An agreement on Saturday settled claims on 75 percent of the land, but the title deeds were handed to the new owners on condition the land remains under formal conservation and is part of the park forever.
"As mandatory partners, claimants now get preference in activities like employment and training, sharing of gate revenues, ownership in tourist developments and natural resource harvesting like that of incema reeds," said chief executive officer of the Wetland Authority, Andrew Zaloumis.
The five land claims cover about 12,000 hectares and include 1,550 households who will be compensated R14.5 million.
A further R52 million will be paid by government to each of the five Landowner Trusts as development grants. The park will continue to be managed by the Wetland Authority and Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife, while co-management agreements will be entered into with each Landowner Trust. The five land claimants were the communities of Sokhulu, Mnqobokazi, KwaJobe, Nsinde and Mdletshe.
Their respective Landowner Trust chairmen signed the agreement on Saturday, along with Zaloumis, Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Chief Land Claims Commissioner Tozi Gwanya, and KwaZulu-Natal Land Claims Commissioner Siduduzile Sosibo. Van Schalkwyk noted that human occupation of the park went back to the early stone-age between 500,000 and one million years ago.
"The Wetland Park is one of the world's outstanding natural treasures," he said. He said its five unique ecosystems include species as diverse as black rhino, oribi, wild dog, elephant, cheetah, whales and coelacanths. The agreement with the five land claimants, he said was a new model for conservation, which aimed to protect national assets, but also to develop poor communities.
The park includes 16 land parcels that have been consolidated to create the World Heritage Site. New access roads, tourism routes, game fences and improved beach, boating and camp facilities have been created. "There are still many challenges, among them are ensuring progress continues towards putting an end to the paradox of poverty amidst the plenty of nature. "Restitution and sustainable settlement of land claims is key to this," Zaloumis said. (BuaNews)
