Nature Conservation 1/2013 — 12. 5. 2013 — International Nature Conservation — Print article in pdf
Pelc F.: The Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Due to its Dramatic History, the Oldest Africas Protected Area
Nejstarší chráněné území v Africe připomíná dramatickým vývojem archu Noemovu
The Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, formerly known as the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, is the oldest proclaimed natural park in Africa. It consists of 960 km2of hilly topography located 280 km north of Durban in central Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The Hluhluwe and Umfolozi Game Reserves were separately proclaimed in 1897. Connected through a corridor of state-owned land, the reserves were formally joined in 1989 to create the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve. The north of the park is more rugged and mountainous with forests and grasslands, while the south and west is more undulating with open savannah. The wide range of plant life in the park as well as highly fertile habitats, long-term protection and effective re-introduction programmes for wild animal species hresulted in high species diversity in mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Lions (Panthera leo), elephants (Loxodonta africana) and African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) have been successfully re-introduced into the park. The protected area harbours the most numerous Southern White Rhino (Ceratotherium s. simum) population all over the world, numbering 1,500 – 2,000 individuals. In addition, there also are almost 400 threatened Black Rhinos (Diceros bicornis) in the park. The park has an extensive 300 km road network and there are picnic sites, visitor camps and other tourist facilities. The Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park provides 700 jobs for local people, thus playing an important role in regional economy.