South Africa’s Kruger National Park has begun reopening key roads and camps after severe flooding forced parts of the park to close in January, but officials warn that the damage underscores growing climate risks to conservation systems that depend heavily on tourism revenue.
Intense rainfall across Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces, part of a wider weather system that also affected neighbouring Mozambique, damaged roads, bridges, camps and water infrastructure inside the park, one of Africa’s most visited wildlife destinations. South African National Parks (SANParks) said restoration work is continuing, with access being restored gradually where safety permits.
South Africa’s environment minister, Willie Aucamp, has estimated that repair costs could reach about $30 million, a significant unplanned burden for an agency that relies primarily on self-generated income rather than direct government funding.
Read also: Kenya enters peak hot season as meteorological department explains weather conditions
According to SANParks, roughly 80% of its operating budget comes from tourism revenue. Kruger alone accounts for just over 30% of total visitors across South Africa’s national parks, hosting about 1.9 million visitors in the 2024–25 financial year. In a January statement, Aucamp said tourist numbers at Kruger fell by 41% compared with the same period last year following the floods, sharply reducing revenue at the height of the summer season.
For communities around the park, the impact has been immediate. Hoedspruit, a tourism hub near Kruger’s Orpen Gate, depends on steady visitor flows to sustain lodges, tour operators and small businesses. Tom Vorster, acting director of the Maruleng Tourism Association, said SANParks has been racing to reopen access routes as damaged bridges and roads cut off parts of the park.
“They are slowly opening where they can and working frantically,” Vorster said. “A number of bridges and dam walls were compromised, so temporary bypass roads are being built or rehabilitated to keep visitors moving safely.”
SANParks spokesperson Reynold Thakhuli said damage assessments were still underway, making it difficult to give a firm timeline or final cost estimate. Several camps and park entrances have reopened, but large sections remain restricted, particularly in flood-prone river systems.
The flooding has drawn attention to a broader structural issue facing conservation agencies across Africa: the growing exposure of protected areas to climate shocks at a time when public funding is constrained and tourism income is increasingly volatile.
Across the continent, national parks and wildlife agencies depend on a small number of high-performing destinations to subsidise conservation elsewhere. Hayley Clements of the African Wildlife Economy Institute said this concentration of revenue leaves systems vulnerable when climate events disrupt flagship sites.
“Some parks are far more attractive to tourists, and that income is used to support conservation in places where there is little commercial return,” she said. “What we see across Africa is that tourism is becoming a larger share of conservation funding because government budgets are limited or declining.”
Extreme weather is making that model riskier. Flooding, drought and heat stress are increasingly affecting access roads, airstrips, accommodation and wildlife habitats. In East Africa, drought has reduced wildlife visibility and visitor numbers in some reserves, while cyclones along the southeast African coast have damaged park infrastructure and disrupted tourism seasons.
In Kruger’s case, the scale of damage has prompted SANParks to establish a recovery fund to attract private donations to supplement repair budgets. While such fundraising can provide short-term relief, analysts say it also highlights the absence of more resilient, diversified financing structures for conservation.
The economic stakes extend beyond park boundaries. Tourism linked to protected areas supports jobs, local procurement and municipal revenue, particularly in rural regions with limited alternative industries. Prolonged closures or reduced visitor confidence can ripple through local economies long after floodwaters recede.
Read also: Cape Town’s Baboons: New action plan balances urban safety and Wildlife conservation
Climate scientists have warned that southern Africa is likely to experience more intense rainfall events alongside longer dry spells as climate patterns shift. For infrastructure designed around historical weather norms, this raises questions about whether repair efforts will need to be matched by adaptation investments, such as redesigned bridges, reinforced roads and improved drainage systems.
For now, SANParks’ focus is on restoring access ahead of peak travel periods and reassuring visitors that safety remains the priority. Vorster said the pace of repairs has exceeded initial expectations, even as challenges remain.
“It’s going to take a long time to recover,” he said, “but it’s encouraging to see the effort being put in.”
As climate extremes become more frequent, the situation at Kruger is increasingly viewed as a warning signal for conservation models across Africa that depend on stable tourism flows to finance ecosystems under growing environmental stress.
Engage with us on LinkedIn: Africa Sustainability Matters
