By Kevin Moore (Manager Social Science Research, SANParks)
The intangible values of national parks are often overlooked because Protected Area Agencies focus mainly on evaluating those aspects of operations that can be easily quantified
The South African National Parks’ Annual report for the financial year 2006/7 was recently released from the head quarters (Groenkloof) of SANParks in Pretoria. The report highlights the successes of the organisation in terms of its mandate to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in conserving biodiversity. The tangible deliverables are impressive: 24 000 hectares of land were purchased for inclusion into the national parks’ estate, a new national park (Mokala) was proclaimed near Kimberley, 100 000 learners took part in environmental education activities in parks and the Minister allocated R575 million over the next four years for infrastructure upgrading and development in parks.
The commercialisation plan is running smoothly and tourism numbers increased by 9.5% with Table Mountain (1.6 million visitors) and Kruger (1.3 million visitors) at the top. The financial value of parks is equally impressive with a 22% increase in revenue to R594 million for the year. The direct value to local economies is currently under review but should be substantial considering the knock-on effects of tourism related activities and that SANParks now employs over 7000 employees (4000 of these are employed through the Governments Expanded Public Works Programme) excluding Staff employed by concessionaires. Concessionaires are tourism service providers who manage tourism lodges and related products in National Parks for a period of time according to agreed upon outcomes.
Whist the figures above paint a very positive image of SANParks in terms of tangible and measurable values, it is the intangible values of parks which are often forgotten. This could perhaps be because they are less obvious and more difficult to measure in terms of popular scientific or financial methodologies.
SANParks subscribes to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources’ (IUCN) definition of a protected area: “An area of land and/ or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, and managed through legal or other effective means.” (IUCN 1994) This requires the organisation to manage the natural assets, that it is responsible for, based on biodiversity conservation principles.
Whilst the conservation of biodiversity is one of the most important challenges of our time, most South Africans are unfamiliar with this framework of thinking or do not ascribe to biodiversity values. Many South Africans do not see National Parks as repositories of genetic wealth but rather as landscapes in which they can experience deeply the touch of spiritual, cultural, aesthetic and relational dimensions of human existence. These are the fundamental aspects of the human spirit that inspire and move, that trigger responses of awe, appreciation, and, for the keen observer, the understanding that all is related. As Allen Putney so clearly articulates in the book “The Full Value of Parks”, “The interrelatedness of all things is a basic concept that is central to many fields of study, such as economics, ecology, physics and spirituality. Yet, it is the profound, personal, gut-level knowing of oneness that causes individuals and communities to act to seek harmony with the environment and the rest of humanity. As a consequence, perhaps one of the most important values of protected areas in the long run will be their potential to reconnect increasingly urbanised societies to nature and to encourage a reencounter with the knowing of oneness.”
Intangible values of protected areas are defined by the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) as “that which enriches the intellectual, psychological, emotional, spiritual, cultural and/ or creative aspects of human existence and well being.” However, current (international) intellectual discourse on protected area management pays little attention to the intangible value of parks. This appears to be in keeping with the Western constructs of “hard science” based on scientific, technical and economic criteria whilst paying lip service to humanistic, cultural and spiritual ways of thinking and understanding. To address this means that protected area managers need to acknowledge and take cognisance of the intangible values which people ascribe to national parks when managing protected areas or creating new parks. It is indeed likely that an increase in the full recognition of human values will generate increased public support for protected area management.
The WCPA created a definition of intangible values which SANParks have included into their values structure of thresholds of potential concern. They include the following values:
The intangible values listed above show how many South Africans relate to, or should relate to, the importance of protected areas which has little, if anything, to do with financial value. National Parks are more than just an asset in the bank, they (Parks) are part of the very fabric, which makes us South Africans. They provide an opportunity for us to reflect on the past and to come to terms with this and grow through the inspiration learnt from the interconnectedness of nature and humanity. National Parks create the opportunity to recognize our “attachment to place” that is a strong motivating force in human society and which gives homage to the landscapes that express our fundamental connectedness to, and dependence on, the natural world.
It would be unrealistic to assume that SANParks would include intangible values in future annual reports. However, it would be in the best interest of all South Africans to make use of these benefits which are offered by the parks for their own spiritual development, physical and psychological well-being and to contribute towards looking after their own national parks.