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            1. South Africa: Kwazulu Black Rhino Project

KwaZulu or home of the Zulus

Photos of brass reliefs which decorate the Spirit of the eMakhosini monument. Each shows a scene from traditional Zulu life. Traditional Zulu customs are still practised, even by many urban people, who return to their ancestral homes for important cultural rituals.

Photos of brass reliefs which decorate the Spirit of the eMakhosini monument. Each shows a scene from traditional Zulu life. Traditional Zulu customs are still practised, even by many urban people, who return to their ancestral homes for important cultural rituals.

© WWF-Canon

KwaZulu-Natal or the Zulu Kingdom is one of the nine provinces (third smallest) of South Africa and covers an area of about 92,000 square kilometres, roughly the size of the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg with a little bit of France thrown in. It includes Durban, the Drakensberg, Pietermaritzburg and Midlands, Zululand, South Coast, Dolphin or North Coast, Battlefields and East Griqualand regions.

Geographically, KwaZulu-Natal has significant diversity. The subtropical coastline has protected indigenous coastal forests at Dukuduku and Kosi Bay. The St Lucia Estuary, which was declared a World Heritage Site in December 1999, is found in this area. Another World Heritage Site, the Drakensberg mountain range, runs 200 kilometres along the western boundary of the province, separating KwaZulu-Natal from Lesotho and the Eastern Cape.

See map of the region

History
"Zululand", as northern KwaZulu-Natal is known, is still in many senses as much the land of the Zulus as it was in the days of the famous King Shaka two centuries ago ("kwaZulu" means home of the Zulus.) From his heartland in the African bushveld, King Shaka built up an economic and military system that was eventually powerful enough to resist even the might of the British army. In spite of the turbulent history of South Africa since then, the Zulu nation has retained a strong sense of self, culture and place.

Unemployment, poverty and AIDS
Zulu is the most commonly spoken language in KwaZulu-Natal, followed by English and then Afrikaans. About 20% of South Africa's 45 million people live in KwaZulu-Natal, around half of them in rural areas. Subsistence farming, particularly with cattle, is a major occupation, but unemployment, poverty and AIDS are serious challenges. The rural communities are strongly influenced by traditional authority structures and the communal administration of land and resources is common.

Black Rhino Country
Although there are many areas of suitable black rhino habitat in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal, the only significant black rhino populations in the province are found in official protected areas of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife . The biggest of these populations - approximately 300 - is found in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, a 100,000 hectare protected area of predominantly thornveld.


Sources:
http://www.profilekzn.co.za/aboutkzn.htm

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