Chartering the dire cultural and environmental impact of poachers and the export of Africa's incredibly diverse wildlife, this compelling account describes how Zululand's rich natural heritage was rendered nearly extinct due to generations of greed and abuse. Documenting the steady decline of wild game--from the slaughter of 20,000 elephants so that 1,000 tons of ivory could be shipped from Durban Bay between 1820 and the 1880's to the indiscriminate global export of rhino and buck horns; hides from lions, leopards, and other wildcats; and live wild animals--this staggering documentation bears witness to the careless depletion of the last surviving great African kingdom. Meticulously researched with emphasis on celebrating the heroic and eventually successful attempts to enforce environmental-protection policies through establishing strictly regulated game reserves, this incredible saga is a resounding affirmation of how commitment to preservation throughout history can end and then repair the damage done by decades of thoughtless desecration.

In 1952 two men from entirely different cultures met: one from a white background, the other a Zulu. This book tells of their work in the Mfolozi Game Reserve protecting animals and the environment, and of their growing mutual respect.'

In this heartfelt memoir, Player touches on many themes including the Ndumu and Mfolozo game reserves where the two worked, Zulu and apartheid history, conservation and wilderness values.

Private wildlife conservation is booming business in South Africa! Nick Steele stood at the cradle of this development in the politically turbulent 1970s and 1980s, by stimulating farmers in Natal (now KwaZulu-Natal) to pool resources in order to restore wilderness landscapes, but at the same time improve their security situation in cooperative conservancy structures. His involvement in Operation Rhino in the 1960s and subsequent networks to save the rhino from extinction, brought him into controversial military (oriented) networks around the Western world. The author’s unique access to his private diaries paints a personal picture of this controversial conservationist.

St Lucia is the world's oldest protected estuary and Africa's largest estuarine system. It is also the centerpiece of South Africa's first UNESCO World Heritage Site, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and has been a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance since 1986. Knowledge of its biodiversity, geological origins, hydrology, hydrodynamics and the long history of management is unique in the world. However, the impact of global change has culminated in unprecedented challenges for the conservation and management of the St Lucia system, leading to the recent initiation of a project in support of its rehabilitation and long-term sustainability. This timely volume provides a unique source of information on the functioning and management of the estuary for researchers, students and environmental managers. The insights and experiences described build on over 60 years of study and management at the site and will serve as a valuable model for similar estuaries around the world.

The Seventh World Wilderness Congress met in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 2001. The symposium on science and stewardship to protect and sustain wilderness values was one of several symposia held in conjunction with the Congress. The papers contained in this proceedings were presented at this symposium and cover seven topics: state-of-knowledge on protected areas issues in South Africa; traditional and ecological values of nature; wilderness systems and approaches to protection; protection of coastal/marine and river/lake wilderness; spiritual benefits, religious beliefs, and new stories; personal and societal values of wilderness; and the role of science, education, and collaborative planning in wilderness protection and restoration.

Transfrontier conservation challenges African borders, the "colonial scars of history". The global tourism industry has discovered the potential of African borderlands for adventure travel. Iconic animals and indigenous cultures are marketed in the same breath, often evoking stereotypical images of "Wild Africa". Can ecotourism and ethno-tourism be commended as viable panaceas for environmental protection and development? The marketing of nature and culture raises important questions on the meaningful inclusion of local communities as tourism entrepreneurs. Living museums and cultural villages are emerging as start-ups of local communities. They commodify ethnicity albeit on their own terms. This volume debates the economy of conservation, providing diverse perspectives on an issue of great contemporary relevance.