Generating Knowledge: Conservation Sciences in South Africa’s National Parks

Over many years a considerable body of reliable scientific information has been generated in or about South Africa’s national parks, both by scientists employed by the organization and by outside researchers working with SANParks. Despite these books and other publications about the evidence-based environmental and ecological knowledge that has been generated in or about South African national parks, no over-arching evaluation of the scientific research that has been undertaken has yet appeared and thus a formal evaluative record is timely. The proposed project, that will be edited and finalised at STIAS in 2015, is to record in a single publication the evolution and trajectory of conservation sciences in South Africa’s national parks and thus contextualise, explain and promote the knowledge and experience that has been gained. The aim to publicise for a broad audience the interesting, and often exciting, scientific research that has been accomplished in South Africa’s national parks and will cover all research areas and all national parks.