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"Phinda was born out of a belief that the beauty of Maputaland
was worth saving from the spiral of destruction into which it has
been drawn. Its first target was to repair habitat damaged by almost
a century of cattle farming, to return the wildlife which had once
roamed the Maputaland plain, and to build luxury, world-class destinations
for visitors without whom there would not be a viable plan. The second
task was to reconnect the rural communities with the land by giving
people the opportunity to participate at every level in sustainable
conservation development by providing employment, training and the
infrastructure for small business development."
Dave
Varty, Founder of CC Africa, from "The Return - The Story of
Phinda Game Reserve"
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"In a single decade, the reserve on
the Maputaland coastal plain had become a model of what could happen
all over Africa. Once again nature had the upper hand."
Molly Buchanan author of "The Return"
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 BACKGROUND
The story of Phinda Private Game Reserve started almost a decade ago
with the consolidation of over 17 000 hectares of prime game viewing
land. The restoration fitted perfectly with CC Africa's objectives:
consolidating degraded and undervalued land assets; rehabilitating
and restocking the land; creating rural wealth and generating financial
returns through ecotourism. The project initially involved the consolidation
of 7 500 hectares of key farmland between the Mkuze Game Reserve and
Sodwana State Forest Reserve, just north of Lake St Lucia. This land
had been coveted by conservation bodies for incorporation within the
planned Greater St Lucia Wetland Park, one of the most diverse wilderness
areas in Africa. In 1991, a further 6 000 hectares was purchased by
CC Africa for incorporation within Phinda, accompanied by one of the
biggest game restocking exercises undertaken on private land in South
Africa. Care was also taken for the landscape - for example, during
the building of Phinda Forest Lodge in a rare sand forest, not a single
tree was uprooted.
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ACHIEVEMENTS
- Protection of strategic conservation land:
working towards the prospect of incorporating the Phinda area
within a Greater St Lucia Reserve
- Protection of ecological biodiversity: one
of the most striking aspects of Phinda is its enormous range of
niches for animals and plants to thrive
- Ecological restoration: the ecological rehabilitation
programme aimed to repair the damage caused by decades of inappropriate
farming
- Game restocking: over 1 500 head of game were
introduced and the reserve now has the largest privately owned
population of nyala in the world. Phinda was the site of the first
adult elephant translocation from Zimbabwe's Gonarezhou Game Reserve.
In 1994, a breeding herd of elephants was successfully translocated
to Phinda from the Kruger National Park. The big cat population
has also increased significantly at Phinda - the cheetah numbers
have more than doubled since their reintroduction in 1991. In
1996, two Phinda cheetah were swapped with the Pilanesberg for
two of their Namibian-translocated cheetah in an effort to further
enhance the Phinda cat gene pool. A further 13 lions were relocated
to other reserves to supplement the depleted lion stocks and introduce
new genes
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COMMUNITY PROJECTS
Phinda Community Development Trust Fund (PCDTF): Since its
inception in 1990, the Africa
Foundation's projects have raised close to R6 million through
international and local grants for implementing programmes.
Mduku Clinic: The residential clinic at Mduku,
in the Makhasa tribal area, offers a range of medical services,
including a new six bed pre-natal facility. Projects such as AIDS
counselling and the training of Peer Educators are ongoing.
Community Leaders Education Fund (CLEF): Bursaries
of US$89,956 have been facilitated by the Africa Foundation for tertiary
education. Successful candidates are expected to return to their communities.
A further bursary scheme, specifically geared towards the hospitality
industry, is presently being formulated.
School Classrooms: A total of 28 classrooms, three
libraries and one laboratory have been constructed in the area. Phinda
guests have donated in excess of 160 000 books to stock the libraries.
Pre-school Project: By 1995, six pre-schools had
been built for 600 children. In 1997, there were ten pre-schools accommodating
1 200 children. A further two pre-schools were constructed. Providing
toys and equipment is an ongoing project.
Training and Production Centres: There are currently
two and a third centre is set for Mnqobokazi. Skills development and
capacity building programmes will be offered at the above centres.
Global Education Fund Alliance: The Foundation is
in the process of raising funds to equip schools in the region with
satellite and video equipment. This forms part of an alliance with
the Global Education Fund to convert curriculums into video format
for long distance learning as an alternative teaching method in overcrowded
schools.
Phinda Community Charcoal: In 1993, the Independent
Development Trust Drought Relief programme funded a bushclearing project
at Phinda - an intensive employment project producing timber and charcoal.
The project's purpose was to harvest, process and recycle excess timber
from the reserve for the mutual benefit of both the local communities
and Phinda. Now, five local contractors head up teams of about ten
people on average. Phinda Charcoal currently produces some 20 tons
per month. In 1994, the Foundation received a grant from local petrol
company, Engen, to expand Phinda Charcoal to a sustainable level.
The production goal was 50 tons or 10 000 bags per month, creating
employment and business opportunities for over 50 local people.
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