ABSTRACT
South Africa’s transition from a minority government to a democratic order explicitly required the transformation of all sectors of society; parks and other conserved areas were not excluded from this process. In the past, the majority of South Africans were effectively prevented from enjoying the benefits of formal conservation areas, often bearing the costs associated with their removal and exclusion from parks. However, the ‘fortress’ or ‘fence and fines’ approach became politically and socially unacceptable, and there were calls for more innovative means of ensuring that the dual goals of biodiversity conservation and social justice were met.
