Camdeboo National Park

Camdeboo National Park
Camdeboo National Park
	The towering dolerite rock formation known as the Valley of Desolation, with the Spandaukop in the distance.
	Location of the park
Location	Eastern Cape, South Africa
Nearest city	Graaff-Reinet
Coordinates	32°15′S 24°30′E / 32.250°S 24.500°E
Area	194.05 km2 (74.92 sq mi)
Established	22 July 1983 (Karoo Nature Reserve); 30 October 2005 (Camdeboo National Park);
Governing body	South African National Parks
Website	www.sanparks.org/parks/camdeboo
	Camdeboo National Park (South Africa)

The Camdeboo National Park is located in the Karoo and almost completely surrounds the Eastern Cape town of Graaff-Reinet. It contains the Nqweba Dam.

The park is located on the southern foothills of the Sneeuberg Mountain ranges, with an elevation of between 740 and 1480 metres above sea level.

Camdeboo National Park was proclaimed as South Africa's 22nd National Park under the management of South African National Parks on Sunday 30 October 2005. It covers an area of 194 square kilometres.^[3]

History

Following an extensive process of negotiation and discussion between government, conservation groups, and concerned stakeholders, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, announced the intention to proclaim South Africa's 22nd National Park in the area surrounding Graaff-Reinet. This was made possible by the World Wide Fund for Nature in South Africa (WWF-SA), which donated the 14500 hectare Karoo Nature Reserve to be the centrepiece of the project.

The Karoo Nature Reserve was established in 1979 when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the World Wildlife Fund recognised the urgency for conservation measures in the Karoo biome and listed this action as a world conservation priority.

A public consultation process was followed to decide on the new name for the park, culminating in the choice of Camdeboo National Park. The name comes from the Khoi word !Xamdeboo, 'green valley'.^[4]

Gallery

Viewpoint
Banks of the Nqweba Dam
Valley of Desolation
Free-standing pillar in the valley.
Crag Lizard Trail

References

^ "Protected Areas Register (PAR) - Karoo Nature Reserve" (PDF).
^ "Protected Areas Register (PAR) - Camdeboo National Park" (PDF).
^ "Camdeboo National Park". The Karoo, South Africa. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
^ "Camdeboo: Graaff-Reinet's valley of green". Getaway Magazine. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2023.

[1] "Protected Areas Register (PAR) - Karoo Nature Reserve" (PDF).

[2] "Protected Areas Register (PAR) - Camdeboo National Park" (PDF).

[3] "Camdeboo National Park". The Karoo, South Africa. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.

[4] "Camdeboo: Graaff-Reinet's valley of green". Getaway Magazine. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2023.

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Eastern Cape Parks
National Parks	Camdeboo National Park Addo Elephant National Park Mountain Zebra National Park Garden Route National Park Knysna National Lake Area (Western Cape) Tsitsikamma National Park (Eastern Cape) Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area Wilderness National Park (Western Cape)
Mega Parks	Greater Addo Elephant National Park Addo Elephant National Park Woody Cape Nature Reserve Addo Elephant National Park Marine Protected Area Bird Island St. Croix Island, Algoa Bay Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve
Parks managed by Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency	Commando Drift Nature Reserve Dwesa Nature Reserve Dwesa-Cwebe Marine Protected Area East London Coast Nature Reserve Fort Fordyce Nature Reserve Great Fish River Nature Reserve Hluleka Nature Reserve Hluleka Marine Protected Area Mkhambathi Nature Reserve Pondoland Marine Protected Area Mpofu Nature Reserve Oviston Nature Reserve Silaka Nature Reserve Thomas Baines Nature Reserve Tsolwana Nature Reserve
Private and other parks	Buffelspruit Nature Reserve Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve Kwandwe Private Game Reserve Samara Private Game Reserve Shamwari Game Reserve
Marine protected areas	Addo Elephant National Park Marine Protected Area Amathole Marine Protected Area Dwesa-Cwebe Marine Protected Area Hluleka Marine Protected Area Pondoland Marine Protected Area Sardinia Bay Marine Protected Area Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area