SANParks Honorary Rangers

SANParks Honorary Rangers, recognised by the South African National Parks as its official volunteer organisation, has grown to over 1 900 volunteers across the country, supporting all 19 national parks.

The East Rand Region is actively involved in many activities inside and outside the national parks.

The focus of the region is to raise funds for major projects in the Kruger National Park, as well as for several smaller projects in the Marakele National Park, with the emphasis on counter-poaching-assistance initiatives.

One of its bigger projects to date has been the building of vegetable gardens at ranger posts, predominantly in the remoter sections of the Kruger National Park, to enable the rangers to plant, grow and harvest their own vegetables.

The structures are built to safeguard the crops from marauding baboons, birds, rodents and insects.

The structures were approved by the relevant authorities in the Kruger National Park following an engineering approval assessment. East Rand Region has built four of these structures in the Shangoni, Houtboschrand, Tshokwane and Stolznek sections. A fifth structure is planned for early 2018 at the ranger post at Punda Maria. The cost of each structure is about R100 000 and has been fully