Question NW2351 to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
30 October 2020 - NW2351
Winkler, Ms HS to ask the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
(1) (a) What is the reasoning behind the Kruger National Park dropping fences to areas bordering members of the Associated Private Nature Reserves (ANPRs) B allow movement of animals that are meant to be safeguarded in protected areas, allowing for trophy hunting of these protected animals, (b) what are the reasons that the decision to drop the fences to surrounding APNRs was not bought before the Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries when it undermines the purpo9e of protecting wildlife in national parks, and (c) whether she will furnish Ms H S Winkler with the concept document for the dropping of fences to the APNRs; (2) what are the terms of the agreement on trophy hunting with the APNRs and (b) who provide oversight; and (3) whether she has been informed of the hunting of a young bull elephant that was shot 18 times in a Kruger National Park APNR in December 2016 in an unethical hunt in front of tourists; if not, chat is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what are the relevant details and (b) what steps has she taken to hold those responsible for the unethical hunt accountable?
Reply:
1. (a) The western boundary fence was dropped alongside fourteen (14) Private, Community and State managed conservation areas and was not limited B the Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR). The reason this include, but are not limited to, support for integrated ecological management, with ecosystem processes, e.g. catchment processes, ecological corridor, climate change processes, natural species migration routes, following a west-east landscape gradient(from the mountain catchment west of the KNP).
The fence dropping is also in fulfillment of the international Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Treaty (GLTFCA, 2002), promoting integrated land use approaches, including the inclusion of Private, Community and State conservation areas into the open conservation estate within South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. This promotes ecological and socio- economic outcomes, as per Treaty objectives. In addition, the inclusion of these areas is also aligned to South Africa's international commitment to expand the conservation estate in the country.
The fence dropping with Private, Community and State area look place in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as per the above explanation. The GLTFCA Cooperative Agreement (2018), its objectives, associated legislative requirements and workplan were presented to the Portfolio Committee during 2019.
The GLTFCA Cooperative Agreement is the first Agreement that provides a consistent framework for the regularisation of all 14 reserves open to KNP, as guided by the legal framework. The Agreement provides a uniform and consistent management framework based on the protected area and associated legislation. Please find attached a copy of the Agreement(Addendum 1c1-2).
2. (a) Approved protocols need to be formalised within reserves that conduct hunting, as per legislative requirements (NEMPA, NEMBA). Please refer attached Addendum 2 for requirement that need to be met.
(b) The Provincial Conservation authorities; Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency (MTPA) and the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) are responsible for the regulation of the hunting within these reserves, together with the management structures of such reserves overseeing the management plans and associated practices, such as hunting, in the reserves (NEMPAA Act, 2003{Act No. 57 of 2003)).
3. (a) and (b) SANParks does not allow hunting within the Kruger National Park.
According to information at my disposal, the said elephant bull was hunted in a reserve within the APNR, in accordance with the relevant statutory requirements and the APNR Hunting protocol. Such hunts are overseen by the management structures of the reserves, together with the Provincial Conservation Authorities, they being the regulatory authorities tasked with monitoring compliance with the Protocol. I am advised that during the particular hunt being referred to, no "tourist' besides the hunting party were witness to the hunt. I am also advised that the LEDET provided the documentation to substantiate that the permit were legally issued and that no laws were contravened.
According to information at my disposal, the hunt was legal and took place in accordance with the APNR Hunting Protocol. The APNR off-take committee furthermore reviewed the incident and provided a ruling that the hunt was in accordance with the Protocol. The provincial environmental authority (LEDET) conducted a full investigation into this matter.
Regards
MS BD CREECY, MP
MINISTER 0F FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
DATE: 30/10/2020