Tômbwa – The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, inaugurated Saturday 26 administrative support infrastructures for the management of the Iona National Park, in the commune with the same name, in the municipality of Tômbwa, Namibe province.
Located 160 kilometers south of Moçâmedes, capital of the province, the Iona natural reserve is rich in biodiversity, having been established as a hunting reserve in 1937, before being transformed into a National Park in 1964.
Before Angola's Independence and the civil war that followed, Iona was described as an 'animal paradise, rich in big game', until poaching and the destruction of infrastructure destroyed its structure.
It is currently undergoing a rehabilitation process, with the installation of modern infrastructure, capable of offering better accommodation conditions to its users, particularly visitors, with the Government having spent, to date, 11.7 million US dollars, which could reach 15.7 million by the end of the year.
The restoration works also aim to ensure greater conservation of biodiversity and the promotion of tourism in the country, based on the largest cross-border park in Angola, in an area of around 15 thousand square kilometers.
Today's event, Saturday, marks the end of the first phase of the reform, providing new facilities for the headquarters of its administration, an operational support infrastructure built from scratch.
The reserve is handed over to African Park, an organization founded in 2000 with a focus on non-profit conservation, assuming full responsibility for the rehabilitation and long-term management of national parks and protected areas, in partnership with government and local communities, which now has in Creates a structure with rooms for employees, offices and other logistical support areas in the Pediva area.
Environmentalist Pedro Menterroso, head of the management company, explained that another operations base is planned, located in the Espinheira area, to also be remodeled with all changes to the structure.
So far, according to the source, there are no hotel facilities in the Park to accommodate tourists, but consultations are underway with the Government and partners so that, in the near future, this situation can be overcome.
The Iona National Park extends from the mouth of the Cunene River to a little south of the municipality of Tômbwa, 470 kilometers from the coast and then follows the same river to the northern limit until the Pediva area, before heading to the valley from Otchifengo 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 partnership with the new manager lasts 20 years and its implementation began in 2020.
In July last year it was repopulated with 14 giraffes, three of which did not adapt and died and, this year, 14 more came from Namibia. The next batch is rhinos. MS/ART/DOJ
