Kruger National Park prepares for the fire season (June - October)

South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced its management plans for the current fire season in Kruger National Park which usually takes place between June and October. Proactive use of fire in a fire-driven landscape such as Kruger National Park is important in order to limit the risk of large, unwanted wildfires later in the dry season. As such, SANParks has already begun burning early-season fires to break up the grass layer as well as burning and grading firebreaks around key infrastructure such as camps, staff facilities and the National Park's border in order to reduce the risk of unwanted fires.

"Last year, nearly 20% of the Park burnt due to very high amounts of grass which accumulated as a result of the high rainfall experienced during the 2020/21 summer months. For the last few years, less than 10% of the Park would burn on average. Following another year of substantial rainfall in Kruger National Park, we are anticipating another year where approximately 15% or 300 000 ha of the park may burn. The majority of these burns will be part of our controlled burning programme conducted by our Rangers for ecological reasons. However, we do also anticipate the likelihood of unplanned fires in the coming months but these will be managed as and when they occur by our trained and equipped personnel," explained Kruger National Park's Abiotic Scientist, Tercia Strydom.

Source: TravelComments.com Official Blog