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Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has given notice in the Government Gazette of her intention to proclaim the Kwelera Botanical Garden, the first in the Eastern Cape.
Situated 20 kilometres north of East London, it will be the first botanical garden in the Eastern Cape and its establishment follows the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Molewa and Eastern Cape Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism MEC Mcebisi Jonas and Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency in March 2012.
It will be South Africa’s 10th botanical garden and the site includes some maritime frontage between the Gonubie and Kwelera river estuaries as well as pristine dune coastal forest vegetation, representative of the coastal region of the Eastern Cape.
The Kwelera dune forest vegetation currently forms part of the 160 hectare Kwelera Nature Reserve which is managed by ECPTA and will “form the natural portion” of the botanical garden.
(Source: Metro Minute to subscribe mail metminutes@iafrica.com)
