Private Game Reserves in Southern Africa

Abstract

Private game reserves now number about 11,600 in South Africa, covering in the order of 21 million hectares. It has become a USD 1 billion industry based on the sustainable use of wildlife as a natural resource. This has resulted in a 40-fold increase in the number of wildlife from the early 1960s to today with South Africa now having more wildlife than at any point in time during the past 200 years. This chapter discusses the economics of this industry and uses lions and rhinoceros as illustrative examples of how the placing of a commercial value on wildlife species can turn the tide from a decline in numbers and local extinctions, toward healthy populations. The game capture and wildlife veterinary services, fencing and transportation, disease control and nutrition are furthermore discussed in illuminating the evolution of a thriving private game reserve industry.