Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willie Aucamp, has called on South Africans to embrace their shared responsibility as custodians of the Kruger National Park (KNP).
The Minister delivered remarks at the KNP Centenary Commemoration held at the park’s Skukuza Rest Camp in Mpumalanga.
The Minister reflected on the recent flooding that affected the park.
“What these floods taught us is the resilience of the Kruger family. Over 100 years, lots of successes, lots of failures, lots of hardships [and] lots of triumphs. But we’ve always come through and we will do that for 100s of years to come.
“Our responsibility is to raise this generation…so that they can accept this stewardship and can take this pattern and go forward. So that our grandchildren, our great grandchildren and theirs will still be able – in 100 to 200 years’ time from now – to sit alongside the Sabie River, to watch a herd of elephants going through this Sabie River, to listen to the roar of a lion at night, to play a game in the car [and] see who is the best of the siblings. I hope that that legacy can continue,” Aucamp said.
The Minister committed that the KNP will not only endure but also claim its place as the world’s leading conservation destination.
“This…event calls not only for reflection and celebration but it also demands clarity. Clarity about where we come from and where we are going.
“The Kruger National Park stands today as one of the most recognised conservation landscapes in the world,” he urged.
Aucump acknowledged the park’s pioneers and workers for their contribution to its establishment and continued existence.
“The Kruger National Park reflects foresight at a time when such foresight was rare. It reflects decades of scientific progress, of institutional commitment and the sustained efforts of generations. We are clear that the future of conservation in South Africa lies with inclusive stewardship, a responsibility that we all have got to take on.
“I realise that we are walking in the footsteps of giants. We truly are. Their vision, their perseverance and their deeper abiding love for nature gave us the Kruger National Park.
“They dreamt beyond their time of a landscape where elephants roam, where lions rule, and where the ancient rhythms of the wild echo through the bush for generations to come. As a united people, that legacy now rests in our hands,” the Minister said. – SAnews.gov.za
