In recognition of World Environment Day (June 5), Addo Elephant National Park, near Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape, is making big improvements to mitigate its impact on the environment.

In recent months, various solar-powered projects have been commissioned throughout the park and a biofiltration system is recycling up to 80% of its busiest camp’s grey water.

The park’s 17 largest boreholes have been converted from diesel generators to solar. These boreholes supply drinking water to animals at waterholes and also service a number of staff homes across most of its 160 000ha.

Whereas the diesel generators were noisy, emitted carbon emissions, and were labour- and fuel-intensive in that they needed staff to drive to, check, repair and refuel them regularly, the new solar systems are quiet, clean, and require minimal maintenance.

Added to that, the park’s spending on diesel to run the generators has considerably decreased.

The project to convert the boreholes got under way three years ago, with the latest addition coming online earlier this year. The project funding of just under R2 million (€98 098) came from Animal Survival International, an animal welfare organisation based in the UK, which works to help wildlife around the world.

An additional 20 hybrid solar systems situated throughout the park provide power to Anti-Poaching Unit staff accommodation and a law enforcement fusion centre. These were funded as part of the Wildlife Conservation Bond which was launched by the World Bank in 2022.

Another R15 million (€735 650) funded solar project has kicked off, which will see what is known as Main Camp (the main hub of the park with the most accommodation units, staff housing, and where most of the activities depart from) going off-grid by the end of next year.

Meanwhile, in a water-scarce country, the park’s newly built biofiltration plant is recycling the majority of grey water from Main Camp, which in turn gets fed to a nearby waterhole and the bird hide. It is also set up to, in the future, supply water for the flushing of toilets at eight new family accommodation units currently being built.

The R8 million plant (€392 280) is able to handle 120 kilolitres of sewerage per day. Once purified it is pumped to a holding reservoir before being fed to where it is required.

This system has already seen a drop in the park’s reliance on municipal water and a decrease in its municipal water bill.