[Fwd: [bio-ui] Fwd: National park under threat]

[ridder]

Kebun Raya Eka Karya Bali wrote:
>
> >>>NATIONAL PARK UNDER THREAT - PLEASE SIGN ON
> >>>
> >>>This is to protest against closing a National Park in South Africa that
> >>>has rare animals (desert rhinos for example). It would be the first time
> >>>
> >>>in South Africa that a National Park is de-proclaimed, and the reason is
> >>>
> >>>to allow for diamond mining. Please, sign and send it to your friends.
> >>>Please, please, please add your names to the list!
> >>>
> >>>DEPROCLAMATION (CLOSURE) OF VAALBOS NATIONAL PARK:, Kimberley Area,
> >>>South Africa:
> >>>
> >>>Please sign at the bottom for your signify and do include your town,
> >>>country and e-mail address. If you receive this list and 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. (Choose either the COPY or FORWARD functions
> >>>depending which is best at keeping the email legible.) [Please edit if
> >>>necessary.]
> >>>
> >>>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! 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 taxpayers'
> >>>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 its mark and visitor figures steadily increased
> >>>with the charming 3 chalets very often fully booked 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 deproclaimed) and that it should thus lose its 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, Environmental Affairs and Land Reform, 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-consolation;
> >>>this was to be expected to lead to failure.
> >>>
> >>>Other excuses such as not 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 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, with its much needed tourism potential for local
> >>>communities, and then attempting to establish a new National Park
> >>>elsewhere in the province, is but a futile dream. The result would be
> >>>progressive impoverishment of already unemployed communities, and any
> >>>attempt to establish a new National Park elsewhere in the province would
> >>>
> >>>involve 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
> >>>surrounding communities.
> >>>
> >>>We thank you for your time.
> >>>
> >>>Please sign for your signify and do include your town, country and
> >>>e-mail address. If you receive this list and it has 100 names on it,
> >>>please e-mail a copy of it to dtours at kimnet.co.za
> >>>
> >>>1) Charmaine Gregory, Dbn, RSA, charmaine at un.co.za
> >>>2) Maurice de Marigny,DBN, RSA, maurice at un.co.za
> >>>3) Adine Pearce, Dbn, RSA, apearce at specialty.co.za
> >>>4) Keith Baatz, Montreal, Canada - baatzk at iata.org
> >>>5) Natasha Cherry, Montreal, Canada - cherryn at iata.org
> >>>6) Gary Cherry, Dbn, RSA - cherryg at icon.co.za
> >>>7) Cathy Aveta, Montreal, Canada - avetac at iata.org
> >>>8) Kelly Baatz, Montreal, Canada
> >>>9) Cindy Lacireno, Montreal, Canada - lacirenoc at iata.org
> >>>10) Carol Baatz, Montreal, Canada - baatzc at iata.org
> >>>11) Justin de Wet Steyn, CT RSA - justin.dewetsteyn at monex.co.za
> >>>12) Alan Staples,Cape Town RSA  - alan.staples at monex.co.za
> >>>13) Mike Bruton, MTN ScienCentre RSA - bruton_m at mtn.co.za
> >>>14) Anneline Kriel, Western Cape Tourism Board, Cape Town
> >>>wctbcape at iafrica.com
> >>>15) A. Streicher, Paarl Tourism Bureau, Paarl paarl at cis.co.za
> >>>16) Liesl Rabie, Paarl, RSA afrmus at intekom.co.za
> >>>17) A Rabie, Hermanus, RSA - arabie at mweb.co.za
> >>>18) Rijks van der Walt, Hermanus, > thoth at hermanus.co.za
> >>>19) Frank H. Talbot Sydney, ftalbot at one.net.au
> >>>20) Paul R. Ehrlich, Stanford, CA, USA, pre at leland.stanford.edu
> >>>21) Joy Cytryn, New York, NY, USA, jcytryn at wcs.org
> >>>22) Claire Kremen, Stanford, CA, USA, ckremen at stanford.edu
> >>>23) Antoine Guisan, CSCF, Neuchatel, CH, antoine.guisan at cscf.unine.ch
> >>>24) Niklaus Zimmermann, WSL, Birmensdorf, CH, zimmerma at wsl.ch
> >>>25) Philippe Clerc, CJB, Chambesy/GE, CH, clerc at cjb.ville-ge.ch
> >>>26)Mathias Vust , CJB, Chambesy/GE, CH, vust at cjb.ville-ge.ch
> >>>27) Francois Calame, Uni Neuchatel, CH, francois.calame at bota.unine.ch
> >>>28) Carolien de Kovel, Uni Utrecht, Nederland c.g.f.deKovel at bio.uu.nl
> >>>29) Daniel van der Post, Uni Utrecht, Nederland djvdp at hotmail.com
> >>>30) Serge Wich, Uni Utrecht, The Netherlands. s.a.wich at bio.uu.nl
> >>>31) Arnold Sitompul, Bogor, Indonesia. asitompul at hotmail.com
> >32) Aloysia Murni Shintosari, Århus, Denmark. biomurni at biology.aau.dk
> >33) Bronwyn Powell, Bali Botanic Garden, Indonesia.
> krielipi at singaraja.wasantara.net.id
> >34) Bayu Adjie, Bali Botanic Garden, Indonesia
> krielipi at singaraja.wasantara.net.id
> >35) Deden Mudiana, Bali Botanic Garden, Indonesia
>      krielipi at singaraja.wasantara.net.id
36)Ingrid de Kort, National Herbarium of the Netherlands
37)Jeannette Ridder-Numan, National Herbarium of the Netherlands
--
Jeannette Ridder-Numan

National Herbarium of the Netherlands
P.O.Box 9514
2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands
e-mail: ridder at nhn.leidenuniv.nl
phone: 071-5273565/3500