ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the hypothesis that gradients of natural resources are a major determinant of movements of wildlife, livestock and people, across the edge of protected areas located inside transfrontier conservation areas in Southern Africa. It discusses the concepts of ecological 'trade-offs' that are helpful in explaining how access to food resources may lead to movements of wild animals across the boundaries of protected areas. The chapter also discusses to what extent such mechanisms are relevant to explain movements of domestic animals and people living at the periphery of protected areas. It describes the resource gradients between protected areas and neighbouring communal lands by using case studies from Gonarezhou National Park and Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, and to a lesser extent Kruger National Park in South Africa. The chapter demonstrates how the spatial and temporal variability in the availability of food resources can lead to movements of wild herbivores and wild carnivores outside protected areas, resulting in human–wildlife conflicts.
