University of Aarhus ECOTOURISM AS A WAY TO PROTECT ...

Ecotourism as a sustainable way to protect nature
as ‘savages’ or barbarians, and thus unable to ‘appreciate’ European refinements
such as notions of ‘cruelty’ or ‘pleasure hunting’” (Carruthers, 1995).
The situation was kept as explained until 1980 when African parks were
opened to all races although these parks were divided into black and white areas.
In 1990, the real change came with two milestones in Africa’s history: the
legalization of the African National Congress and the liberalization of Nelson
Mandela.
Even thought the African Natives have felt a very deep hate to the ‘white
idea’ of national parks because of all they meant to the blacks, Nelson Mandela
saw in them an opportunity for development of the nation. However, he believed
that some changes had to occur, as for example a revision of the management of
these national parks (which were at that point carried out by landowners),
employment of local people, and equal division of revenues between locals and
others.
3.2.2. Management of South African National Parks
South African National Parks (SANParks) is the organisation which
manages all the twenty parks in South Africa taking into account: flora, fauna,
landscape and culture.
Its main goal is: “National parks should be the pride and joy of all South
Africans” (SANParks, 2002). To achieve that, the organisation has to follow a
mission: “To acquire and mange a system of national parks that represents the
indigenous wildlife, vegetation, landscape and associated cultural assets of
South Africa for the pride and benefit of the nation”.
The main legislation was proclaimed in 1995 and in the Land Restitution
Act whose outcome is “the restitution of land rights to people or communities
who were dispossessed by racist laws of the past” (SANParks, 2002). Under this
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