Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy says cooperation on biodiversity conservation is key on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park.
The Minister was speaking during her engagement with representatives of the Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR), community members and other stakeholders in Mpumalanga this week to discuss a range of problems, including wildlife crime and rhino poaching, that have worsened in recent years.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Forum, of which the APNR is a part, agreed to create three subcommittees to address rhino poaching and combat wildlife crime.
“This is a commitment between private reserves on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park and government to work together on a number of areas, including tackling wildlife crime, enhancing transformation and improving the local economy.
“The cooperation with private reserves on the western boundary of the Kruger National Park is key to ensuring that communities live in harmony with nature,” Creecy said.