G'day ACN-Lers
Please read the note forwarded from Dr Loiselle. If you wish to sign this
petition, please send a note to me, peter.unmack at asu.edu without all the text
and just give you name, city, country and email address on one line. Please
do not send this back to acn-l! We don't need everyone's mailbox filled with
irrelevant stuff.
Peter Unmack
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 15:42:38 -0500
From: "Dr. Paul Loiselle" <loiselle at idt.net>
To: peter.unmack at asu.edu
Subject: Proposed closure of Vaalbos National Park in South Africa.
Dear Peter,
I hope this note finds you sell. A British friend forwarded the
attached message to me earlier today. I think you will agree that it
makes very disturbing reading. There is no question that opening up
this area to small-scale placer mining for diamonds will have a
devastating impact upon some highly critical fish habitat within the
Vaal River drainage. I hope you will sign the petition opposing this
very ill-considered proposal and see about getting it out to the ACN's
membership via our web site and/or server.
Misaotra tompoko!
Paul V. Loiselle
From: "MRS HM JAMES" <AMHJ at warthog.ru.ac.za>
Organization: Rhodes University South Africa
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 09:50:18 GMT+0200
Subject: Deproclamation of Vaalbos national park
DEPROCLAMATION (CLOSURE) OF VAALBOS NATIONAL PARK:
Kimberley Area, South Africa:
Please sign (by entering your name)at the bottom to signify your
support, and include your town, country and e-mail address. If you
receive this list when it has 100 names on it, please e-mail a copy
of it to dtours at kimnet.co.za
Even if you decide not to sign, please be considerate and do not
kill this important petition. (IT IS BEST TO COPY RATHER THAN
FORWARD THE PETITION, TO KEEP IT LEGIBLE).
Thank you and kind regards.
Dirk Potgieter
(Kimberley, South Africa.)
____________________________________________________________________
VAALBOS NATIONAL PARK (VNP) was proclaimed by the South African
Parliament in 1986 - the primary function of this 23 000 ha National
Park was to protect a rare combination of 3 x ecotypes and to set up
a safe and secure breeding facility for the highly endangered
(desert) black rhino and several other rare species. Larger animal
species found in the park on the schedule 1 list of endangered wild
animals include the (desert) black rhino, white rhino, African scaly
ant-eater and several schedule 2 endangered wild animals!
It is worth noting that Vaalbos National Park it is bordered on the
east & west boundaries by approx. 50 km of Vaal River frontage -
this being the only section of the Vaal River protected by National
Park status and containing rare barb, rock catfish and the large-
mouth yellowfish, not to mention birds, reptiles and insects.
The infrastructure of this uniquely diverse Park (situated 60 km
north from Kimberley) was established primarily with a local work
force ("by the community for the benefit of the community")
recruited from among the impoverished local community along the
eastern boundary (Barkly West, Longlands, Delportshoop and Gong-
Gong). It is also worth noting that more than R4 million of local
taxpayer money was invested in setting up roads and tourist
facilities within this Vaalbos National Park.
The promise was made from the very beginning and again with the
grand opening in November 1996 that Vaalbos National Park would be a
major economic boost and tourism asset to this neglected and
progressively impoverished / unemployed area.
As a young National Park, VNP was making it's mark and visitor
figures steadily increased with the charming 3 chalets very often
fully book out. But then on 24 July 1998 it was announced by Mr,
Mavuso Masimang; Chief Executive of the South African National Parks
(SANP) that the SANP in conjunction with the Northern Cape
Provincial Government (NCPG) had decided upon deproclamation of the
Park (the first Park ever in South Africa to be deproclamated) and
that it should thus lose it's National Park conservation status and
legal protection. This immediately influenced visitor figures
negatively and amazed foreign tourists!
According to a press release dated 25/07/98, Mr. Thabo Makweya - the
NCPG MEC for Agriculture, Enviromental Affairs and Land Reform, he
stated that the interests of beginner miners (small diamond miners)
would receive preference in the area's new status of utilisation!
Deproclamate a National Park for small scale mining of unconfirmed
diamond deposits?
According to the SANP the initial aims for establishing a larger
Vaalbos National Park were not realised, partly due to the manner in
which it was done, which included threats of expropriation and non-
consultation; this was to be expected to lead to failure. Other
excuses such as not being having aesthetic value, nor meeting the
IUCN merit system requirements, as well as not being able to carry
and sustain the major predators, are misleading - many Parks, even
in South Africa, do not meet these conditions and still exist.
As for SANP and NCPG themselves, there has been very limited
communication and no consultation with the neglected and
progressively impoverished / unemployed surrounding area /
communities, as well as a definite lack of transparency and
consideration in reaching this decision.
Destroying the well-established Vaalbos National Park, taking into
considering it's much needed tourism potential for these local
communities and then attempting to establish a new National Park
elsewhere in the province, is but a futile dream. Not only would a
predominantly neglected and progressively impoverished/underemployed
community be deprived of development potential, but an attempt would
have to be launched to establish a new National Park elsewhere in the
province at great (duplicated) financial cost.
The loss of Vaalbos National Park is our real issue here and this
being the first National Park to be deproclamated in South Africa,
this conservation failure would lay the foundation for further
onslaught on other National Parks, in a modern world where
conservation is fighting a losing battle.
To quote a foreign tourist once visiting Vaalbos National Park:
"Some of the finest classic African scenery I have yet experienced!"
We hope to have a web page up within the near future, but presently
request your kind supporting vote in our quest to retain Vaalbos
National Park for conservation and as a viable development to the
benefit of the neglected and progressively impoverished/unemployed
surrounding areas/communities.
We thank you for your time.
1) Dirk Potgieter - Kimberley, South Africa - e-mail:dtours at kimnet.co.za
2) Marzanne Potgieter - Kimberley, South Africa - e-mail:dtours at kimnet.co.za
3) Mark Wilson - Kimberley, South Africa - e-mail:markw at kimnet.co.za
4) Linda Engelbrecht - Kimberley, SA - e-mail: linri at kimnet.co.za
5) Gavin Evans - Kimberley, SA - e-mail: docentre at intekom.co.za
6) Riaan Maritz - Kimberley, SA - e-mail: riaanm at Intekom.co.za
7) Hardy Maritz - London, UK - e-mail: Hardy.H.Maritz at OPC.shell.com
8) Andrew Fuller - Hilton , SA - e-mail: fuller at futurenet.co.za
9) Adam Riley - Pietermaritzburg, SA - email:adam.riley at intekom.co.za
10) W. R. Branch - Port Elizabeth - email pemwrb at zoo.upe.ac.za
11) M.R.R. Logie - East London - email besc at iafrica.com &
malcolme_logie at hotmail.com
12) Heuer Bosman - Pretoria - email heuerb at iscorltd.co.za
13) Louis D Bosman - Midrand,SA - louisb at dbsa.org
14) Julie Clarke - midrand SA juliec at dbsa.org
15) Frank Merryweather Cintsa East fmenviro at iafrica.com
16) Ann Merryweather Cintsa East fmenviro at iafrica.com
17) Jack Hennessy, Darling RSA email:afridevd at iafrica.com
18) Gillian Hennessy, Darling RSA email: afridevd at iafrica.com
19) Robert Palmer, White River, RSA, email: afridevr at iafrica.com
20) Helen James - Grahamstown, RSA. email: h.james at ru.ac.za
21) Mary Bailey, Crediton, England. email 106326.3671 at compuserve.com
22) Paul V. Loiselle, Rahway, USA. email: loiselle at idt.net
23) Peter Unmack, Tempe, USA. peter.unmack at asu.edu
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