03 September 2014

The Department of Environmental Affairs, will from 09 – 11 September 2014 host the 6^th 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 6^th 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 emphasisedthe need to consider communities as key stakeholders in the management of parks.

The conference aims to profile the 10^th 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, 09 - 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
E-mail:  smabena@environment.gov.za

Ms Simangele Mabusela
Tel: 012 399 9987 or
E-mail: smabusela@environment.gov.za

For media queries, contact:

Albi Modise
Cell: 083 490 2871