South Africa’s national parks are to get a R395-million facelift over the next three years, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk announced on Tuesday.
”This [spending] will be concentrated on … upgrading 520 existing accommodation units, supplying 100 new units, upgrading and constructing 320km of tourist roads, developing five new camping sites and improving or creating seven new park entrances,” he said.
Opening debate on his Budget vote in the National Assembly, Van Schalkwyk said R175-million had been budgeted for more land purchases to help move the country towards its target of having 8% of its surface area under formal protection by 2010.
There were also plans to launch, later this year, a national register of protected areas.
”We do not have a complete and accurate record of all protected areas in South Africa, and this register will meet that need as an interactive electronic database.”
The country’s first-ever air quality standards would be published for public comment in the Government Gazette on Friday.
The South African National Standards for Ambient Air Quality were ”specifically aimed at protecting people’s right to air that is not harmful to health and well-being”. — Sapa