Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site getting closer to proclamation
Much emphasis was placed on marketing the Vredefort Dome, introducing the Dome Conservancy membership notice boards with the guinea fowl – the international symbol of conservation.
Like many natural sites, the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site experiences challenges like the recent devastating wildfires, water pollution from upstream mining, waste spillage from neighbouring settlements, unsupervised expansion of tourism infrastructure, and theft of geological features due to uncontrolled access.
Yet the site has not been proclaimed a World Heritage Site in terms of South African law, despite being inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List in 2005 as the oldest, largest and most deeply eroded complex meteorite impact structure worldwide.
In her message to Dome Conservancy members at their annual general meeting on Saturday, 18 November, Ms Flora Mokgohloa, deputy director general of biodiversity and conservation of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, explained her department’s involvement in the proclamation process, emphasising the need to avoid repeating the mistakes of the 2012 Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), where some provisions were not in line with the World Heritage Convention Act No. 49 of 1999.
She added that the department last engaged with the Unesco World Heritage Centre in 2017 with an update on engagements towards proclamation and appointing a management authority. She assured landowners of the department’s commitment to concluding the process of proclaiming the site and appointing a management authority as soon as all legal procedures and consultations with landowners had been completed. In so doing, it would alleviate the challenges the site is currently experiencing, she concluded.
Although the Environmental Management Framework (EMF) was developed to guide compatible activities within the site, it has not been implemented adequately because there is no management authority. The lack of protection of the site at a national level has resulted in uncontrolled and unauthorised developments and a lack of enforcement as the site is not legally protected. Without legal protection, the site risks losing its outstanding universal value – the reason it made the Unesco World Heritage List.
She expressed her appreciation for the new commitment and cooperation from the landowner associations and the Conservancy for the benefit of present and future generations, saying that over and above challenges, we cannot overlook the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site’s importance and value in promoting desired tourism activities and contributing to the research of geological scientists from across the world.
During 2023, the Vredefort Dome Conservancy did remarkable work after the challenges of Covid-19. Presenting the Dome Conservancy’s annual report, chairperson Dr Biddie Biddulph reported on the success of information sessions with various guest speakers, including Prof. Rodger Gibson, who gave insight into the Dome’s significance from a geological perspective.
Much emphasis was placed on marketing the Vredefort Dome, introducing the Dome Conservancy membership notice boards with the guinea fowl – the international symbol of conservation. Furthermore, the Dome Conservancy’s membership to the National Association of Conservancies/Stewardship South Africa (NACSSA) will bring much-needed experience and expertise for conservation projects, Dr Biddulph said.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has since appointed a site manager as a link between the department and landowners.
Dr Biddulph highlighted the progress in proclaiming the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site, saying once the government had accepted the MoA from the landowner associations, it would provide feedback for them. After these consultations, it would publish the intention for proclamation in the Government Gazette, giving 21 days for public comment. After that, the long-awaited proclamation can be done.
Dr Kobus Roux of the Potchefstroom Fire Protection Association and his team ended the meeting with an insight into the challenges of fighting the devastating wildfires in the North West province and the Vredefort Dome Mountain Area this year. He explained how the North West Umbrella Fire Protection Organisation functions, the role of Working on Fire teams, and the exorbitant cost involved in fighting fires in the Parys/ Vredefort and Potchefstroom districts in the past months.
Photos: Liezl Scheepers
He said people making open fires when the fire risk is exceptionally high remains a concern, and explained the role trained peace officers will have in future to apprehend offenders causing wildfires through negligence.
After an insightful meeting at the Kiepersol Country Retreat, Dome Conservancy members and guests enjoyed a tasty ‘wildspotjie’.
* The Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site is counted among the 10 World Heritage sites in South Africa and 1,199 across the globe. It is among the
likes of the Taj Mahal in India, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Great Wall of China in China, Stonehenge in England, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, and many others.
At the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in September 2023, Unesco announced five new locations had joined the list of World Heritage Sites, taking sub-Saharan Africa’s total to over 100 for the first time.
