How man has tilted the balance

Besides forays into accessible parts of the continent, Africa remained unexplored and un-colonized by the western world. It was only in the 1800s that major European powers began the scramble to lay claim to the new frontier. Colonialism brought about the decimation of wildlife, resulting in the extinction of some species and the drastic decrease in numbers of others.

The southern part of Africa was the worst affected with notable species such as quagga and bloubok being wiped out, and numbers of species such as the springbok decimated.

The springbok herds of the past (numbering in their millions and taking a few days to pass a point) plummeted due to hunting and farm settlement. Today springbok are found only on farms and some reserves.

Waterholes and extinction

The need for protection arose in the early 1900s and a number of game reserves were set up. Despite saving a number of species from extinction the reserves confined the animals to manageable areas, forcing behavioural change in many of these species.

The jury is still out on the success of managed parks today. There is a line of thinking among some contemporary experts that too many mistakes were made when setting up parks and reserves in the past.

Fingers are pointed at the erection of artificial waterholes, indicating that these waterholes destroy the natural balance, not realizing that it was because the balance was destroyed originally that the management areas were established in the first place.

Living in a material world

With colonization came Western values and a new ethic. African people had lived in communion with nature but the introduction of western thinking (an ideology with a strong emphasis on material values) carried all the way through to the conservation ethic.

A material value was placed on wildlife and wilderness resulting in an increase in illegal trade of wildlife and associated products, the decimation of civilizations that were spiritually linked to the wilderness, and a general shift away from humankind’s link to the natural world.

Migration and disease

The wildebeest population of Botswana dropped more than 90% in the 1980s due to the erection of veterinary fences to control the movement of wild animals into the farming areas.

The wildebeest used to migrate between the dry south and the wet north depending on the rainfall. The control was part of the agreement with the European Union to prevent the spread of foot and mouth disease. The wildebeest numbers have stabilized in recent years as they have adapted to the non-migratory behaviour.

Under pressure

With the rise in tourism in Africa (particularly in South Africa) the pressure is on to enhance the experiences provided to guests. This leads to safari tourism companies employing tactics to ensure guests get the whole package.

Waterholes are set up in front of lodges, areas are cleared of bush to allow for better animal viewing and in some cases mineral ‘licks’ are set up in the bush to attract animals and ensure they stay in the area. This changes the traditional behaviour of the animals but they adapt very quickly to the new order by changing their habits.

Many private game reserves have sprung up around Africa in the past ten years to cater for the ever-increasing tourism demand. Species that never occurred in the areas historically are introduced into the new reserves to cater for the tourism market. This results in behavioural changes and changes in feeding habits.

Man-made nature

Some of Africa’s great wildlife areas are man-made, through necessity or development. Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe was once a large tract of land that was only suitable for farming when water was available after the first rains. For the rest of the time it was dry bush.

The authorities declared the area a national park, set up permanent waterholes and fenced the proclaimed reserve. With permanent water throughout the year the wildlife thrived and today Hwange is one of Africa’s legendary reserves with one of the highest concentrations of elephants on the continent.

Operation Noah

Kariba Dam on the Zambezi River was built in the 1950s as part of a major development programme. A whole civilization living in what was known as the Zambezi Valley (present day Kariba) was wiped out with the rising waters of the dam. The Tonga people lived close to the land and its wildlife, living off what the land provided.

With the building of Kariba Dam the Tonga people (and the animals) had to move to higher ground. A major operation (Operation Noah) was undertaken to save the animals trapped on the fast disappearing islands that were formed as the waters rose.

These animals were released on the mainland of Zimbabwe and Zambia. Today much of the shoreline on both sides of the dam is proclaimed reserve area and the animals have adapted and thrived in this new man-made wilderness area.

Interesting behaviour in certain species was noted during the first years of the new dam. Elephants would arrive at the waters edge of the new lake via their ancient migratory paths and after some hesitation took to swimming across to the other side and come out at the spot of their old trails. Kariba today is one of Africa’s finest wildlife areas.

The future in man's hands

The beginning of the 21st century has seen a new push to save the planet. Breeding programmes are set up to save threatened species, armed guards patrol wilderness areas and organizations clamour for the headlines in a bid to bring their messages to the world. The natural system is changing with man’s development.