Moçâmedes – With the inauguration of the headquarters of its national park on Saturday, the commune of Iona, in the province of Namibe, takes a step forward towards regaining its place in the chain of Angola's tourism potential.

By Anabela Fritz, ANGOP journalist

The opening of the infrastructure is part of the agenda of the Angolan head of state, João Lourenço, who arrived this Friday in Mocâmedes, Namibe, for a 3-day working visit.

The event takes place at a time when Angola seeks to put tourism at the center of attention and efforts to diversify the economy, after autonomizing the sector with the creation of a specialized ministerial department.

Endowed with a rich biodiversity and diverse flora, this portion of the municipality of Tômbwa was first established as a game reserve in 1937, before being transformed into a national park 27 years later, that is, in 1964.

Before Angola's Independence and the ensuing civil war, Iona was described as an 'animal paradise, rich in big game', until poaching and the destruction of infrastructure brought considerable damage to the park.

Currently, the Iona National Park (PNI) is in the process of rehabilitation, in order to equip itself with modern infrastructures, able to offer better accommodation conditions to its users, in particular visitors.

The restoration works also aim to ensure greater conservation of biodiversity and the promotion of tourism in the country, from the largest cross-border park in Angola, in an area of about 15 thousand square kilometres.

According to the project managers, the first phase of rehabilitation of the PNI has already been completed, which now has new facilities for the headquarters of its administration, an operational support infrastructure built from scratch.

Environmentalist Pedro Menterroso, responsible for South Africa's African Park, as project manager, says that the new infrastructure includes 80 rooms, offices and other logistical support areas, boasting all the scenic beauty and the local green hills.

With the construction of the new infrastructure, specifically in the Pediva area, the businessman assured, the Park will be able to evolve to compete with others of international level.

Speaking to ANGOP, Pedro Menterroso acknowledged, however, that, being one of the most extensive parks in Angola and due to its size, isolation and typography of the land, the process of revitalization and rehabilitation of the PNI 'should be longer and with high costs.'

The first phase has already been completed, so that those who go there to work and visit can find good accommodation conditions, he said.

He explained that, in this first phase, the project culminates with the opening of the administration headquarters that encompasses the Park's operational buildings and another base of operations located in the Espinheira area, to also be remodeled with all changes in the structure.

Other buildings will also be rehabilitated, he continued, noting that, in terms of the Park's operability and functionality, 'we are on a good path, as we still need to develop more accommodation actions for tourists'.

He recalled that, so far, there is no hotel facility inside the Park for the accommodation of tourists, and consultations are underway between the Angolan Government and partners so that, in the near future, this situation will be overcome.

According to Menterroso, what currently exists are only camping areas that, throughout the year, can be remodeled and renovated, aiming to provide more quality and convenience to visitors.

In his opinion, the Iona Park represents an extremely safe area with attractions or landscape features that offer greater safety to visitors.

Although there are wild animals, he said, there are very few dangers associated with animal insecurity.

He said it was a 'perfectly safe' park, despite its natural environment with normal precautionary care, ruling out any danger of attacks by wild animals.

In this regard, he reported the existence of an inspection system that works every day in order to respond, for efficient security, to all its visitors.

Park Structure

The PNI extends from the mouth of the Cunene river to a little south of the municipality of Tômbwa, 470 kilometers from the coast and subsequently follows the same river to the northern limit until the Pediva area, before heading to the Otchifengo valley to the Cunene River.

The latter forms the southern limit of the Iona National Park, leaving out the population of Monte Negro, but establishing the southwest limit with the Namibian border.

The environmentalist explained that integrity and national security are not the responsibility of the Iona National Park, but rather of the Border Guard Police who have set up their posts within the Park, together with National Police personnel.

Its management is monitored by an inspection team with which those bodies work in close collaboration, thus creating cooperative relationships with national security bodies.

Therefore, there is close coordination to ensure that the security and integrity of borders and visitors are ensured”, he highlighted.

Investments

In terms of Investments, he stressed that, at this point, 'everything is in order', within the framework of a partnership with the Government of Angola for a period of 20 years.

This partnership began in December 2019 and was implemented in 2020.

'Therefore, we still have until the end of 2039 to be 100 percent comfortable with the rehabilitation of the Park. We have the good part that there has been a significant financial investment mainly from foreign funds that currently exceeds nine million dollars, which involves all types of infrastructures that are being rehabilitated, recruitment of personnel, operational costs, everything that is needed to have a park”, he stated.

This investment, according to the official, is being made essentially by external funds, but with operational support and in collaboration with the Angolan State, specifically the Ministry of the Environment.

'I think we're on a good path, but there's still a lot of work to do,” he said.

For the administrator of Iona Park, Sango de Sá, the inauguration of this infrastructure will help to improve the accommodation of visitors and their colleagues who have been carrying out some work in the area, thus avoiding costs in hotel units and high prices .

In July last year, Iona Park was repopulated with 14 giraffes, three of which did not survive the weather and, this year, with another 14, this month, from neighboring Namibia.

The next repopulation will be of rhinos.

Identification of tourist areas

To better identify tourist areas, the National Directorate of the Marine Conservation Area Implementation Project (DNPIACM) delivered signposts destined for sensitive environmental areas in the municipality.

The signs, provided by the National Institute of Biodiversity and Conservation Areas, aim to alert and inform about the importance of preserving these areas, as well as appropriate behavior when visiting them.

According to DNPIACM, the signs represent an important step in protecting the environment, especially in sensitive areas such as Tômbwa, desert, dunes and beaches.

Signposts containing information about environmental preservation will be placed in various areas identified as estuaries, species breeding areas and internationally protected wetlands, with the aim of protecting the local ecosystem and ensuring a healthy environment for future generations. FA/IZ/DOJ