the richtersveld cultural and botanical landscape - SAHRA

Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape World Heritage Site Nomination 116
• places to which oral traditions are attached or which are associated with
living heritage (such as the many physical sites and natural features of the
Richtersveld Community Conservancy);
• landscapes and natural features of cultural significance (such as the
Richtersveld Cultural Landscape);
• structures and historical settlements (such as a the |haru oms);
• ancestral graves (such as the Nama and San graves of the Richtersveld);
• archaeological and palaeontological sites (such as middens and
petroglyphs);
• places with strong association with a particular community or cultural group
for social, cultural or spiritual reasons (such as the Richtersveld for the
Nama and Bosluis Baster people).
The implementation of the Act is carried out jointly by the South African Heritage
Resources Agency (SAHRA) and Provincial Heritage Resources Authorities, in this
particular case Ngao Boshwa Kapa Bokoni (Heritage Northern Cape), the heritage
authority of the Northern Cape Province. In line with contemporary international
practice the NHRA provides for a wide range of measures for protecting different
aspects of the national estate and, in accordance with the national Constitution
which prescribes that responsibility for cultural matters is a shared competency of
national and provincial government, allocates responsibility for different aspects of
heritage conservation to SAHRA or the Provincial Heritage Resources Authorities.
In terms of the NHRA the following areas appropriate to the Richtersveld
Community Conservancy enjoy automatic protection:
• Rock art
• Archaeological sites and material
• Burial grounds and graves
• Structures older than 60 years of age
The Act also provides for the inclusion of heritage resources into the provisions for
Environmental Impact Assessment described under discussion of the