ABSTRACT
Recent developments within South African National Parks (SANParks) have seen a shift in focus from its flagship parks, such as Kruger National Park, towards the consolidation and expansion of many of the smaller parks, primarily to meet the conservation objectives of the major biomes that have been under-represented (thicket, grassland, fynbos, Succulent Karoo, Nama Karoo and forest) (Driver et al, 2005). Consequently, many of these smaller parks have now taken their place in the spotlight, and considerable attention is being given to enhancing the biodiversity conservation potential within these parks and to the diverse range of socio-economic opportunities that should result from their further development. Conservation here is understood as the balance between the potentially contradictory concepts of ‘biodiversity protection’ and ‘economic development’ of protected areas within an integrated regional mosaic (Borgerhoff Mulder and Coppolillo, 2005), a balance that needs to be achieved, particularly if protected areas as an entity are to survive (McNeely, 1989).
