Do National Parks and Private Nature Reserves create a cause for wildlife poaching in South Africa?

The history within South Africa of white colonial land dispossession can be traced back to the expansion of the Dutch colonial settlements within the Cape. Land and livestock dispossession resulted in many frequent wars against the native peoples and the colonial settlers. With indigenous peoples limited to regions of the country, and the establishment of national parks and large game reserves, many people were restricted to their ability to successfully access natural land resources, and this today creates a conflict between different levels within the community forcing those in impoverished regions to seek resources from South Africa’s national parks creating a cause for illegal wildlife poaching.