| Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | |
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| Kalahari Gemsbok National Park Gemsbok National Park | |
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| Location | Kgalagadi District,Botswana /Northern Cape,South Africa |
| Nearest city | Upington |
| Coordinates | 25°46′S20°23′E / 25.767°S 20.383°E /-25.767; 20.383 |
| Area | 38,000 km2 (15,000 sq mi) |
| Established | 31 July 1931(Kalahari Gemsbok National Park) 12 May 2000(Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park) |
| Governing body | Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Botswana) /South African National Parks |
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Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a largewildlife reserve andconservation area insouthern Africa.
The park straddles the border betweenSouth Africa andBotswana and comprises two adjoining national parks:
The park's total area is 38,000 square kilometres (15,000 sq mi). Approximately three-quarters of the park lies inBotswana and one-quarter inSouth Africa.Kgalagadi means "place of thirst."[1]In December 2015, media reports claimed that rights for gas-fracking in more than half of theBotswana portion of the park had been sold.[2] The Botswana government later refuted these reports.[3]
The park is located largely within the southernKalahari Desert. The terrain consists of reddunes, sparsevegetation, occasionaltrees, and the dry riverbeds of theNossob andAuob Rivers. The rivers are said to flow only about once per century. However, water flows underground, providing life for grass andVachellia erioloba trees growing in river beds. The rivers may flow briefly after large thunderstorms.[4]
With over 470 documented species, the park has abundant wildlife, includinglion,cheetah,African leopard,spotted hyena andbrown hyena.[5] Smaller mammals includeAfrican wildcat,bat-eared fox andCape fox,black-backed jackal,caracal,genets andhoney badger, as well asmeerkats andmongooses.[5] Migratory herds of largeungulates, such as bluewildebeest,gemsbok,springbok,steenbok,southern giraffe,common eland,greater kudu,warthog,klipspringer andred hartebeest also live and move seasonally in the park, providing sustenance for the predators. More than 200bird species inhabit the park, includingostriches,bustards,waterfowl,storks andpasserines and around 30raptors.[5]There are over 30reptile andamphibian species of in the park, includingvenomous snakes such as theCape cobra,horned adder,puff adder andblack mamba;Cape terrapins,leopard tortoise andserrated tortoise, variousagama,gecko, andskink species; amphibians includesand frog andAfrican bullfrog.[5]
Since 2005, the protected area has been considered aLion Conservation Unit and a lion stronghold in Southern Africa.[6]
The weather in the Kalahari can reach extremes. January is midsummer in southern Africa, and the daytime temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F). Winter nights can be quite cold, with temperatures below freezing. Extreme temperatures of −11 °C (12 °F) and up to 45 °C (113 °F) have been recorded.Precipitation is sparse in this desert area.[7]
| Climate data for Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (Twee Rivieren) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 42.0 (107.6) | 41.2 (106.2) | 40.5 (104.9) | 37.2 (99.0) | 33.5 (92.3) | 29.3 (84.7) | 30.2 (86.4) | 33.6 (92.5) | 38.5 (101.3) | 40.5 (104.9) | 41.7 (107.1) | 45.4 (113.7) | 45.4 (113.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 35.8 (96.4) | 34.5 (94.1) | 32.5 (90.5) | 28.7 (83.7) | 24.6 (76.3) | 21.6 (70.9) | 22.0 (71.6) | 23.9 (75.0) | 28.6 (83.5) | 31.0 (87.8) | 33.6 (92.5) | 35.6 (96.1) | 29.4 (84.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.7 (81.9) | 26.7 (80.1) | 24.6 (76.3) | 20.2 (68.4) | 15.1 (59.2) | 11.8 (53.2) | 11.4 (52.5) | 13.3 (55.9) | 18.0 (64.4) | 21.4 (70.5) | 24.4 (75.9) | 26.7 (80.1) | 20.1 (68.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 19.6 (67.3) | 19.1 (66.4) | 16.8 (62.2) | 11.7 (53.1) | 5.5 (41.9) | 2.1 (35.8) | 0.9 (33.6) | 2.7 (36.9) | 7.5 (45.5) | 11.8 (53.2) | 15.3 (59.5) | 17.8 (64.0) | 10.9 (51.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 7.6 (45.7) | 5.7 (42.3) | 3.9 (39.0) | −2.0 (28.4) | −7.3 (18.9) | −9.7 (14.5) | −10.3 (13.5) | −9.7 (14.5) | −5.0 (23.0) | −0.2 (31.6) | 3.2 (37.8) | 3.0 (37.4) | −10.3 (13.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 43 (1.7) | 45 (1.8) | 33 (1.3) | 31 (1.2) | 12 (0.5) | 3 (0.1) | 1 (0.0) | 2 (0.1) | 2 (0.1) | 12 (0.5) | 18 (0.7) | 20 (0.8) | 222 (8.7) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 38 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 38 | 47 | 55 | 59 | 61 | 62 | 57 | 51 | 39 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 48 |
