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Successful conservation in Africa hinges on the perceptions of communities bordering protected areas. It is therefore vital for protected area stakeholders to know the perceptions of neighbouring communities in order to determine the factors that generate or undermine community support for conservation, so that appropriate management interventions can be implemented. Numerous studies consider benefits, but less relate to perceptions regarding both losses/costs and intangible benefits. This paper demonstrates a methodology with which to determine these factors, focusing on Kekana Gardens community, bordering Dinokeng Game Reserve, in Gauteng Province, South Africa. This qualitative study with 13 residents utilised focus group interviews and adapted nominal grouping technique. Six themes emerged, four of which comprise intangible benefits. This methodology can be applied to any community bordering a conservation area, assisting in crafting solutions that benefit both people and parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the extent to which land ownership through restoration results in non-sustainability in the Nonoti community in South Africa. During the apartheid era, Black communities were evicted from their ancestral land to make way for tourism development, though those lands were later repossessed by their original owners. This study aims at exploring the challenges of post-settlement after land restoration to new landowners in the Nonoti Beach resort. This paper is anchored on the sustainable livelihoods theoretical framework to measure the extent to which land can enhance socio-economic development. This study adopted a qualitative research design using in-depth interviews and focus groups. The sample of this study was drawn from the Nonoti local community members and representatives of the government agencies in charge of land restoration. The study concludes that landowners should be capacitated through training and skills development to live sustainably on the land they have acquired through the land claims process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]