The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, announced the establishment of the Garden Route National Park, and its proclamation by Government Gazette, last week reports Travelwires.

The 121 000 hectare park stretches across the Western and the Eastern Cape, and involves the municipalities of George, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Koukamma.   The Garden Route is well-known for its indigenous forests, its fynbos, and its Knysna and Wilderness estuaries.  It will incorporate the existing Tsitsikamma and Wilderness National Parks.

The proclamation could have a beneficial effect on tourism, which is much needed for the Garden Route, which is strongly feeling the effect of the economic downturn.