African areas:
In Africa, this is part of the outskirts of Capetown. It could be L.A. Protected areas have been formerly maintained for even a shorter period of time but there are still many private hunting preserves and hunting is still an active force in preserving habitat. Most of the national parks have been established during this century and they were designed to protect large game animals, like this cape buffalo. So they were located in areas that were abundant in animals and which had resources such as water holes like this where animals were found.
So, the main theme in the past for protecting areas has been hunting. Or you could look at it as protecting valuable species that were important to society. Many of these areas are still intact today and provide refuge for some of the world's most endangered species. I'd like to shift focus now and look at the New World, specifically North America, and talk a little bit about what we're doing here.
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