Saved from dune mining by passionate conservationists including former President Nelson Mandela, the —the third largest protected area in South Africa—was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1999. The park protects as its centerpiece, Lake St. Lucia, the largest estuarine system in Africa.
But by 2009, Lake St. Lucia’s water was contaminated from sugar cane farming, mining, and nitrogen runoff from local forest plantations. Additionally, the water volume was sinking because of alterations to the freshwater flowing into it. The wetland’s flora and fauna were severely threatened, and there was no consensus among stakeholders on how best to preserve the Lake St. Lucia system and the estuary.
Estuaries, with their surrounding wetlands, comprise some of the most productive yet threatened ecosystems in the world. They offer climate regulation services by acting as carbon sinks, naturally improve water quality, and provide important economic and recreational opportunities. They form a vital link between marine, aquatic, and terrestrial eco-systems.
Alongside the environmental degradation, there was a crucial need to improve employment and livelihood opportunities for the population—especially youth—living in and around the park, 80 percent of whom lived below the poverty line.
With the help of a grant of $9 million, the World Bank provided implementation support to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority to improve the ecological functioning of Lake St. Lucia and create sustainable economic and employment opportunities for local communities.
Some may call this a miracle, but in the local Zulu language it’s known by the term iSimangaliso—which also means ‘wonder’.
This shines through in the eyes of 31-year-old Sifiso Vumasa, who now works as an environmental education assistant in the park—one of the youth from the local community who was able to access higher education in conservation, tourism and related fields through GEF-funded training. Training and sub-grant programs in enterprise development were also promoted for communities in and around the park to improve welfare and livelihoods.