The
Eco Travellers Guide to The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park
Introduction
to Greater St Lucia Wetland Park : History of St. Lucia
The "St. Lucia Estuary" was first discovered in 1552
St.
Lucia was first named "Rio de la Medaos do ura" (River
of the dows of Gold) in 1554 by the survivors of the Portuguese
Ship Saint Benedict. At this stage the Tugela river mouth was
known as St. Lucia. Later, in 1575, the Tugela river was properly
named Tugela.
On
13 December 1575, the day of the feast of Saint Lucy, Manuel Peresterello
renamed the mouth area to Santa Lucia.
In
1822 St Lucia was proclaimed by the British as a township.
In
1895 St Lucia was proclaimed a Game Reserve.
In
1971 St Lucia Lake and the turtle beaches and coral reefs of Maputaland
were listed by the "Convention on Wetlands of International
Importance" (the Ramsar Convention).
In
December 1999 The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park was declared a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
