Are Traditionally Used Resources within Conservation Areas a Function of Their Sizes英文文献资料.docVIP

Natural Resources, 2011, 2, 130-139 doi:10.4236/nr.2011.22018 Published Online 6 2011 (/journal/nr) Are Traditionally Used Resources within Conservation Areas a Function of Their Sizes? Thokozani Simelane Centre for African Ecology, Nelson Mandela University and South African National Parks, Port Elizabeth, South Africa E-mail: tsimelane@.za Received April 13 , 2011; revised May 9 , 2011; accepted May 18 , 2011. th th th ABSTRACT A perception that there is a proportional relationship between the size of a conservation area and the occurrence or abundance of resources available was tested in this paper. This was done by evaluating the occurrence (from records of plant and animal species) of traditionally used biological resources from four national parks of South Africa that have different sizes. Results obtained show that contrary to a general belief that bigger conservation areas might have higher proportions and possibly abundance of traditionally used resources, this is not true. In addition, results reflected that the occurrence of traditionally used biological resources within the conservation areas is not a function (in terms of the size) of their sizes. Drawing this relationship has put forth a question of whether there is a direct relationship between the biodiversity of conservation estates and the resources available. While this study did not attempt to provide an ab- solute answer to this question, it has laid a foundation to tackle it further. Providing answers to questions like these will not only increase the ecological value of conservation areas among traditional societies but will also help to align con- servation estates with TRIPS (trade related aspects of intellectual property) and other international instruments like CBD (Convention on biodiversity). All which call for inclusive approach to the ma