It will consist of about 52 500 hectares of newly proclaimed land as well as the 68 500 hectares of the exiting Wilderness and Tsitsikamma National Parks. The entire 121 00 hectare park will effectively straddle both the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces.

According to the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk, the establishment of the Park is part of a long term strategy to expand the protected areas in South Africa under formal protection from 6% to 8% of the total area of the country.

"The area plays host to the largest continuous complex of indigenous forest in the country, spanning approximately 60 500 hectares. Its aquatic systems, the Knysna estuary and the Wilderness lake areas, are rated number one and number six respectively in the country. The fynbos falls within the Cape Floristic region, which is a designated global diversity hotspot," he said.

"The Garden Route is one of the most important conservation areas in South Africa and one of our crown jewels in terms of biodiversity and its attraction to both foreign and local tourists" Van Schalkwyk said.

Courtesy: SA The Good News