SOUTH Africa’s first world heritage site, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, is this month celebrating 20 years since its proclamation.
Officially inscribed by UNESCO in December 1999, the park is recognised by almost 200 nations worldwide for its beauty and biological wealth.
While only one ‘outstanding universal value’ is required for such recognition, iSimangliso enjoys three – biodiversity, ecological processes and superlative natural beauty.
PHOTO: Dennis King
At the time of proclamation, the park consisted of 16 consolidated parcels of land, covered 220 000 hectares and stretched over 200km along South Africa’s east coast to the Mozambican border.
In August, owing to the Marine Protected Areas (MPA) expansion, the park size, which includes both marine and terrestrial areas, increased substantially to 1 328 000 hectares.
This has made iSimangaliso the country’s second largest park after Kruger National Park, and most unique in its flora and fauna offerings.
Over the past two decades hectares upon hectares of alien trees in plantations have been removed, old and disused infrastructure has been demolished, the park has been fenced, road networks modified and numerous visitor attractions built.
Through wildlife re-introductions, almost all the naturally occurring species can be found in the park.
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