Vision and Mission

iSimangaliso Wetland Park is a place of miracle and wonder — South Africa’s first World Heritage Site, inscribed by UNESCO in 1999 and stretching along the KwaZulu-Natal coast from Maphelane in the south to Kosi Bay on the Mozambique border. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority is the public entity entrusted with managing this extraordinary place under the World Heritage Convention Act, 1999. Everything the Authority does is guided by a simple idea: conservation with the people, for the people.

Our Vision

“A renowned World Heritage Park where conservation, sustainable tourism and benefit-sharing prevails.”

Our Mission

iSimangaliso’s mission is to protect, preserve and present its World Heritage values for current and future generations while benefitting communities living in and adjacent to the Park by facilitating optimal tourism and related development.

Our Values

iSimangaliso subscribes to the Batho Pele principles. In addition, our core values are:

• Integrity
• Honesty
• Transparency
• Accountability
• Performance
• Professionalism

Our Mandate

The World Heritage Convention Act, 1999 (WHCA) sets out the objectives of iSimangaliso, which have been incorporated into its mission:

• To protect, conserve and present the Park.
• To empower historically disadvantaged adjacent communities.
• To promote and facilitate optimal tourism and related development in the Park.