The Role of Environmental Justice in Biodiversity Conservation: Investigating experiences of communities near Kruger National Park, South Africa

Abstract

This paper uses an environmental justice framework to examine the experiences of marginalized communities near Kruger National Park. While biodiversity conservation has been predominantly understood as a neutral and ahistorical objective, a critical perspective reveals that a range of power relations inform its definitions and processes. Further, the spaces in which conservation efforts are undertaken are vulnerable to reproducing inequalities of the larger society in which they are situated. I establish biodiversity conservation in Kruger as an environmental justice issue and frame the discussion regarding communities near the Park within the categories of (a) land ownership and resource use, (b) community participation in park management and decision-making, and (c) justly shared economic and socio-cultural benefits. While improvements have occurred, the maintenance of Kruger requires integrating an environmental justice perspective to its programs and a more meaningful partnership with surrounding marginalized communities to ensure equitable use and benefits of the Park.