De Beers donates thousands of hectares of land to NC park

MORE than 34,600 hectares of land owned by the De Beers Group was donated to the Namaqua National Park as part of South African National Parks Week, which ran from September 16 until September 24.

The senior communications manager of De Beers, Jackie Mapiloko, said the donation forms part of the mining giant’s commitment to the preservation of biodiversity.

“The De Beers Group has donated 34,667 hectares of the Succulent Karoo, located between the Groen and Spoeg rivers, to SANParks as an extension of the Namaqua National Park. The land, which is owned by the De Beers Group, has been managed by SANParks since 2008. The incorporation of this land supported the protection of unique biodiversity within the Succulent Karoo biome, the world’s only arid biodiversity hot spot. De Beers’ donation of this unspoilt land commits this area to the national protected area network for the shared benefit of all South Africans,” said Mapiloko.

“Now in its 18th year, the annual South African National Parks Week, which is aimed at creating awareness around conservation issues, is aligned to De Beers’ ‘Building Forever’ sustainability pillar of protecting the natural world. The company believes that restoring and protecting biodiversity, the diversity of life and its relationship with the natural world, has the potential to unlock a range of sustainable benefits for society.

‘Since 2008, SANParks has made several developments to the land and surrounding communities, which includes employing 11 people, constructing 12 camp sites with environmentally-friendly facilities, six staff houses, an office building, walkways, hiking trails, ablution facilities and the upgrading of the fence.”

The managing director of De Beers Managed Operations, Moses Madondo, said the donation is in recognition of the company and SANparks’ aligned goal of protecting nature.

“The donation of this land is another significant milestone in our long-standing relationship with SANParks. Together, we have delivered on ambitious projects over several years to support the preservation of our natural heritage sites. We see the conservation of our natural environment as a key priority and recognise that it is vital to the future prosperity of the countries where we operate,” said Madondo.

“De Beers is committed to protecting nature and its awe-inspiring creations through our ‘Building Forever’ goals on biodiversity and sustainable development.”

The managing executive of SANParks, Peter Mokoena, said they are pleased with the donation from De Beers.

“We hope to see many people visit the Namaqua National Park in the coming years to explore its beauty,” Mokoena said.