
Chapter 13



NATURE CONSERVATION

The present situation

The main function of game reserves and nature reserves is to protect ecosystems and biodiversity. They also protect rare plants and animals. They allow us to do research into how nature works. In the future, nature conservation should include more environmental education.

Nature conservation must also make sure that local communities benefit from nature reserves. Nature conservation can be used to create jobs for local communities. Nature conservation can be used to make the RDP work in rural areas.

South Africa has a lot of protected areas. We have 17 National Parks, and many provincial parks. There are also lots of private nature reserves. We have eight National Botanical Gardens where plants are protected and where people can learn about our plants.

Many visitors from other countries like South Africa because it is very beautiful. They also come to see the wild animals. National Parks and nature reserves are very important for tourism. This could bring a lot of money into the country. Tourism could also bring money to the rural areas. But we must make sure that the local communities benefit from tourism.

Tourism is growing very fast around the world. South Africa could take a lot more tourists than we do now. We could make a lot of money from tourism. But we must be careful that tourism does not damage our environment. We must also make sure that it benefits poor communities.

When some National Parks were set up, some communities were forced to move. They were not paid properly for the land they lost (see Box 10 on the next page).

They were not allowed to use the land they lost for grazing their cattle. They were not allowed to collect plants for medicines or firewood and thatching grass from the reserves. Because of this they lost some of the knowledge they had about the natural environment.

BOX 10: KOSI BAY

People or nature conservation

Kosi Bay is in Maputoland near the Mozambique border. It has four lakes. You can only get to some areas on foot or by boat. The  KwaDapha ,  eMalangeni  and  Nkovukeni  communities have lived in Maputoland for over 700 years. They are the last communities living in Kosi Bay.

On the western side of Kosi Bay every one has moved except one person. On the other side the three communities of  KwaDapha ,  Nkovukeni  and  Emalangeni  are still in the reserve. These communities do not want to move. They have set up the  KwaDapha ,  eMalangeni  and  Nkovukeni  (KEN) Community Resource and Development Project.

The KEN Community Resource and Development Project is setting up an ecotourism project managed and owned by the community. The Kwa Zulu Department of Nature Conservation has agreed to help set it up. The Kosi Bay project could show other communities how to set up a nature reserve. In Kosi Bay, farming, conservation and ecotourism could all work together.

The community want to stay on the land and take part in the conservation and development of the area. They want to set up places where community knowledge about the environment can be recorded. This knowledge will be used to help conservation in the area.

In the past, nature conservation in South Africa mainly served white people. For nature conservation to work, it must serve all South Africans. The local communities must benefit from nature conservation.

All South Africans must be able to go to our National and Provincial Parks. This is important to educate people about the environment.

Nature areas in towns are also important for environmental education. Poor people in towns can visit these places to get in touch with nature. These nature areas can be small open spaces. Or they can be much larger nature reserves.

Policy issues for the new government

There are six main issues facing the new government about nature conservation:

1.  The first issue is giving land or money to people who lost their land for nature reserves. This will be dealt with by the Land Claims Court.
2.  The second issue is making sure that all South Africans can visit our National Parks and other protected areas. People must be able to afford to get in. But the government must also work out ways for poor people to get to the parks and to stay in them.
3.  We need better relationships between parks and local communities. They must work together to protect our resources. Local communities must benefit from our parks.
4.  The government must encourage tourism - but in a way which will look after our natural resources.
5.  The government must look at who benefits from nature conservation. Local communities must benefit from tourism and from nature conservation. We need projects for rural development around our parks. The government must help with capacity-building in environmental education, natural resource management and tourist services for local communities.
6.  The nature conservation bodies must change their public image. The nature conservation staff need to be more open to communities. The only staff who need to dress like police or soldiers are those in anti-poaching units and the gate guards.

Recommendations

Changes to the law and the way parks are run

1.  The National Parks Board must be made more accountable to the public. New, representative National and Provincial Parks Boards should be chosen in a transparent and democratic way. All parks should be controlled by one law. There should be regional representatives at the national level. We need a national plan for the protection and development of parks and reserves.
2.  A National Liaison Committee between National, Provincial and local Parks could look at conservation across the whole country.
3.  The government must set up Bioregional Forums. These should have representatives from National Parks, Provincial Parks, farming organisations, industry, NGOs and local communities. Each forum would cover one catchment area. It would allow civil society to take part in planning and checking on conservation in these areas. The needs of people living in or near conservation areas should be taken into account.
4.  Community Liaison Committees should be set up in all parks. Community Liaison Committees would help neighbouring communities to take part in decision-making for the park. It would also help them to benefit from the park's resources.
5.  National and Provincial Parks and other nature reserves must employ more black people and more women. We need to build capacity in disadvantaged communities.
6.  The provincial departments could take over some of the management of National Parks. This would help to bring management of provincial, national and private parks together in each province. But the National Parks Board should set national standards for their parks.

Community-based conservation and rural development

7.  National and Provincial Parks can help rural development. Some of the money from parks should go into making jobs in the region. Parks should buy the things they need from the local community if possible and try to employ people from the local community.
8.  The park management must work with the community to decide on benefits the community can get from the park. This could include grazing cattle in the park. Or using plants, firewood and thatching grass from the park.
9.  Communities living next to parks should be involved in stopping poaching in those parks. If the community benefit from the park then they will want to protect the park.

The system of Community Game Guards could be used: guards are appointed by the community to protect the park. They are accountable to the community.
10. National Parks and nature reserves should help to introduce wildlife into communal and farming areas. They could teach people to farm wild animals such as kudu or springbok. Communities could make money from this. These animals are less likely to die in a drought than cattle.
11. There should be areas around National and Provincial Parks in which wildlife and cattle are farmed together.

Tourism

12. Tourism can damage the environment. We must control the numbers of tourists that go to areas. We must make sure that tourists don't waste water and energy. We must make sure that tourists are sensitive to local cultures.
13. Nature reserves must create more jobs. Small bush camps can offer game drives and bush walks with a guide. This gives more opportunities to the tourists and creates more jobs.
14. Nature reserves should sell local crafts rather than crafts from other places. Rural communities should also be helped to sell their crafts in cities.
15. The government must look at setting up arts and crafts training centres near the parks. These centres could use animal skins from National and Provincial Parks for leather work. They could also teach people other crafts.
16. Eco-tourism can bring in money to help protect our nature conservation areas.
17. The government must make sure that some of the money made by National, Provincial and local parks goes into protecting our environment and parks.

Research and education

18. We must study nature so that protected areas are managed properly. Traditional knowledge about the environment and the knowledge of traditional healers and trackers should be respected, recorded and used where possible.
19. The knowledge of local communities must be protected by law. Communities should be paid when their knowledge is used. Local communities have been working with nature for a long time. They have learned a lot about the places in which they live. We must study and record this knowledge.
20. All parks should have places for environmental education. All school children should visit nature reserves. Nature reserves in cities can be important for this. Environmental education should include traditional environmental knowledge. Education should involve all sectors of the community, including farmers, as both teachers and students.
21. The government must study what people feel and understand about nature. They must study how communities can be involved in managing parks.




