Participation and education: developing a cultural resource management plan for the Natal Drakensberg

Abstract

The Natal Drakensberg Park contains at least 550 known archaeological sites, including at least 40000 rock paintings. We have developed a cultural resource management plan for the park, according to the guiding principles of participation and education. We argue that these principles apply to the development of all cultural resource management plans. Participation and education should inform every stage of a plan's development process, which will differ according to the parameters within which the plan is formulated. In this instance, we had to consider such diverse factors as the use of annual burning for grassland management, relatively uncontrolled visitor access to sites, and the consumptive use of paintings by traditional healers. The flaws in the plan include the limited contribution made by communities neighbouring the park. However, the flexible and dynamic nature of the plan should ensure that such weaknesses are detected and corrected timeously.