Tourism policy, biodiversity conservation and management: a case of the Kruger National Park, South Africa

Abstract

Management of Kruger National Park (KNP) has recently made considerable progress in developing new policies to address biodiversity conservation and management challenges. These include tourism, water provision and elephant management policies. This study examines the integration of these three policies with regard to biodiversity conservation and management. Findings indicate that in their current fragmented form, the three policies actually undermine opportunities for effective biodiversity conservation and management in the KNP. This can be reversed by adopting a new management approach based on an environmental matrix organizational framework. Such a framework provides a mechanism for integrated policymaking and implementation and for improving biodiversity conservation and management in the KNP. The study concludes that an integrated approach is necessary due to the interlinkages between policies that affect biodiversity conservation at the KNP.

Keywords:

• policy implementation
• policy integration
• elephant
• environmental matrix
• water management

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Govan Mbeki Research and Development Centre at the University of Fort Hare for providing funding towards this research, and the Kruger National Park for granting permission to access data and conduct research in the park. In addition, the authors thank the referees for their valuable comments on an earlier version of this paper.