Skukuza — South Africans can soon look forward to holidaying at the first tourist camp on the Mozambique side of the world's largest gamepark -- the 35000 square km Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP).
Project manager for Mozambique's newly proclaimed Limpopo National Park (LNP), Arrie van Wyk, told Sapa that although no development had taken place in the area -- there are no tarred roads or infrastructure -- the plan was to have the first camp up and running in six months.
"The development of a camp would have to go to open tender and tourists will initially have to use 4x4 vehicles to travel the area because of the lack of roads," he said.
The GLTP will include land next to South Africa's Kruger National Park, the LNP, Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou National Park, private game reserves, hunting concession areas and community-managed natural resource areas.
It will be the first-ever national park to encompass three countries and will be more than 35000 square kilometres in size, making it bigger than Taiwan, Switzerland, Belgium or Israel.
A passing out parade for the first 30 game rangers and to proclaim the LNP -- previously a hunting concession, known as Coutada 16 -- was held last week in Massingir on the southern border of the park.
The rangers were trained to assist in the wildlife management of the LNP, which covers an area of 10000 square kilometres.
Van Wyk said temporary facilities had been erected from where the rangers could operate.
He said three breeding herds of 21 elephant released into the area in October were doing well.
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"We are constantly monitoring the elephants, because they have radio collars which transmit a signal to a satellite.
"Three bulls have returned to the Kruger, but their families have stayed in Mozambique. One of the families has even joined up with a resident herd in the LNP."
Van Wyk said representatives of the GLTP were discussing accommodation and living options with representatives from the numerous villages in LNP.
"Some of the villagers want to move out. Others want to stay and be fenced in. Various options are being looked at the moment and the communities are very much a part of these discussions."
Spokesman for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), JJ Tabane, said the process of developing the GLTP was still on track in the Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe, despite the ongoing unrest and land invasions in that country.
"We are hoping that it will be all systems go for the development of the GLTP by April 2002," Tabane said.
A DEAT statement last week said the establishment of the proposed GLTP would not only support the broader political aims of socio-economic upliftment of rural areas with high unemployment and low income, but also greatly improve regional ecosystem management.
"The vision of cross-border collaboration will moreover give effect to the stated objectives of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), namely synergistic regional initiatives that aim at the economic, social and conservation development of the subcontinent," the statement said.
