Where to with reserve selection and conservation planning in South Africa?

Abstract

A critical evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses associated with the ‘minimal set’ approach to designing an optimal reserve network tor vertebrate species is offered. Strengths are the rational and efficient manner in which full species representation is achieved, and the planning benefits that can be gained through its flexibility. Weaknesses include the inappropriateness of the ‘minimal set’ as a framework for a reserve network, and the frequent confusion between top-down relational species criteria and bottom-up site attributes. It is suggested that the distinct ‘top-down’ relational and ‘bottom-up’ representation approaches may act synergistically to form the basis of a National Biodiversity Conservation Strategy. These complementary approaches may require different forms of protection and monitoring, but could also be amalgamated to develop a conservation strategy for non-protected areas. Sufficient attention should also be paid to encouraging the free flow of information and to incorporating the principles of taxonomic and environmental uncertainty into future conservation policies.