South African National Parks is pleased to announce the appointment of Megan Taplin as the new park manager for Table Mountain National Park, who has taken on the responsibility of ensuring the smooth operation of the park.
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Megan was born and raised in Cape Town, and she holds an undergraduate and honours equivalent certificate from the University of Stellenbosch, where she majored in nature conservation and zoology.
She also has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science from WITS University and has worked in the conservation sector for the past 22 years, bringing a wealth of experience and exemplary leadership.
Her career with SANParks began in April 2003 as a social ecologist focusing on local community liaison and environmental education in the Eastern Cape’s Addo Elephant National Park.
In 2006, she was appointed as the Frontier Region Parks’ Regional Communications Manager (Addo Elephant, Mountain Zebra, Camdeboo, and Karoo National Parks) and later as the Region’s Communications and Marketing Manager.
She returned to Park Operations as Park Manager of Mountain Zebra National Park from 2012 to 2017.
She was transferred to the Garden Route National Park’s Knysna Area in late 2017 as Park Manager of the Knysna Section, where she remained until her promotion to Table Mountain National Park Manager on January 1, 2023.
“It is a privilege to be entrusted to lead the team managing this World Heritage site and New 7th Wonder of the World. It will be important to engage with the many different stakeholders and communities to ensure that we meet their needs while still ensuring we deliver our core mandate of biodiversity conservation. Without benefits to people and the support of our stakeholders, the park cannot persevere into the future. I know the people of the Cape are passionate about their local park, and there are many opportunities that can be realised when we combine our efforts,” says Taplin.
Mr Johan Taljaard, Regional General Manager of SANParks Cape Region, wishes Taplin well in her new role as TMNP’s Park Manager.
He is confident that her knowledge and experience in environmental management, as well as community and public relations, will benefit SANParks and Capetonians in the future.
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Picture: SANParks – Table Mountain National Park / Facebook
