SOUTH AFRICA
The National Park Service has been collaborating with the South African National Parks Board (SANP) since 1995. NPS has provided technical assistance to SANP in environmental education and law enforcement and sent a team to learn about South Africa's advanced invasive species eradication program. NPS has hosted several SANP managers and rangers at various parks through its International Volunteer in Parks Program. These SANP employees underwent training programs in resource management, environmental education, concessions operations and volunteer management.
The NPS Office of International Affairs also hosted SANParks Director David Mabunda in April, 2005. During his visit, spread over two weeks, Director Mabunda visited Glacier National Park and Grant-Kohr’s National Historic Site in Montana, where he met staff and observed first-hand the management of these areas. Following his visit to these parks, Mabunda traveled to Washington, DC, where he held meetings with then NPS Director Fran Mainella.
In October 2006, the NPS Office of International Affiars set up an internship opportunity for a visiting environmental program officer from South Africa's KwaZulu Natal Parks. Through a study tour funded by his government, the officer traveled to the US to learn about the NPS natural sounds and overflight programs. During early October, he met with staff from the NPS Overflight Program Office in Fort Collins and then traveled to Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Canyon National Park to meet with staff there. Upon his return to South Africa, he was responsible for writing overflight program guidelines for Drakensburg Park, a World Heritage Site.
GABON
The National Park Service and Gabon signed a bilateral agreement in September 2003, providing a framework for cooperation between the two nations on park management topics. Having declared 12 new national parks (covering over 12% of the nation's territory) in 2002, Gabon is working to develop management plans for these parks that will help enable the parks to provide economic benefits to the people of Gabon while preserving the nation's natural heritage. An NPS team advised Gabon in the development of a legal/policy framework for the Gabonese park system in December 2004, and another NPS team presented a workshop on the management of park concessions operations in November 2005. NPS also hosted five Gabonese park conservateurs, or superintendents, during two U.S. Study Tours, in May 2005 and April 2006.
Related Links
General and Regional Africa Sites
Central African Regional Program for the Environment
Congo Basin Forest Partnership
National Parks of Madacascar (in French)
National Parks of Sierra Leone
South African National Parks, Kruger National Park
Swaziland National Trust Comission
Serengeti National Park (Tanzania)
Uganda Wildlife Authority