Drakensberg - growing commercialisation

I think it's more "trail" or enduro type riding than actual downhill.

I welcome "other" mountain users in the UDP as long as their activities and the effects of their activities fall within the regulations and guidelines governing the park and it's inclusion as a World Heritage Site.

The balance between development and preservation is a tricky one, and one in which the Berg comes up time and again. Many individual topics/developments may be fine or have minor impact on their own. Its the cumulative, as well as the synergistic effect over time which can push everything to the tipping point.

I fully believe man is entitled to utilize and enjoy his environment. Like any other living organism, he will always leave a mark on it through this use. But he also the custodian of it, and has the unique power to dominate to the point of destruction as well as to preserve and nurture. He also has the power to make that choice.

Natural resources such as the Berg cannot be exploited, or mined, exhaustively as we would mine minerals underground for example. Development and activity in the Berg cannot be left to grow on a curve - at some point there must a check, beyond which the growth has to stop. Beyond this point, a tipping point can be reached where suddenly it is too late and irreversible damage is done, even where man can damage himself.

Where are we with regards to this in the Berg? Well that gets hotly debated. Development and commercialization is an inevitability in one sense, but those that have known the Berg longer than almost everyone on this forum, will inevitably also tell you that the Berg has seen considerable change in recent times and that it isn't what it used to be.

With that lengthy prelude, I also want to say that the Berg doesn't just belong to hikers and climbers. Other sports have their place and should also be enjoyed there, where it is appropriate and sustainable. In the short-term tourism does need to grow in the area. But in this runs the long-term risk of reaching that tipping point.

With topics such as these, the questions I like to ask are:
1. Have full consultations been done, beyond securing permission from the immediate land owner/custodian?
Even if its not technically directly on park land, it is close to it and will still have an impact. This consideration may also be relevant for other neighbouring stakeholders who will also be impacted by it. As it is, the UDP does have a buffer zone because of this very thing. It has not been 100% formalised but does carry weight already, and the concept is a very important one.

2. Have proper assessments been done, and are management policies in place?
All impacts and scenarios have to be covered and thought about. Can the soil handle it? How much can it handle? How frequently should it be subjected to it? How will we know if it is handling it? And if we see that it isn't handling it, what will we do about it? Just a few basic questions of a big topic in itself. The long-term synergistic effects also need to considered. What will develop as a result of the activity? Will it create the need for more infrastructure? Will it set a precedent for more new development and activities?

3. Where do the locals stand in all of this?
Is it in their best interests? Do they have the means to assess what kind of an impact development on their land will have on them? Will it preserve and uplift their society? Are they the true beneficiaries of the profits?

To respond to some specific comments and questions, EKZNW rules are no biking on the hiking trails. They do have specific trails set aside for biking at Lotheni and Cathedral Peak, and perhaps other places too now that I'm not aware of. The helicopter flights would need to be cleared with them, I would think, especially if they are flying right on the boundaries. Flights into the park have to follow set flight paths and definitely need to be sanctioned by them.

What makes this particular thread a little tricky is that we are not dealing with one specific issue. Several things are being touched on, because this is what tends to spark in us.

In closing, something from John Hone in Encounters With The Dragon, that I often think about:

The Drakensberg, declared a World Heritage Site in 1999, is a beautiful, rugged mountain environment with a unique, fragile ecology. These attributes attract those who are keen to explore its natural wonders. It also attracts developers whose intentions, unfortunately, are often focused on self-enrichment at the expense of the environment.

It has today become a matter of finding the correct balance between the two objectives. Considerable success has been achieved towards this goal through the creation of development nodes and acceptable policies determined by provincial government and conservation agencies.

But for conservation there's a lot more than can be done!