| Source:Deutscher Wetterdienst[8] | |||||||||||||
The park has three traditional tourist lodges called "rest camps". These are fully serviced lodges and include amenities such asair conditioning, shops, andswimming pools. There are also six wilderness camps in the park. The wilderness camps provide little more than shelter and wash water; visitors must supply their food, drinking water, and firewood.[9]
From 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018, the park received 52,463 visitors, up from 48,221 in the previous year.[10]
The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park inSouth Africa was established on 31 July 1931 mainly to protect the migrating game, especially thegemsbok, from poaching. In 1948 an informal verbal agreement was made between the thenBechuanaland Protectorate and theUnion of South Africa to set up a conservation area in the contiguous areas of the two lands. In June 1992, representatives from theSouth African National Parks Board (now SANParks) and theDepartment of Wildlife and National Parks ofBotswana set up a joint management committee to manage the area as a single ecological unit. A management plan was drafted, reviewed, and approved in 1997. The parties agreed to cooperate in tourism and share equally in park entrance fees. On 7 April 1999,Botswana andSouth Africa signed a historic bilateral agreement whereby both countries undertook to manage their adjacent national parks, the Gemsbok National Park inBotswana and the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa as a single ecological unit. The boundary between the two parks had no physical barriers, although it is also the international border between the two countries. This allowed for the free movement of animals. On 12 May 2000,PresidentFestus Mogae ofBotswana andPresidentThabo Mbeki ofSouth Africa formally launched Southern Africa's firstpeace park, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.[11]
In October 2002, the governments set aside 580 km2 (224 mi2) for the use of the native peoples, theKhomani San and Mier communities. This was divided between 277.69 km2 of San Heritage Land and 301.34 km2 of Mier Heritage Land. The South African National Parks (SANParks) manages the land under contract. This land was named the !Ae!Hai Heritage Park.[12] The settlement agreement also provided for the communities to receive funds for the specific purpose of constructing a tourism facility.[13] The lodge was named !Xaus Lodge (meaning 'heart' in the local language) and is managed commercially on behalf of the ‡Khomani San and Mier communities by Transfrontier Parks Destinations.[14]
!Xaus Lodge's existence allows the cultural practices of the ‡Khomani San to continue in a few ways. The cultural village near the Lodge allows the local people to create and sell their crafts.[15] This is both a way for them to emulate and remember the culture of historical ‡Khomani San, and a way for them to express the changes in that culture. The !Ae!Hai Heritage Park has also been named the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in Africa by theInternational Dark Sky Association.[16]
In December 2015, it was reported in the media that the government of Botswana quietly sold the rights tofrack forshale gas in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. Reports said it granted prospecting licences for 29,291square kilometres (2,929,100 ha), 34,435square kilometres (3,443,500 ha) and 23,980square kilometres (2,398,000 ha) – more than half of the Botswanan part of the park – to aUnited Kingdom-listed company called "Nodding Donkey". The sale was not reported at the time. In November 2015, the company changed its name to "Karoo Energy".[17] In February 2016, Botswana's Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism refuted these reports saying, "There are also no licenses for fracking in the KTP" and "no intention to issue any approvals for fracking in the KTP or any other national park or national game reserve anywhere in Botswana".[3]
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