environmental centre.
• The Foundation also assisted with the completion of the joint management plan for Sehlabathebe National Park and uKhahlamba Drakensberg World Heritage Site, more formally referred to as Maloti Drakensberg Transfrontier Park. There is good cooperation between the two entities and a joint fire management plan is being implemented.
• June 2008 saw the opening of the Ongeluksnek Nature Reserve, situated along the southern Drakensberg in the Eastern Cape and part of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation and Development Area.
• As the overall success of the transfrontier conservation development is dependent on the successful involvement of communities, the Foundation has fostered a good working relationship with the Batlokoa people in QwaQwa and assisted with the formalisation of an MoU between the Batlokoa people and the developer of the Witsieshoek Mountain Resort tourism project. The latter was successfully presented by the authorities at the Boundless Southern Africa Investors' Conference and an agreement on investment is being finalised.