National Park Science A Century of Research in South Africa Ecology, Biodiversity and Conservation Series

South Africa is renowned for its wildlife and environmental conservation in iconic national parks such as the Kruger, one of the world's first formal protected areas. However, this is the first book to thoroughly analyse and explain the interesting and changing scientific research that has been accomplished in South Africa's national parks during the twentieth century. Providing a fascinating and thorough historical narrative based on an extensive range of sources, this text details the evolution of traditional natural history pursuits to modern conservation science in South Africa, covering all research areas of conservation biology and all the national parks around the country. It reveals the interaction between the international context, government, learning institutions and the public that has shaped the present conservation arena. A complex story that will interest and inform not only those involved in conservation science of South Africa, but worldwide.

Part I. Protecting, Preserving and Propagating, 1900 to 1960: 1. Overview; 2. Origins of conservation science until 1910; 3. Consolidating conservation 1910 to 1930; 4. An emerging science 1930 to 1960; Part II. Measuring, Monitoring and Manipulating, 1960s to 1990s: 5. Overview; 6. Biodiversity and new sciences; 7. Botany and beyond; 8. Zoology; Part III. Integration, Innovation and Internationalisation, 1990 to 2010: 9. Overview; 10. New thinking in conservation science; 11. The Kruger National Park; 12. Other national parks; 13. Conclusion.

Jane Carruthers is Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at the University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria. A pioneer of environmental history in South Africa, her book, The Kruger National Park: A Social and Political History (1995) has become a standard reference work. She has published widely on the history of conservation and science as well as on land reform in both South Africa and Australia. She has been the recipient of numerous academic prizes, including runner-up lifetime achiever for the South African National Science and Technology Forum (2015), the only historian to have received this award. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa, Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa, Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge and Honorary Fellow of the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society in Munich. She is past Chair of the Academic Advisory Board of the Rachel Carson Center, past President of the International Consortium of Environmental History Organizations and past President of the Southern African Historical Society. She has authored six books, co-authored a further one, contributed chapters to 29 edited books and published 58 journal articles.