2013_14 IDP Review.pdf - KZN Development Planning

9.1 Tourism and conservationTourism and conservation plays an important role in the area. The key totourism is the Battlefields area that forms part of broader cultural historicalsystem in central KZN. The assessment of the area has shown someunique environmental features but environmental related tourisms andformal conservation initiatives seem to be minimal.Map 30 Conservation status9.2 Conservation and protected areasConservation in South Africa is managed through a system of protectareas as set out in the National Environmental Management Act, No. 107van 1998 and the National Environmental Management: Protected AreasAct 57of 2003. In terms of these acts, the system of protected areas inSouth Africa consists of the following kinds of protected areas:special nature reserves, nature reserves (including wildernessareas) andworld heritage sites;specially protected forest areas, forest nature reserves and forestwilderness areas declared in terms of the National Forests Act,1998 (Act No. 84 of 1998); and mountain catchment areas declared in terms of the MountainCatchment Areas Act, 1970 (Act No. 63 of 1970).There are only five protected areas in the UDM. They are:The Intinini Field Training Centre east of Nqutu on the municipalboundary. This centre provides training for KZN game rangers.The Islandlwana Nature Reserve, which also borders the FugitivesDrift Nature Reserve. Both these reserves are undeveloped andplay no significant role in tourism.The Umvoti Vlei Nature Reserve, which protect a wetland south ofGreytown and further south the Blinkwater Nature Reserve thatcovers a substantial indigenous forest area.Draft 2013/14 IDP Review Page 196Prepared by Umzinyathi District Municipality22 March 2013