The Pongola Game Reserve Revisited: The search for an early South African protected area.
National parks and equivalent reserves are a relatively recent category of land-use in human history. The Pongola Game Reserve was proclaimed in 1894 and was one of the earliest protected areas established by a government in South Africa. Although the Pongola Game Reserve comprised only 17,562 hecta...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AfricaJournals
2019-05-01
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| Series: | African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure |
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| Online Access: | https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_62_vol_8_3__2019.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818036367409545216 |
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| author | Michael R. Brett |
| author_facet | Michael R. Brett |
| author_sort | Michael R. Brett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | National parks and equivalent reserves are a relatively recent category of land-use in human history. The Pongola Game Reserve was proclaimed in 1894 and was one of the earliest protected areas established by a government in South Africa. Although the Pongola Game Reserve comprised only 17,562 hectares, it paved the way for the ZAR government to establish protected areas, and the eventual establishment of the Kruger National Park. The proclamation of the Pongola Game Reserve
is an important event in conservation history as a number of management practices were given expression and later became commonplace, not only in South Africa but elsewhere in Africa during the 20th century. Hunting by local communities was prohibited and traditional hunting was defined as poaching. Game rangers often performed a dual function of wildlife protection and the political control of the local indigenous population. The protection of wildlife was achieved through rigid law
enforcement by a paramilitary corps of game rangers. Initially predators were regarded as “vermin” and were persecuted as they posed a direct threat to “game”. The history of the Pongola Game Reserve suggests that politics has played a major role in the establishment of protected areas, and protected areas have seldom been established purely to achieve biodiversity conservation objectives. Situating the history of the Pongola Game Reserve in its political and historic context, an attempt was made to locate important landmarks and the relatives of a key person mentioned in early accounts. Annual reports submitted by the first warden, Herman van Oordt, and a visit in 1903 by Lieutenant-Colonel James Stevenson-Hamilton, warden of the Sabi Game Reserve, provided valuable clues. Relatives of the local preacher, the Reverend Mose Nyawo, who was described by Stevenson-Hamilton in 1903, were located on the border of the original game reserve. Mose Nyawo’s relatives indicated the site of his second mission station, the location of the family graves, and the site of van Oordt’s, and later Major Fraser’s, house was verified. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:09:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-80855f75dfb4472f9535f41e9434b1c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-814X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:09:49Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | AfricaJournals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure |
| spelling | doaj.art-80855f75dfb4472f9535f41e9434b1c42022-12-22T01:58:04ZengAfricaJournalsAfrican Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure2223-814X2019-05-0183The Pongola Game Reserve Revisited: The search for an early South African protected area.Michael R. Brett0Department of Social Sciences University of Zululand, South AfricaNational parks and equivalent reserves are a relatively recent category of land-use in human history. The Pongola Game Reserve was proclaimed in 1894 and was one of the earliest protected areas established by a government in South Africa. Although the Pongola Game Reserve comprised only 17,562 hectares, it paved the way for the ZAR government to establish protected areas, and the eventual establishment of the Kruger National Park. The proclamation of the Pongola Game Reserve is an important event in conservation history as a number of management practices were given expression and later became commonplace, not only in South Africa but elsewhere in Africa during the 20th century. Hunting by local communities was prohibited and traditional hunting was defined as poaching. Game rangers often performed a dual function of wildlife protection and the political control of the local indigenous population. The protection of wildlife was achieved through rigid law enforcement by a paramilitary corps of game rangers. Initially predators were regarded as “vermin” and were persecuted as they posed a direct threat to “game”. The history of the Pongola Game Reserve suggests that politics has played a major role in the establishment of protected areas, and protected areas have seldom been established purely to achieve biodiversity conservation objectives. Situating the history of the Pongola Game Reserve in its political and historic context, an attempt was made to locate important landmarks and the relatives of a key person mentioned in early accounts. Annual reports submitted by the first warden, Herman van Oordt, and a visit in 1903 by Lieutenant-Colonel James Stevenson-Hamilton, warden of the Sabi Game Reserve, provided valuable clues. Relatives of the local preacher, the Reverend Mose Nyawo, who was described by Stevenson-Hamilton in 1903, were located on the border of the original game reserve. Mose Nyawo’s relatives indicated the site of his second mission station, the location of the family graves, and the site of van Oordt’s, and later Major Fraser’s, house was verified.https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_62_vol_8_3__2019.pdfconservation historyPongola Game ReserveJames Stevenson-Hamilton |
| spellingShingle | Michael R. Brett The Pongola Game Reserve Revisited: The search for an early South African protected area. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure conservation history Pongola Game Reserve James Stevenson-Hamilton |
| title | The Pongola Game Reserve Revisited: The search for an early South African protected area. |
| title_full | The Pongola Game Reserve Revisited: The search for an early South African protected area. |
| title_fullStr | The Pongola Game Reserve Revisited: The search for an early South African protected area. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Pongola Game Reserve Revisited: The search for an early South African protected area. |
| title_short | The Pongola Game Reserve Revisited: The search for an early South African protected area. |
| title_sort | pongola game reserve revisited the search for an early south african protected area |
| topic | conservation history Pongola Game Reserve James Stevenson-Hamilton |
| url | https://www.ajhtl.com/uploads/7/1/6/3/7163688/article_62_vol_8_3__2019.pdf |
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