More than 6,000 tourists, both national and international, have visited Iona National Park since the new tourism support infrastructures became operational in May 2024, the park administrator, Sango dos Anjos Carlos de Sá, announced on Tuesday.
Speaking to ANGOP, the administrator noted that operational conditions for park management have been established this year, emphasizing the need for greater investment in tourism support infrastructure.
Although he did not specify revenue figures, the administrator highlighted that fees are now being collected in accordance with the decree on access fees to environmental conservation areas.
The administrator explained that the park’s tourism development services are operational, providing visitor reception and guidance on terrain conditions.
He reported two cases of poaching this year, with members of the local community identified as the culprits.
“The park has 170 employees, 72 of whom are assigned to enforcement services, including former soldiers and wildlife monitors recruited from local communities and properly trained,” he added.
Regarding the species repopulation program, he noted that it is progressing well. In addition to reintroducing giraffes to the region, where they had been absent for decades, a feasibility study has been conducted to reintroduce black rhinos, lions, and elephants, species historically associated with the park.
He also highlighted efforts to reintroduce the plains zebra, a subspecies of Equus zebra that once coexisted with the mountain zebra subspecies, which still inhabits the park.
The administrator emphasized the need to strengthen the population of the black-faced impala, a subspecies found only in Iona National Park in Angola and highly vulnerable due to anthropogenic pressure on its habitat caused by nearby communities.
On biodiversity conservation, the park’s faunal list includes oryx, gazelles, olongo, cheetahs, Angolan giraffes, mountain zebras, jackals, monkeys, wild dogs, black-faced impalas, seals, brown hyenas, and more.
Source: ANGOP
