A project longed for by the population for many years, especially nature lovers, the rehabilitation project of the Chimalavera Regional Park, currently in shambles, is an initiative of the Ministry of the Environment and of the Provincial Government of Benguela.

The objective is to provide inhabitants and tourists, in Benguela, with a new image of that environmental treasure for the protection of plant and animal species, with a predominance of Cabra de Leque. According to the head of the Tourism Department in Benguela, João Calete, the work will start next year and, upon completion, management will pass to the Ministry of Tourism, with a view to promoting the space.

It is clear that the project consists of restoring some infrastructure in a state of degradation, including the fence, previously made of concrete piles and wire, and now non-existent.

For him, the current conditions of the park are not good, which puts the safety of the animals at risk, hence the authorities' intention to improve the fence and housing equipment and restoration, to accommodate tourists.

Biodiversity in the park is highlighted as another aspect of the project, that is, animal repopulation, under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment. “At the moment, we have few animals there, from the Fan Goat to some birds. We need to have more animals to attract more people to the park”, he asserts.

In light of this, he said, the park is operating at half capacity, practically “on the fly”, without the huge flow of tourists seen in recent years.

Poaching threatens fauna João Calete thinks that reinforcing supervision, with forest guards, is also part of the Chimalavera Regional Park rehabilitation project.

And he took the opportunity to denounce that the few animals existing in the Chimalavera Regional Natural Park are being targeted by poaching, similar to what also happens in the Kapembawe private environmental park. Despite the huge investment in the Kapembawe park, he warns that hunters are already jumping the fence to hunt the animals, which come from Botswana and Tanzania.

The situation led to the temporary closure of this private park, for rehabilitation work and construction of the fence, as he said. “Because there was a place close to the river that was not fenced off. The animals left the park, went to the river and never came back”, he explained, acknowledging that Kapembawe will reopen its doors.

Inside Chimalavera Park Located about 30 kilometers from the city of Benguela, Chimalavera has an area of 150 square kilometers. It was established as a special reserve by Legislative Diploma nº 4124 of 06/05/1971 and elevated to the status of Regional Natural Park by ordinance nº 352 of 04/15/1974.

Consisting of a high plain surrounded by more or less steep mountains and with altitudes varying between 50 m and 265 m, the park, due to the lack of rivers or lakes, depends the watering of animals from a borehole and a network of pumping and distribution tanks, which have long been inoperative.

Currently, it is carried out by a tanker that, irregularly and insufficiently, supplies water to the two existing drinking fountains. The vegetation cover is scarce and consists of low herbaceous vegetation (grass) and thorn trees (acacias).

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