The Department of Environmental Affairs, will from 9 to 11 September 2014 host the sixth People and Parks Conference in Umtata, Eastern Cape.
The overall theme of the programme has been, “Conservation for the people with the people” and this year’s theme for the sixth conference is “10 years of inclusive parks management’.
The People and Parks conference was inspired by the IUCN World Parks Congress (IUCN-WPC) which set the global agenda for protected areas and emphasised the need to consider communities as key stakeholders in the management of parks.
The conference aims to profile the 10th year anniversary of the People and Parks programme since its inception in South Africa and the progress to date. The previous five conferences have been co-hosted with Mpumalanga (2004), Western Cape (2006), North West (2008), KwaZulu-Natal (2010) and Free State (2012). The conferences served as a platform to discuss common strategies, practical case studies, experiences, lessons and pitfalls.
The conference serves as a platform to highlight the importance of protected areas in South Africa by bringing together role players from different spheres of government, conservation authorities, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions, traditional leaders and private and local communities.
Media is invited to attend.
Date: Tuesday - Thursday, 9 to 11 September 2014
Venue: Dan’s Country Lodge & Event Centre
OR Tambo District Municipality
N2 Highway Road to Durban about 22 km from Umtata town
Eastern Cape
Time: 09h00
To RSVP please contact:
Ms Sipho Mawoko
Tel: 021 441 2788 on or @environment.gov.za
Ms Simangele Mabusela on 012 399 9987 or SMabusela@environment.gov.za
For media queries, contact:
Albi Modise
Cell: 083 490 2871
