the richtersveld cultural and botanical landscape - SAHRA

Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape World Heritage Site Nomination 95
facing the Conservancy are from off-road driving, illegal harvesting of plants and
camping by tourists in undemarcated sites. These are pressures which have faced
the area since many years prior to the establishment of the formal protected area.
The creation of the Richtersveld Community Conservancy set forth a number of
measures to control visitors and potential degradation of the area.
The Conservancy has no current challenges in ensuring that the carrying capacity
of tourism is not exceeded. Although it is unforeseeable that in such a remote
location tourism numbers would reach levels which were unmanageable by the
Conservancy Management, structures - such as zoning guidelines, campsite
development and demarcation, signage, regulations, enforcement mechanisms,
trained and certified guides and public awareness campaigns – have been put in
place already to prepare the Conservancy for increased visitor numbers.
Zoning
The Conservancy has been zoned into three zones: tourism areas, town areas and
wilderness areas. Tourism is encouraged in the towns and specific tourism zones
which are shown on tourism maps available in the Tourism Information Centre. The
tourism areas are located in the eastern and southwestern parts of the
Conservancy where there are three guesthouses, as well as most of the campsites.
The areas of Rooiberg, Eksteenfontein, Helskloof and Tierhoek receive almost all of
the current tourism pressure.
Tourism is permitted in the wilderness areas as well at specific campsites and on
specific roads, although usage is limited. The roughness of the land and roads in
the wilderness areas largely prevents people from straying from the demarcated
roads and campsites. It also presents a natural barrier against higher volume
tourism, as only the most determined people will find their way into the mountains
and valleys of the interior. Many of the roads are extremely rough and for use by
4x4 drivers only. These areas are monitored by the local stockfarmers who reside in
the areas, as well as the Conservancy Management patrols. This environmental
restriction ensures that the bulk of tourism remains in the Tourism Zones where it is
closely monitored.