Searching for a People-Nature Matrix

Conclusion

I have referred to these examples to highlight that land restitution provided the platform from which communities have become involved in national parks affairs. This does not imply, however, that the relations between people and parks are dependent on land reform. Rather, my argument is that land reform in South Africa offered the platform on which those relations could be developed beyond a simple reformist agenda. Of course, there have been, and still are, schemes that aim to bring local communities into national parks and broader conservation goals. In fact, such schemes have received blessings at international and national levels. The question that arises from communities and protected areas is the extent to which the much-publicised notion of community benefits actually materialises on the ground. I turn to this question in the chapter that follows.