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Home  Media Releases Barberton headed for World Herritage Site Status
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Mar
19
2008
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Barberton headed for World Herritage Site Status |
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Written by Astrid Christianson
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Wednesday, 19 March 2008 |
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Barberton/Makhonjwa Mountain Land headed for World Heritage Site status
The Barberton/Makhonjwa Mountains, on the border with Swaziland, contain sites of the oldest known evidence of life on earth. This, and other uniquely valuable scientific features, well known to geologists but not to the general public, will now be planned for sustainable tourism as one of Mpumalanga’s ”Flagship Development Projects”. The first steps in the process of gaining international recognition have been taken by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in a letter to the World Heritage Centre in France.
On 6th March 2008 he requested that, in terms of the World Heritage Convention, to which South Africa is signatory, the Barberton/ Makhonjwa Mountain Land be placed on South Africa’s Tentative List for future World Heritage Site status. The area involved at this stage is limited to the formally established nature reserves. These include state and privately owned land as well as some that is communally owned. The nature reserves involved include Songimvelo, Mountainlands and the Barberton Nature Reserves, as well as the Nkomazi Wilderness Nature Reserve in the Gert Sibande Local Municipality. Other areas containing known sites of high value may also be incorporated as advised by the planning process. Local stake holders in conservation and tourism have been working on this project for well over a year. The motivation for Tentative Listing has had the support of the Mpumalanga Premier and Cabinet and has been driven by the Department of Sport, Culture and Recreation as well as The Umjindi Local Municipality and at least ten other institutions and community groups. Private sector land owners and tourism organizations have also been engaged in the process. “The real planning work can now start in earnest and will engage with all stakeholders, especially those at local community level”, said Mrs Marliese Liebenberg of Umjindi Local Municipality. “Consultants have been appointed and funds made available and the process will get underway before the end of March”.
The fame of the Barberton/Makhonjwa mountain land is legendary in studying the origins of the earth’s crust, its ancient hot oceans and the formation of the first atmosphere. Nowhere else in the world can rocks of such age be found (3500 million years old) that are well enough preserved to allow us to discover the nature and evolution of the early earth. This is truly a heritage of global significance in a well preserved environment that is accessible to all.
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