The Eastern Cape highlands will receive greater protection following the declaration of 18 properties covering more than 10 225 hectares as the new Grassland National Park.

The park, situated between Nqanqarhu and Rhodes, aims to protect grassland ecosystems that are underrepresented in South Africa’s protected areas, as well as part of the Eastern Cape Drakensberg Strategic Water Source Area.

The declaration was published in Government Gazette No. 55531 under Government Notice No. 8002, formally establishing the area as a national park.

Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment David Maynier has assigned the management of the park to South African National Parks (SANParks) in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act, 2003.

The declaration follows a notice of intention published in 2025 and the completion of the required legal process. Maynier said the establishment of the park was an important step towards protecting South Africa’s grassland and strategic water resources.

“The declaration of the Grasslands National Park is an important step in protecting one of South Africa’s least-protected biomes and a strategic water source landscape. It also demonstrates how conservation and compatible productive land use can reinforce one another through voluntary, long-term partnership,” he said.

 The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and SANParks worked with WWF South Africa and other partners to coordinate the establishment of the park.

The park was established primarily through biodiversity stewardship, an approach that allows landowners to retain ownership of their properties while committing to agreed conservation and management measures.

This means agricultural activities that are compatible with conservation can continue, allowing landowners to maintain their livelihoods while helping protect biodiversity and water resources.

Mayneir said the initiative was the first national park in South Africa established primarily through the biodiversity steward model.

“This initiative is an example of how inclusive partnerships can drive large-scale conservation success,” he said

The park’s establishment marks a move from a proposed protected area to a formally declared national park, with conservation efforts aimed at protecting the region’s grasslands and supporting the long-term sustainability of its natural resources.