Original Research

Developing partnerships in a paradigm shift to achieve conservation reality in South Africa

H. Els, J. du P. Bothma
Koedoe | Vol 43, No 1 | a205 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/koedoe.v43i1.205 | © 2000 H. Els, J. du P. Bothma | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 02 July 2000 | Published: 02 July 2000

About the author(s)

H. Els,
J. du P. Bothma,

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Abstract

In South Africa, communal rural community development has, for the most part, been viewed as an add-on, rather than as an integral value in the broad spectrum of conservation activities being practised in the country. This paper, therefore, argues for the reality-based adoption of an extension of existing conservation paradigms to incorporate the development of communal rural communities as an integral part of the overall wildlife conservation and management policy in South Africa. The answer to the seeming contradiction in the focus of wildlife conservation and rural development lies in the devel- opment of wildlife management programmes based on multi-disciplinary and multiinstitutional interaction, by also harnessing scientific knowledge and skills found in the social sciences. In this manner, the present largely lip service related to so-called com- munity participation in wildlife management can be changed into programmes which really achieve conservation-based community development enhancing survival for both the communities and their inherent natural resources.

Keywords

sustainable utilisation sustainable development, communal rural communities, community development, wildlife management.

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1. Institutional Constraints on Interactive Community Participation in Forest Conservation in Mozambique
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