Science network meeting kicks off today

A week-long Science Network Meeting commences at the Kruger National Park (KNP) in Mpumalanga today, with the most topical issue being the management of the growing elephant population in the country's nature reserves.

Government announced in February that as from May, a moratorium placed on the culling of elephants in 1995 will be lifted.

The lifting of the moratorium is one of the options in the final norms and standards for elephant management announced by Environmental Affairs Minister, Marthinus van Schalkwyk. Other options included range manipulation, removal by translocation and introduction of contraception.

Environmentalist critcised the decision, saying there were other options. Currently there are more than 200 ongoing scientific research projects in the KNP alone. Many scientists view this protected area as the preferred area for field research.