Assessing Management Effectiveness and Setting Priorities in Protected Areas in KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

F rom a biodiversity conservation perspective, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, South Africa, is an internationally important area. It is situated on the eastern coast of Africa in the biologically rich transition zone between the tropical biota found to the north and the subtropical biota to the south. The richness of its ecosystems and habitats is largely a result of its altitudinal gradient (from sea level in the east to the top of the Drakensberg Mountains, 3450 meters above sea level, in the west) and of its diverse geology and geological history Major ecosystems in the province include marine coral reefs, rocky reefs, beaches, estuaries, coastal lakes, moist lowland and upland grasslands, dry forests, moist forests of various kinds (dependent on altitude), and semiarid savannah systems, all of which contain the megafauna typical of these habitats in Africa.