ABSTRACT
The vast majority of national parks and reserves are administered by national or local governments. Individuals can preserve ecosystems in ways other than just including them in parks, but exploring how some reserves came into being reveals a lot about the types of action that are effective in other conservation efforts. Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park, was established through the efforts of a few individuals. Colonel George W. Steward efforts persuaded Congress to support the creation of the Sequoia National Park in 1890. In the 1880s and 1890s, President Paul Kruger of South Africa became concerned about the rapid disappearance of wildlife caused by hunters and farmers in that nation. In 1909, internationally known Swiss zoologists, Paul and Fritz Sarasin, urged the creation of an alpine park to preserve some of the Swiss mountain ranges. Recognition of the role played by individuals is not intended to disparage the role of governments and governmental agencies in wild organisms.
