Protected Areas and Conservation Conflicts: Impacts on Sustainability

Protected areas evolved in a bid to conserve biodiversity. Notwithstanding this, the establishment of protected areas culminated in the relocation and displacement of local communities who inhabited ancestral areas. This has often sparked conflicts between communities and protected areas, especially on issues of access and rights to resources contained therein. Against this backdrop, this chapter assessed the relocation of communities from Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and how it impacted their livelihoods. Semi-structured interviews and photovoice were employed for data collection and thematic data analysis was used. This chapter contributes to knowledge on the diverse opportunities and challenges experienced by local communities living adjacent to transboundary conservation areas and other protected areas. Furthermore, lessons learnt contribute to guiding local communities, wildlife authorities, tourism experts, educators, and other practitioners on important interrelated issues of protected areas, conservation, relocation, and sustainable development.