ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on local realities of people living on the edge of wildlife frontiers. It examines what it means to be living on the edge. The book explores the meaning and the development of 'the edge' in relation to Southern African transfrontier conservation areas. It also focuses on the dynamics of international borders, land tenure, disease management and state-protected area boundaries, the factors influencing their establishment, and how they have changed over the last century. The book argues that the drivers of such change are more complex and seldom induced by conservation policies. It describes the heterogeneity of livelihoods on the edge under similar agro-ecological circumstances and analyses the drivers of change in demography and livelihoods. The book explores such socio-cultural drivers of heterogeneity at the local level, looking at conflicting interests, livelihood trends and worldviews.
