Making effective use of all Table Mountain’s resources

Lesley-Ann Meyer, the new head of the Table Mountain National Park, has big plans to make the park safer and better for users.

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Cape Town - The new head of the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) has spent her first month getting to know every nook and cranny of the massive area and brainstorming ideas to make it safer and even better for users.

Lesley-Ann Meyer, who took over from Paddy Gordon as park manager last month, said she was conducting an internal audit to make sure resources were directed to where they needed to be to combat issues such as crime.

“We are looking at whether we are making effective use of the resources we have. Are we consulting the relevant stakeholders? People have wonderful ideas - are we listening to them and trying to incorporate these into our strategies?” she said during an interview yesterday at Tokai Manor House, where she is based.

Meyer said one thing that had struck her was the amount of time their rangers spent carrying people with sprained ankles down the mountain.

They were now looking into new technology to help overcome issues such as language barriers on signage.

“How about a code you can scan which can translate check your boots, do you have water’, before you go up Platteklip Gorge, to try to reduce rescues? I’m looking at all sorts of possibilities,” she said.

Originally from Uitenhage, Meyer is no newcomer to park management. She studied tourism at Saasveld, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s George campus and joined SANParks in 2004 as a receptionist at Addo Elephant Park, before working her way up to duty manager.

From there she was appointed park manager at Mountain Zebra, before being transferred to the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route National Park, where she was area manager.

She said the opportunity to become park manager at the Table Mountain National Park was sudden, but exciting.

“I believe if you want to widen your skills and your knowledge, it’s important to move within national parks because they are all so different.”

Her 13-year-old daughter will be joining her and she has family in Cape Town.

She said her first month had been fantastic and staff had taken her all over.

Regarding her management style, she said she’d always had a reputation for “sticking her nose into everything”.

“But often when you step into a new park you want to understand the context in which things work and I like to know what is going on.”

Meyer said she would have to prioritise because there were many different issues.

“And everyone wants a piece of you.”

She said although there were many different interest groups, the park had a mandate to operate within the spheres of biodiversity and conservation management.

“Table Mountain is a park within an urban setting, with open access which brings a whole different perspective to things, including crime and communication.”

She intends maintaining relationships with existing safety forums and making use of forums such as neighbourhood watches and volunteer groups.

Poaching was another area she would prioritise.

It’s everywhere and not a problem that’s going to go away any time soon. But the marine team and other rangers are making good efforts - not just with marine poaching - but anything from bark stripping to plant collections.”

Meyer said Table Mountain National Park was a park for the people. “It’s our park, it's Cape Town’s park and we must find a way to get common ground and to work together to make it the best park for every user.”

helen.bamford@inl.co.za

Cape Argus