Peace Parks Foundation of South Africa Receives Presidential Award at ESRI's 2004 User Conference
Date: 10 September
Source: SpatialNews.com Press ReleaseAuthor: Anon
Redlands, California--Peace Parks Foundation of South Africa was presented with the prestigious Presidential Award in front of 13,000 attendees of the 2004 ESRI International User Conference. Professor Willem van Riet, chief executive officer of Peace Parks Foundation of South Africa, was on hand to accept the award from ESRI President Jack Dangermond.
The organization was selected for its leadership in establishing transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs), also known as peace parks, which are large tracts of land that cross international boundaries. The purpose of these parks is to employ conservation as a land use option to benefit local people.
"Professor van Riet and others involved in Peace Parks Foundation make a difference," says Jack Dangermond. "Their pioneering spirit is forging international cooperation that's resulting in areas where wildlife can roam freely across borders. They've used GIS not only to help spark the adoption of the original peace parks concept but for maintaining existing parks and promoting the concept to other countries."
"I'd like to thank ESRI and Jack Dangermond for this prestigious award," says van Riet. "GIS has helped fulfill the vision of peace parks because of its ability to visualize information and provide a common language through geography. We use it to make decisions and to help government officials from various countries, conservationists, and others make more informed decisions. ESRI has honored our organization."
Professor van Riet has been involved with GIS since the early 1970s and used the technology to introduce the idea of peace parks to South African President Nelson Mandela. Dr. Anton Rupert, Mandela, and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands started Peace Parks Foundation in 1997 to facilitate the establishment of TFCAs. He joined the foundation in 2000 and has used the technology to introduce the idea of peace parks to senior-level public officials and others. At the outset, six TFCAs were identified bordering South Africa.
International agreements regarding the development of five of these areas have already been signed and the sixth is in the final stages of preparation. The best known of these is the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which links the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, Kruger National Park in South Africa, and Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe. More than 6,000 wild animals and 1,000 elephants are being translocated from Kruger National Park to the Limpopo National Park where these animals will roam freely in what will become the world's greatest animal kingdom.
These successes have resulted in the Ministers for Tourism of the Southern African Development Community countries commissioning a detailed feasibility study on other peace parks in South Africa. The study gives a clear indication of the potential impact that future TFCAs will have on the economy and biodiversity of the region as a whole, where they could be established and a cost estimate of doing so. In all, 14 potential TFCAs have been identified.
The Presidential Award is presented as a special recognition by ESRI President Dangermond to an organization that is a model for others to follow in implementing GIS successfully as well as making a positive impact on the environment and society. Previous winners include the U. S. Department of Interior, the city of New York, International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, and the Hong Kong Information Center.