Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a large wildlife reserve and conservation area in southern Africa. The park spans the border between South Africa and Botswana and includes two connected national parks. The total area of the park is 38,000 square kilometers (15,000 square miles). About three-quarters of the park is in Botswana, and one-quarter is in South Africa. The name "Kgalagadi" means "place of thirst." In December 2015, media reports said that rights to drill for gas in more than half of the Botswana part of the park had been sold. The Botswana government later said these reports were not true.

Location and terrain

The park is mostly located in the southern Kalahari Desert. The land has red sand dunes, not much plant life, some trees, and dry riverbeds from the Nossob and Auob Rivers. These rivers are said to flow only about once every 100 years. However, water moves underground, helping grass and Vachellia erioloba trees that grow in the riverbeds. The rivers might flow briefly after large thunderstorms.

Wildlife

The park is home to more than 470 recorded animal species. Large animals include lions, cheetahs, African leopards, spotted hyenas, and brown hyenas. Smaller mammals living there are African wildcats, bat-eared foxes, Cape foxes, black-backed jackals, caracals, genets, honey badgers, meerkats, and mongooses. Migrating herds of large hoofed animals, such as blue wildebeest, gemsbok, springbok, steenbok, southern giraffes, common elands, greater kudus, warthogs, klipspringers, and red hartebeests, move through the park seasonally. These animals provide food for the predators in the area. Over 200 bird species live in the park, including ostriches, bustards, waterfowl, storks, passerines, and about 30 birds of prey. More than 30 reptile and amphibian species are found in the park, such as venomous snakes like the Cape cobra, horned adder, puff adder, and black mamba; turtles like Cape terrapins, leopard tortoises, and serrated tortoises; and lizards such as agamas, geckos, and skinks. Amphibians include sand frogs and African bullfrogs.

Since 2005, the protected area has been recognized as a Lion Conservation Unit and a key area for lion populations in Southern Africa.

Conservation

Conservation planning near the park includes work on a project called the Western Kgalagadi Conservation Corridor. This project aims to help animals move freely to find food and water, while also supporting local communities and tourism. The project connects Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park with the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. Conservation International Botswana helped coordinate the project and worked with Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks on the corridor plan.

Weather

The weather in the Kalahari Desert can be very hot or very cold. In January, which is the hottest time of the year in southern Africa, daytime temperatures often go above 40 °C (104 °F). During winter, nighttime temperatures can drop below freezing. The coldest temperature ever recorded is −11 °C (12 °F), and the hottest is 45 °C (113 °F). This desert area receives very little rainfall.

Facilities

The park has three lodges known as "rest camps." These lodges are fully equipped with features such as air conditioning, stores, and swimming pools. In addition, the park has six wilderness camps. These camps offer only basic shelter and water for washing; visitors are required to bring their own food, drinking water, and firewood.

Visitors

Between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018, the park had 52,463 visitors. This number increased compared to the previous year, which had 48,221 visitors.

History

The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa was created on July 31, 1931, to protect migrating animals, especially gemsbok, from being hunted illegally. In 1948, a verbal agreement was made between the Bechuanaland Protectorate and the Union of South Africa to establish a conservation area in areas that are next to each other in both regions. In June 1992, officials from the South African National Parks Board (now SANParks) and Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks formed a group to manage the area as one connected ecological unit. A management plan was created, reviewed, and approved in 1997. Both countries agreed to work together on tourism and split park entrance fees equally. On April 7, 1999, Botswana and South Africa signed an agreement to manage their neighboring national parks—the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana and the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa—as a single ecological unit. The boundary between the two parks had no physical barriers, even though it is also the international border between the two countries. This allowed animals to move freely across the area. On May 12, 2000, President Festus Mogae of Botswana and President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa officially opened Southern Africa’s first peace park, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Cultural preservation and establishment of !Xaus Lodge

In October 2002, governments reserved 580 km (224 mi) of land for the Khomani San and Mier communities. This area was divided into 277.69 km of San Heritage Land and 301.34 km of Mier Heritage Land. The South African National Parks (SANParks) manages the land through a contract. This land was named the !Ae!Hai Heritage Park. The agreement also included funds for the communities to build a tourism facility. The lodge, named !Xaus Lodge (meaning "heart" in the local language), is operated commercially by Transfrontier Parks Destinations on behalf of the ‡Khomani San and Mier communities.

!Xaus Lodge helps preserve the cultural practices of the ‡Khomani San in several ways. A cultural village near the lodge allows local people to create and sell crafts. This helps them learn about and keep alive the traditions of the historical ‡Khomani San while also showing how their culture has changed over time. The !Ae!Hai Heritage Park was also named the first International Dark Sky Sanctuary in Africa by the International Dark Sky Association.

Fracking

In December 2015, news reports stated that the government of Botswana sold the rights to drill for shale gas in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park without public notice. The reports mentioned that prospecting licenses were given for areas totaling 29,291 square kilometers (2,929,100 hectares), 34,435 square kilometers (3,443,500 hectares), and 23,980 square kilometers (2,398,000 hectares). These areas covered more than half of Botswana’s portion of the park and were granted to a company based in the United Kingdom called "Nodding Donkey." The sale was not announced publicly at the time. In November 2015, the company changed its name to "Karoo Energy." In February 2016, Botswana’s Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism denied the reports, stating, "There are also no licenses for fracking in the KTP" and "no intention to issue any approvals for fracking in the KTP or any other national park or national game reserve anywhere in Botswana."

Gallery

• Red sand dunes in the Kgalagadi-Kalahari region
• The gemsbok, or oryx, the animal after which the original parks were named, standing in a dry riverbed
• Nests of social birds
• Urikaruus Camp
• A Southern African cheetah resting near a carcass
• A male lion drinking water at a waterhole
• Meerkats are commonly found
• A group of springboks