‘The Mkuze River it has crossed the fence’ (1) – communities on the boundary of the Mkuze protected area
Restricting access to wilderness and wildlife resources is a contested topic in a time when developing nations are seeking to increase quality of life for their citizens. A case in point is the Mkuze Game Reserve which encompasses rich biodiversity and is surrounded by under-resourced rural communit...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
2014-12-01
|
| Series: | Bulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2014-0044 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849693414277251072 |
|---|---|
| author | Burgoyne Christopher N. Kelso Clare J. |
| author_facet | Burgoyne Christopher N. Kelso Clare J. |
| author_sort | Burgoyne Christopher N. |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Restricting access to wilderness and wildlife resources is a contested topic in a time when developing nations are seeking to increase quality of life for their citizens. A case in point is the Mkuze Game Reserve which encompasses rich biodiversity and is surrounded by under-resourced rural communities. A history of exclusion from land and resources has left local residents feeling negative about western conservation ideals. Perceptions of protected areas and conservation objectives are important if management authorities are to affect a meaningful buy-in to conservation and sustainable resource use among local residents. In this paper, part of a larger mixed-methods study, we set out to explore the perceptions three rural communities have of 1) local land-cover and livelihood change and 2) the socio-economic benefits expected and derived from living adjacent to Mkuze Game Reserve, a publicly administered protected area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. People living around the reserve felt they receive few benefits from living near to a protected area. Management countered that they are not well funded enough to provide much development support. In addition to this, the community sees a contrast between this lack of benefit sharing and the successful benefit sharing experienced by a neighbouring community which borders a private reserve. This has added to their negative view of the way Mkuze Game Reserve management has been engaging with communities. Effective engagement with communities and understanding their expectations will be important for strengthening conservation initiatives and community engagement objectives in the area. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a6564b010051436a8092795b86e91057 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2083-8298 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-12-01 |
| publisher | Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series |
| spelling | doaj-art-a6564b010051436a8092795b86e910572025-08-20T03:20:26ZengNicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńBulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series2083-82982014-12-012626516610.2478/bog-2014-0044‘The Mkuze River it has crossed the fence’ (1) – communities on the boundary of the Mkuze protected areaBurgoyne Christopher N.0Kelso Clare J.1University of Johannesburg, School of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, Faculty of Science, South Africa;University of Johannesburg, School of Geography, Environmental Management and Energy Studies, Faculty of Science, South Africa; phone +27 115 592 423;Restricting access to wilderness and wildlife resources is a contested topic in a time when developing nations are seeking to increase quality of life for their citizens. A case in point is the Mkuze Game Reserve which encompasses rich biodiversity and is surrounded by under-resourced rural communities. A history of exclusion from land and resources has left local residents feeling negative about western conservation ideals. Perceptions of protected areas and conservation objectives are important if management authorities are to affect a meaningful buy-in to conservation and sustainable resource use among local residents. In this paper, part of a larger mixed-methods study, we set out to explore the perceptions three rural communities have of 1) local land-cover and livelihood change and 2) the socio-economic benefits expected and derived from living adjacent to Mkuze Game Reserve, a publicly administered protected area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. People living around the reserve felt they receive few benefits from living near to a protected area. Management countered that they are not well funded enough to provide much development support. In addition to this, the community sees a contrast between this lack of benefit sharing and the successful benefit sharing experienced by a neighbouring community which borders a private reserve. This has added to their negative view of the way Mkuze Game Reserve management has been engaging with communities. Effective engagement with communities and understanding their expectations will be important for strengthening conservation initiatives and community engagement objectives in the area.https://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2014-0044protected areasbenefit sharingconservation-developmentsouth africa |
| spellingShingle | Burgoyne Christopher N. Kelso Clare J. ‘The Mkuze River it has crossed the fence’ (1) – communities on the boundary of the Mkuze protected area Bulletin of Geography. Socio-Economic Series protected areas benefit sharing conservation-development south africa |
| title | ‘The Mkuze River it has crossed the fence’ (1) – communities on the boundary of the Mkuze protected area |
| title_full | ‘The Mkuze River it has crossed the fence’ (1) – communities on the boundary of the Mkuze protected area |
| title_fullStr | ‘The Mkuze River it has crossed the fence’ (1) – communities on the boundary of the Mkuze protected area |
| title_full_unstemmed | ‘The Mkuze River it has crossed the fence’ (1) – communities on the boundary of the Mkuze protected area |
| title_short | ‘The Mkuze River it has crossed the fence’ (1) – communities on the boundary of the Mkuze protected area |
| title_sort | the mkuze river it has crossed the fence 1 communities on the boundary of the mkuze protected area |
| topic | protected areas benefit sharing conservation-development south africa |
| url | https://doi.org/10.2478/bog-2014-0044 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT burgoynechristophern themkuzeriverithascrossedthefence1communitiesontheboundaryofthemkuzeprotectedarea AT kelsoclarej themkuzeriverithascrossedthefence1communitiesontheboundaryofthemkuzeprotectedarea |