By Dr Howard Hendricks
Did you know that some of South Africa's national parks are home of evidence human history stretching back thousands of years?
When most people think of South African National Parks (SANParks), justifiably, they tend to think of elephants roaming across vast landscapes, lions resting beneath acacia trees, or rhinos grazing on open plains. Yet hidden amongst these same landscapes are ancient footprints, archaeological treasures, sacred sites, rock art, graves, battlefields and cultural traditions that tell the story of who we are as a people.
Our parks are not merely places where nature resides. They are also living archives of human history. As the African saying reminds us, "a river does not forget its source." Neither should a nation.
Heritage Month offers us an opportunity to reflect not only on our diverse cultures and traditions, but also on the landscapes that have shaped generations of South Africans. Long before national parks were proclaimed, people lived, travelled, traded, worshipped, hunted and shared knowledge in these places. Their stories remain embedded in the land.
As custodians of over four million hectares of protected land across 21 national parks, SANParks’ modern mandate extends far beyond biodiversity. From ancient archaeological discoveries to rock art sites and places of spiritual significance, our national parks hold chapters of South Africa's story that cannot be found in textbooks alone. They remind us that conservation is not solely about the management of species, but also about preserving memory, identity and cultural continuity.
We see the tangible reality of this memory across our entire park network. In the far north of the Kruger National Park—a landscape global tourists associate strictly with wildlife—lies the ancient stone citadel of Thulamela. This late Iron Age settlement stands as a profound testament to the sophistication of pre-colonial African societies, where skilled goldsmiths traded with the Far East centuries before European arrival. By actively working with local community elders to restore these sacred dry-stone walls, we ensure that conservation protects both ecological integrity and cultural heritage.
Further south, at Agulhas National Park, the convergence of two oceans is matched by a convergence of human histories. Here, the haunting remnants of colonial-era shipwrecks share a coastline with ancient stone fish traps engineered thousands of years ago by the indigenous Khoikhoi. Similarly, while Addo Elephant National Park is globally lauded for saving the Eastern Cape elephant from the brink of extinction, its expansive Alexandria Dunefield protects the archaeological middens of nomadic 'Strandloper' people.
Mapping ancient trans-regional trade and travel routes that connect directly to rock art sites in the Zuurberg mountains.
This understanding is becoming increasingly important in a modern world where many people, particularly younger generations, are growing further removed from the places and traditions that shaped their communities.
Drawing on the African proverb that "when an elder dies, a library burns", cultural heritage conservation seeks to prevent those libraries from disappearing. Every cultural site protected, every story documented, every tradition preserved, helps ensure that future generations inherit not only healthy ecosystems but also the wisdom, identity and knowledge that connect them to their past.
This is why SANParks views cultural heritage as an integral part of conservation. Nature and culture are not separate, they are intertwined.
The same landscape that supports biodiversity also contain sacred sites, historical routes, traditional knowledge systems and stories passed down through generations. To conserve one while ignoring the other would present an incomplete picture of our shared heritage.
Across Africa and the world, there is increasing recognition that conservation must be inclusive, people-centred and rooted in historical understanding. Protected areas are strongest when they are valued not only for their ecological importance but also for their cultural relevance to the people they serve. For SANParks, this means working with communities, traditional leaders, heritage practitioners, researchers and other partners to identify, document and manage cultural resources alongside natural ones.
It means helping visitors experience our parks differently. A visitor may arrive hoping to see the Big Five but also leave with a deeper appreciation for the generations of people whose lives were connected to the landscape. In doing so, a visit becomes more than a tourism experience. It becomes an opportunity to better understand South Africa's rich and layered historical importance to the world.
Heritage has a unique ability to bring people together. In a country as diverse as ours, heritage serves as a bridge between the past and the future, between communities and cultures, and between people and place. It helps us recognise that while our histories may be different, our future is shared.
As we celebrate Heritage Month, I encourage all South Africans to look beyond what is immediately visible. The value of our national parks lies not only in the wildlife and landscapes we manage, but also in the stories they preserve.
Under SANParks' stewardship, these places are more than destinations of natural beauty. They are repositories of identity, memory and belonging. They safeguard not only our natural heritage, but also the cultural legacy that connects South Africans across generations. In understanding where we come from, we are better equipped to shape where we are going.
And that is a responsibility we all share.
*Hendricks is the Managing Executive responsible for Conservation Services at SANParks
