Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister David Maynier has declared 18 properties in the Eastern Cape, covering 10 225.9242 hectares, as the Grasslands National Park.
The declaration was published in Government Gazette No. 55531 under Government Notice No. 8002.
Situated in the Eastern Cape highlands between Nqanqarhu and Rhodes, the park will help protect under-represented grassland ecosystems and part of the Eastern Cape Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area.
These landscapes are important for water security, biodiversity and the livelihoods supported by the region’s working agricultural land.
Maynier has assigned the management of the new Grassland National Park to South African National Parks (SANParks), in terms of section 38(1)(aA) of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003.
The declaration follows the publication of a notice of intention in 2025 and the conclusion of the statutory process under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003.
The declaration moves the project from a proposed protected area to a formally declared national park.
“The declaration of the Grasslands National Park is an important step in protecting one of South Africa’s least-protected biomes and a strategic water source landscape. It also demonstrates how conservation and compatible productive land use can reinforce one another through voluntary, long-term partnerships,” Maynier said.
The park has been established primarily through biodiversity stewardship, an approach that allows participating landowners to retain ownership of their land while committing it to agreed conservation and management arrangements.
Conservation-compatible agricultural activities may continue, supporting both ecological protection and local livelihoods.
“This is the first national park established primarily through a biodiversity stewardship model. This initiative is an example of how inclusive partnerships can drive large-scale conservation success,” the Minister said.
Alongside the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and SANParks, World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF South Africa) played a leading role in coordinating the establishment of the park, together with a wide range of partners. – SAnews.gov.za
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