PLATES
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1. Introduction
3.3. Interviews
Interviews were conducted with the Nature Conservation Officers (NCOs) of KNR (1999 - lan Patrick, 2003 - Johan Vermeulen), with the then Deputy Regional Director of DWAF (Ash Seeta!), the horticulturists that run the KNR nursery, members of the KJoof Conservancy, the owner of the property bordering the private land, the general public and recreational and educational users of the reserve.
The NCO in 1999 was asked the following questions:
• How has the budget cut impacted on the carrying out of management duties?
• Why was no user charge implemented when the first budget cut took place in 1988?
• Which management functions in particular are most affected by the budget cut and how are these management functions carried out?
• What is the approximate number of people visiting KNR over a monthly period?
• Have any surveys been done to determine whether recreational users are prepared to pay an entrance fee?
• Are there any management plans to integrate communities in the activities relating to KNR?
• What impact do informal users ofKNR have on the vegetation?
The horticulturists at the nursery were asked (2002) ...
• What techniques are used to grow the plants for sale?
• What size of income does the nursery generate, on average, over a monthly period?
• What plants were mostly sought after by purchasers?
The NCO in 2003 was asked the following questions:
• Has there been a decline in the number of visitors to KNR since user charges were implemented?
• What is the current funding situation and what social development activities have occurred?
The Regional Deputy Director ofDWAF was asked the following questions.
• Where is the Emolweni River Catchment placed in terms of the overall management of the Umgeni River system?
• What are the fundamental characteristics of the Umgeni River system?
• What management structures involving local communities does DWAF plan to use III the management of the Umgeni River System?
3.3.1 Recreational users
Initially the researcher was infomled by the NCO that there was logistical problems in charging a gate fee so an initial survey was done at the Azalea Place and Kloof Falls Rd entrances to determine whether or what amount picnickers would be prepared to pay for a picnic site
The following survey was done among 20 groups of picnickers (50 adults interviewed) between January, 1999 and June, 1999 to determine whether they were aware of the budget predicament and how much they would be prepared to pay towards the maintenance of recreational facilities.
3.3.1.1. Picnickers
.The questions informally posed to the picnickers were:
• How many times a year do you visit the picnic sites at KNR and where do you come from? This question was posed to determine travel cost.
• If you had to be charged for the use of this picnic site, how much do you think is a fair price to pay?
• The budget for maintaining these picnic facilities has been slashed. Would you pay any more now that you know KNR management is short of money? How much more?
• What would you pay if you knew that the funds raised were allocated specifically for picnic site maintenance compared to the amount you would pay if you knew that the funds were being placed in a general fund.
• Have you ever placed money in the Conservation Trust donation box and do you know what it is for?
If you have given, how many times compared to the number of times you have visited here have you put money in and how much, on average, do you put in?
During this period of research, however, the management of KNR managed to find a way to collect user charges and began implementing a user charge of R5 per person on 1st November, 1999 in order to maintain the under funded projects (Gray, 15 October, 1999). The focus of the study then had to change and it was decided to investigate any impact of a recreational fee on the number of visitors or number of visiting times and the potential user charge contribution towards maintaining KNR.
After 1st November, 1999 the questions changed to ...
• Do you think that R5 per person is a fair price to pay?
• Will you come here any less than normal now that you are required to pay R5?
• Will you place less in the donation box? How much less?
3.3.1.2. Hikers
The following questions were put to the hikers informally interviewed.
• How many times a year do you go for casual walks within the Emolweni River catchment area and how many times a year do you attend organized hikes?
• What do you think is a reasonable price to pay per organized hike?
• Did you know that the budget for alien vegetation control and path maintenance in KNR has been slashed to nothing? If you were not aware of this, how much more would you be prepared to pay per organized hike, now that you know?
• What percentage of your payment would you like to see being allocated to: (i) path maintenance and development (ii) alien vegetation control (iii) trail guides? (Did you know that the management of KNR is looking at training unemployed people from Molweni to act as trail guides?)
• What difference will there be in the amount you are prepared to pay if you knew that the funds would be allocated to a general fund or if the funds were to be allocated specifically to path maintenance and alien vegetation control?
3.3.2. Educational users
The conservation/education value that educationists currently place on KNR was investigated by approaching schools in the highway area to determine how often they used KNR for educational excursions (per annum).
Local conservancies and the Wildlife Society were also approached to determine their frequency of use of KNR for educational purposes.
3.3.3. General public
To determine a non-use value twenty members of the local community were approached at Kloof and Waterfall shopping centres during 1999 to determine what they would be prepared to pay for the existence of the nature reserve, that is, what they would be prepared to pay for the protection of the Emolweni river catchment area and the associated ecosystem. People who visited KNR less than twice a year were considered to provide an existence valuation. Even though they do not regard visiting KNR for recreational activities as important, their conservation, aesthetic and property valuations were measured as an important existence value.
3.3.4. Conservancy members
Informal interviews were held with members of the Kloof Conservancy on matters of alien infestation and control in the Outer West.
3.3.5. Owner of property bordering private land
The neighbour, who had lived· the area for 35 years, was approached to determine the extent of the plantation and approximately when clearfelling of the pine forest had taken place.