Samara’s key role in regional conservation

The idea of linking the Mountain Zebra National Park and what is now the Camdeboo National Park (previously the Karoo Nature Reserve - then a Provincial reserve) is truly awe-inspiring. This connected Park (map) would be one of the largest conservation areas in South Africa, and with its spectacular landscapes and potentially vast herds of species such as Cape Mountain Zebra, would represent not just a conservation opportunity, but serve as a key regional economic development opportunity through eco-tourism.

Since the original conceptualisation of the idea by SANPark scientists in 1998, Samara has been seen as a key stepping stone in making this connection, and served as a catalyst for this grand vision. This is based on the idea that this expanded conservation area would not be a conventional national park, with the land owned by the State, as the costs of land acquisition on this scale would likely be beyond the financial means of State conservation agencies. Instead, the idea of a model shared-ownership national park, in which private landowners and the State form partnerships to achieve a greater conservation success, is the most likely to succeed.

Samara, with its 27 000 ha of land, is firmly committed to contributing towards and assisting in driving this linkage. This is expressed through Samara’s management of its land and biodiversity to the highest conservation standards, ensuring that Samara is worthy of inclusion in such an outstanding conservation initiative. In addition, Samara is in discussion with SANParks regarding what role the Samara reserve can play. On a broader scale, Mark and Sarah Tompkins are actively engaged in advocating the concept and seeking partnerships with like-minded individuals and institutions, locally and globally, who would like to assist in making this grand idea work.