Towards an abiotic mutualism: addressing the conservation crisis in Pilanesberg National Park

Abstract

The conservation of the natural landscape and the health of its ecology is today, more than ever, dependent on the decisions of humankind. As nature once determined our survival, we now determine the survival of its many species. This dissertation is derived from the realities of the post-Covid animal conservation crisis in South Africa, particularly focusing on Pilanesberg National Park situated in the North West Province. This park along with several others plays a crucial role in South Africa's tourism sector, constituting 7% of the country's GDP and providing employment to over 1.5 million people. The revenue generated from this industry contributes significantly to the preservation of animals and the environment. Unfortunately, this indispensable source of income was abruptly halted in March 2020, further exacerbating the already substantial financial gap required for not only the conservation efforts of Pilanesberg National Park and its constituents, but also the fight against the global illegal poaching industry. Therefore, the question is asked; 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘨 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘯-𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵? This composition investigates the interconnectedness between conservation systems and practices while considering aspects such as landscape memory, ecological coherence, and our ethical obligations towards the natural landscape.