African Wildlife & Environment Issue 81

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

own against poaching with dwindling budgets, a collective grouping would be far stronger than trying to go it alone. There needs to be a clear distinction made between wild, free- roaming wildlife as opposed to game farms where wildlife is commercially farmed with intense management interventions. The Selati Game Reserve historically, had a strong focus on Sable Antelope breeding programmes, which helped to supplement the budget annually, and in some years even paid out dividends to the respective landowners. But this bubble burst and is no longer a viable way to bring in funds to manage the reserve. Sustainable utilisation practices can also provide sustainable income streams provided that it is done ethically, and within the realms of relevant legislation. This, however, was not enough in Selati’s case and looking at an eco-tourism model to supplement sustainable utilization,

was seen as a viable alternative. Being a 'Big Five' reserve with a healthy general game population, having Cheetah as well as a recent translocation of African Wild Dogs, this reserve is becoming a haven for protected species and a very important biodiversity area in private hands. The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has produced a map of Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBA) in South Africa. The Selati Game Reserve falls within one such CBA, where it must meet biodiversity targets for ecosystems, species, and ecological processes. A CBA helps to guide decisions around development, land-use planning, environmental assessments, and authorisations, as well as natural resource management. A recent spate of intense rhino and cycad poaching highlighted the issue of trying to fight this scourge with a laager mentality, rather than reaching out and aligning with like- minded reserves, which have similar problems, as

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