October 22, 2009;
MEDIA RELEASE No: 2009 - 13
KZN WILDLIFE CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF WILDERNESS
For Immediate release:
For Immediate release:
Other speakers at this event were the KZN MEC for Agriculture, Environment Affairs and Rural Development Ms Lydia Johnson, Dr Ian Player, Dr Bandile Mkhize EKZNW CEO, Mr Bheki Khosa EKZNW Executive Director of Biodiversity Conservation, Mr Drummond Densham and Dr Bill Bainbridge of the Wildernesss Action Group.
EKZNW Trails Officers Sicelo Mbatha and Richard Mchunu related anecdotes of trails.
Speakers made the points that wilderness should not be seen as land locked away from public use but as being vitally important as a source of spiritual renewal.
Equally important was the fact that wilderness areas - of which there are 28 in South Africa - were a valuable bench-mark when measuring the effects of climate change and human activity such as agriculture and development.
50 Years ago Ian Player and his Zulu mentor Maqubu Nthombela led the first wilderness trail on foot in Imfolozi and since then thousands of people have experienced the thrill of walking in the wild, either on the Imfolozi Wilderness trail or with the Wilderness Leadership School.
Almost without exception these people have found the experience to be profound in the extreme.
Dr Bill Bainbridge paid tribute to the vision of a former State Forestry official Mr Danie Ackerman who first brought the idea of dedicated wilderness areas to South Africa after a visit to the United States of America where the concept began.
The speakers also paid tribute to many other figures who had through their efforts promoted the cause of wilderness and the conservation of wild areas, thus ensuring that these areas would remain intact for the benefit of generations to come.
AJG/ Media Release No: 2009 - 13
Media:
For further information contact the Media Manager on 033 845 1235; email jeff@kznwildlife.com or fax 033 845 1299.
