Millions for nature reserves

With close to R56-million to be spent on a number of upgrade projects at parks and nature reserves in Limpopo within the next six months, towns like Mokopane, Modimolle and Lephalale stand to gain huge economic and social benefits.
The flagship project on the list of parks to be upgraded will be at Doorndraai Dam near Mokopane. During a recent business chamber meeting in Mokopane, Du Toit Malan from the Limpopo Tourism Agency told businesspeople that slightly more than R30-million will be spent on this resort.
At Doorndraai Dam, the Akasia campsite will become a day visitor area with a swimming pool and braai facilities while the camping facilities at Boekenhout and Sering will be upgraded. This project includes the establishment of 144 three-star campsites offering electricity as well as new ablution facilities with hot water.
While many of the existing campsites will remain available to campers who do not want to spend the extra money for three-star luxury, even these will benefit from better ablution facilities as the old ablutions will be demolished and rebuilt.
The slip way at Boekenhout will be upgraded and a new slip way will be built between Sering and Akasia.
A future dream said Malan, is to link Doorndraai Dam Nature Reserve with Entabeni which could see this reserve becoming a big five reserve.
Two other projects where project implementors have already been appointed are the Masebe reserve near Marken and the D’Nyala Nature Reserve at Lephalale.
R45-million will be spent at Masebe on the rehabilitation of the reserve, upgrading of visitor and staff accommodation and repairing the fence. R29-million is planned for upgrade projects at D’Nyala.
Other upgrade projects will be carried out at Nylsvley Nature Reserve near Modimolle and Makapan’s Valley just north of Mokopane.
Malan said conservationists also envision the linking up of the Waterberg Biosphere with the Kruger to Canyon Biosphere which would see a green belt stretching from
Botswana all the way to the Indian Ocean.
He told business people that a total of 33 such tourism and environmental projects have been earmarked for the next ten years with a proposed budget of R2,8-billion.
As mentioned some implementors have already been appointed and the hope is that work on the Doorndraai Dam project will start before the end of this year. While the reserve will remain open to visitors throughout the project, Malan said all work there should be completed by this time next year.