This preamble is based on an interview of Laurence M. Kruger with Abednig Mkhwanazi in June 2015. Abednig was born in the area that is now the corridor section of the park and later became a much-valued research technician based at Hluhluwe Research centre until his retirement in February 2015. During his long career he contributed to most of the chapters in this book, either by contributing to data collection or by transferring his huge knowledge on field methods, plant and animal species or functioning of the ecosystems to other field staff or students from all levels (from BSc to Professor!). This extract of the interview has been edited by Laurence M. Kruger and Sally Archibald.
In the 40 years I have been working in the park I have seen many changes. Compared to the 70s, tree density in the park is greater. In ’76 when I started working at Mbulunga hill, near Mpila, it was open grassland. But you look now towards Mpapha it is thick with woody plants. We also see a great deal of change in animal numbers, especially outside the park. As a boy of 15 years, animals were walking everywhere, and people were used to animals and there were rules from the chief that prevented the hunting of animals. People thought the park was for the animals and for them. Now that there is a fence between the people and the park people kill animals inside the park for meat, but they don't understand how to live with animals any more. If you take down the fence, then there will be chaos.
The relationship between research and management in HiP hasn't always been good, but it has improved with time. Management needs scientists to interact with them, providing input into management practices. When students come, a big challenge is that their training has been mostly theoretical, but we at scientific services have practical knowledge and experience, and so we are working together. For instance, when working with William Bond, who came to see how we identify the seedlings of Acacia, including A. nilotica and A. robusta, I taught him how to identify the seedlings by tasting them!
Regarding the future of the park, a big issue is the relationship with the people outside. People outside have goats and donkeys and the predators eat the animals. The park is still rich in water and grass, and we don't have access. Regarding managers, scientists, and local communities I will say to them: each must understand and respect the other. We still have a long way to go in resolving these challenges.
