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• W2170707817 abstract "Du Toit, J.T., Rogers, K.H. & Biggs, H.C. (eds) (2003) The Kruger experience: ecology and management of savanna heterogeneity. Island Press, Washington, USA. xv + 519 pp, figs, tables, line diagrams, halftones, index. Harback: price $75.00, ISBN 1-55963-981-4. Paperback: price $40.00, ISBN 1-55963-982-2. Heterogeneity is a major driver of the function of ecological systems and of their species richness and productivity. Few books illustrate this better than this recent contribution from the savanna lowveld of South Africa. The Kruger experience contains a diverse set of papers from a conference held at Berg en Dal in April 2003. Collectively, these describe the way in which the rich biodiversity of the Kruger National Park depends on the high spatiotemporal heterogeneity of its abiotic environment, and the role that science can play in achieving its protection. For readers unacquainted with the Kruger National Park (KNP), suffice to say that it rates as one of the largest and most important conservation areas in the world, on a par with Kakadu, Yellowstone and the Serengeti. Despite its global significance it is remarkable how little information has previously been published describing its physical environment and diverse biota. This dearth of information can largely be blamed on the apartheid era when South Africa's national parks were managed in isolation from the rest of the world. As the editors note, this is the first scientific book to be written on 100 years of management and research in KNP. As such, it represents a welcome and timely addition to the conservation literature. A pertinent question that I found myself asking on first picking up the book was why use KNP to explore the theme of heterogeneity? According to the editors, the park is one of the few unconstrained landscapes in the world today where spatial heterogeneity and ecological response can still operate freely over larges spaces and long time scales. KNP sprawls across some 22,000 km2 of savanna biome, allowing it to harbour an essentially complete and self-sustaining portion of African savanna. As Steward Pickett points out, this makes the park a globally significant laboratory for studying the role of heterogeneity in ecosystems. A valuable focus of the book is on the management actions taken to protect the park's biodiversity. The problems faced, the solutions found and the lessons learned are meticulously described so that others can benefit from the Kruger experience. I found the book's self-criticism of past management actions refreshing, particularly the period of pragmatic intervention (1946–90) when staff used prescribed burning, animal culling, surface water provision and the construction of fences to try to achieve ‘desirable endpoints’ in the park's condition. It is now widely accepted that these interventions may have contributed to spatial homogenization of the biota. For example, the installation of water-points in previously arid regions is thought to have encouraged water-dependent herbivore species to disperse into areas that were previously inaccessible to them. Similarly, the rigid application of triennial burning is thought to have stimulated bush encroachment and the homogenization of woody vegetation, with concomitant loss of tall trees and open grassland. The salutary lesson is that adopting a rigid, steady-state approach to wildlife management can impact on biodiversity. KNP managers embarked along this track but have now adopted a novel version of strategic adaptive management (SAM) that encourages ecosystem flux. This aims to protect the park's rich biodiversity, yet also to ensure that human interference is kept to a minimum. A particularly welcome feature of the book is that it combines the academic perception of biologists with the pragmatic experience of environmental managers. Many chapters are coauthored by both. This synergy reflects the situation on the ground in KNP where an enduring partnership exists between the two groups: scientists generate the understanding needed to manage the park's resources while managers review this research and take action to support ecosystem integrity. This model is one that other parks would do well to follow. What does the future hold for KNP? The final chapter of the book argues that a well-managed national park will provide South Africa with more sustainable benefit from tourism than alternative land uses. A variety of figures for financial yield from ranching, farming and recreation are quoted to support this argument. While the economic rationale may be clear, I couldn't help but doubt if such cold financial logic will be enough to protect the park from the political palatability of land redistribution. After all, the rural black people who surrendered their land when the park was first established have never been properly compensated for their loss. Politicians will need to put this injustice right if the park is to enjoy a secure future. Most people will find something in The Kruger experience to interest them. The target market is not African but global and the book provides new insights into the management of large protected areas surrounded by competing human interests. Biologists, geographers, social scientists and land planners can learn lessons from the challenges facing this globally important conservation wilderness." @default.
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• W2170707817 date "2005-07-04" @default.
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• W2170707817 title "How do you manage a national park?" @default.
• W2170707817 doi "https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1366-9516.2005.00177.x" @default.
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