THE EDEN ILLUSION: THE EVOLUTION OF CONTEMPORARY WILDLIFE CONSERVATION IN AFRICA.

South Africa's Natal Parks Board in the 1960s as an appropriate starting point to examine the evolution of contemporary wildlife conservation in Africa. Saving the white rhino from the brink of extinction was an unforeseen catalyst in the country's game ranching industry. The privatization of game animals and the ability to utilize the resource in both consumptive and non-consumptive tourism in South Africa was key to the explosion of wildlife numbers. Today, private game ranches and wildlife conservancies in South Africa cover 50 million acres, an area more than five times the size of the country's national park system. Ex-deputy director David Cook and ex-CEO George Hughes of the Natal Parks Board discuss this history.