Pilanesberg - Information

Information & Discussions on Planesberg
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Flutterby
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Re: Pilanesberg - Information

Post by Flutterby »

More interesting info:

Pilanesberg’s influence in the field of conservation

Pilanesberg was the first large protected area to have been deliberately created for local economic improvement and regional development. As the first “green fields” project with a socio-economic objective in the region, there was no proven model to draw on during its conceptualisation, planning and development. Innovative thinking amongst planners and policy makers, and the commitment of board members and management staff, was critical for success. Pilanesberg has contributed to conservation knowledge in fields such as: protected area planning; taking the socio-economic context into account; community participation; satisfying tourist needs; ecological restoration; introduction of professional management principles to wildlife management; and commercialisation of tourism. Through trial and error, innovative models were developed and many valuable lessons learnt which became valuable to other conservation agencies.


The Future

When the Pilanesberg Management Plan was reviewed in 2002, it was realised that the Park had become so popular, that it was under threat from over-utilisation by tourists. As a result, history was made on 8 April 2005 when the North West Province launched the Heritage park project: a vision shared by communities, land owners, government and other stakeholders to expand Pilanesberg to the north, ultimately linking it with Madikwe Game Reserve.
It is an ambitious plan expected to be achieved over a period of fifteen to twenty years. The goal is to change the land use in the identified area from marginal agricultural – mostly cattle farming – to a nature-based tourism and conservation area of more than 250,000 ha. This initiative has the potential of bringing new economic hope to one of the poorest and remotest parts of the North West Province.

Key stakeholders in the are committed to one of the most important conservation and socio-economic upliftment programmes in recent times. The incorporation of Black Rhino Reserve in the northwest of the Pilanesberg was the first step taken to achieve this vision.

Source: Pilanesberg National Park Map & Guide Book


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Richprins
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Re: Pilanesberg - Information

Post by Richprins »

flehman wrote:Interesting article. I wonder how many predators were introduced as the Lions were? Assume leopards were already there. Caracals? Hyenas?? Servals were introduced?

Were Rhinos introduced as Ellies were? Hippos?

Hehe, would love to know what Pilanesberg was like at the start!

Hey, flehman!

I actually followed the development of Pilanesberg quite a bit as a youngster...

Sun City were not stupid regarding the added bonus of a game reserve on their doorstep, so to speak, and started game drives from the then single hotel as soon as possible! Lodges followed, starting with Bakubung, I think, in a deal with then Transvaal Parks...

A big attraction was seeing animals on TV from the internationally famous golf course during the annual Million Dollar Classic, which still continues.

I remember vividly the wow factor of elephant on screen there...I think they were the second big 5 introduced...?

The elephant were from Kruger, during the culling times, and a bit of a disaster as male calves/teenagers with a few adult cows and very small calves resulted in the males becoming silly and killing rhino, for example, and bothering tourists.

So Bulls were brought from Kruger to "assert authority", in a nutshell, and order was restored! \O

Predator reintroduction is as per the above posts! \O


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Hippos were some of the last to be introduced, at Mankwe dam!


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Re: Pilanesberg - Information

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I had a chat to Mbechu today, he registered on the forum some time back, but claims to be too busy to visit. He said he will try and make time to chat here as he was directly involved in Operation Genesis. ;-)


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Re: Pilanesberg - Information

Post by flehman »

Sprocky wrote:I had a chat to Mbechu today, he registered on the forum some time back, but claims to be too busy to visit. He said he will try and make time to chat here as he was directly involved in Operation Genesis. ;-)
Wow that would be fascinating! Leopards were already there then?


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Re: Pilanesberg - Information

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Mbechu just said that he will try and post here this afternoon. \O


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I'm sure leopard were there to start with!


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Re: Pilanesberg - Information

Post by dozo »

I actually got to Pilanesberg to start game drives before the game came into its own (1979). It was a disaster as the park was full of cattle and goats. The fencing was not completed yet, but rhino were bought in. Leopard etc were there naturally. The Park was run from Mogwase( no town existedat that stage) by "BaasJan Geyser". It is correct that a lot of game died in the "Holding Area" at Manyane Gate ( where the Caravan Park is now). The Plianesberg Centre was still operating as a Court House and buses etc used the dirt road from Ledig to Saulspoort as a race track. The villages in the Park were still in place at that stage. A lot of hunting also took place so Game Drives were either dead boring or very exciting with a generous coating of free dust thrown in. Rhinos were soon released straight into the Park and elephants were kept in bomas between the Pilanesberg Centre and Saulspoort.

We ilved in the Old School about 2 Km from Pilanesberg Centre and operated Horse Safaris from there as well. These were later stopped when we had to move out of the area. Once the buses (maybe 20 between 3-6pm and 6-8am) were stopped and the fences complete, game viewing improved). I once counted a group of 35 Rhino together!!. In the early years the Park was a real disaster from a tourists point of view It took about 10 years for everything to settle down.


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Re: Pilanesberg - Information

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Thanks for this info dozo. \O I hope there is still a lot for us to read. ;-)

Just to set the record straight, dozo is Mbechu. ;-) He couldn't remember his old password and had to re-register in order to share this info with us. Strange that he could remember all of this from 30 odd years ago, but not his password from last year. =O:

Patiently waiting for more, dozo. 0()


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Re: Pilanesberg - Information

Post by Flutterby »

Really interesting stuff dozo/Mbechu...keep it coming!! ^Q^ ^Q^


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