Includes bibliographical references. / Contemporary recognition of the need to expand existing protected area systems has culminated in the formulation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 by the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). This Strategic Plan incorporates 20 ambitious 'Aichi Biodiversity Targets'; with Target 11 specifically requiring that by 2020 'at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas are conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and well-connected systems of protected areas, as well as, other effective area-based conservation measures, and integrated into the wider landscape and seascape.' Target 11 requires compliance with a number of preconditions, two of which will be discussed in this dissertation. First, well-governed protected areas provide an established mechanism for both safeguarding habitats and populations of species, as well as, delivering important ecosystem services. It is, therefore, imperative that governance and planning measures are implemented effectively and equitably. Secondly, protected areas are required to be well-connected to the wider landscape through the use of corridors and ecological networks facilitating connectivity, adaption to climate change and the application of the ecosystem approach. Transboundary Natural Resource Management (TBNRM) provides a unique opportunity for realising both conditions.

Human accelerated climate change presents a worldwide threat. It is a problem that requires international as well as local solutions. Human accelerated climate change is induced by the release of so called greenhouse gasses (GHG's) as a result of human activity, most notably by converting fossil fuels into energy. GHG's include Carbon dioxide (CO₂), Methane (CH₄), Nitrous oxide (N2O), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆). The most notable of these gasses is Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), this gas is released into the atmosphere in vast amounts and is primarily responsible for the human contribution to climate change. In recent years, Governments all over the world have begun implementing strategies in order to decrease the amount of GHG's released into the atmosphere. The South African Government set out a range of options in the National Climate Change Response White Paper that could be used to reduce GHG emissions. The specific option which forms the subject matter of this dissertation is referred to as the Carbon Tax. Stripped down to its bare essentials a Carbon Tax entails that producers of GHG emitting products would pay a tax that corresponds to the amount of CO₂ emitted in the production of that product, or the CO₂ equivalent of the product if it emits one of the other GHG's. This amount of money is then incorporated into the price of the product making those emission intensive products more expensive. Theoretically, this should result in a decline in the consumption of the product and/or cleaner methods to produce the product. The underlying idea is to change consumers' behaviour to promote environmental goals by reducing GHG emissions. Carbon Taxing falls under a category of regulation which is referred to as the 'incentive based approach to environmental regulation' with the incentive being financial or market based. Incentive based measures are used in environmental regulation where traditional command and control measures would be insufficient or where they could be supplemented. This paper will examine the proposed Carbon Taxing regime for South Africa. It will assess the proposed regime in terms of its effectiveness as an instrument to reduce GHG emissions. It will also assess the equitability of the regime by assessing how the tax will affect citizens in different income classes.

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Oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the earth's surface, and over 60 per cent of human population resides along the coast. A significant proportion of human protein supply comes from the sea, while the majority of global biodiversity and over 97 per cent of the biosphere is marine and is unknown. Invasive marine species are one of the four major threats to the world's oceans; the other three major threats are land-source marine pollution, over-exploitation of living marine resources and physical alteration and destruction of habitat.

Oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the earth's surface, and over 60 per cent of human population resides along the coast. A significant proportion of human protein supply comes from the sea, while the majority of global biodiversity and over 97 per cent of the biosphere is marine and is unknown. Invasive marine species are one of the four major threats to the world's oceans; the other three major threats are land-source marine pollution, over-exploitation of living marine resources and physical alteration and destruction of habitat.

Regional Programmes for the Protection of the Marine Environment began with agencies and organisations that were mainly scientific in nature. These early organisations were research - oriented and although they could recommend action they had no regulatory powers, nor could they initiate any action. The oldest of such organisation is the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) established in 1902. It was active in the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea areas carrying out scientific studies with investigations concerning exploitation of living and non-living marine resources. ICES later became involved with marine pollution studies and as a result set up a committee in 1960 to deal with it. In 1967 ICES set up a working group. This was one of the first signs of regional co-operation regarding the environment. Another such organisation was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation (IMCO) now International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the earth's surface, and over 60 per cent of human population resides along the coast. A significant proportion of human protein supply comes from the sea, while the majority of global biodiversity and over 97 per cent of the biosphere is marine and is unknown. Invasive marine species are one of the four major threats to the world's oceans; the other three major threats are land-source marine pollution, over-exploitation of living marine resources and physical alteration and destruction of habitat.

The Coal Industry in South Africa exported 54,5 million tons in 1993, providing R4,2 billion in export revenues, second only to gold. Apart from small parcels of coal exported through Durban and Maputo, coal is exported through the Richards Bay Coal Terminal. As new producers such as Indonesia, Columbia and China enters the International Market, equally (and sometimes better) placed than South Africa to penetrate markets in Europe and the Far East, the South African Coal Industry cannot afford to damage its' competitive position through accusations of "hot coal" problems. In this thesis, the phenomenon of spontaneous healing, combustion and methane emission from coal cargoes, will be discussed, and the F.O.B. sales of coal will be commented upon.

The importance of ships to a nation, either in peace or war time is great and has been recognised since early times. The fact that ships and seamen, wherever they come from, or to whichever nation they belong, are exposed to the same dangers and are dealing with the same problems, has made maritime law uniform. This system of law has been one of the few, if not the only one that has been uniform for a period of thousands of years. Its rules were formed by the customs of the sea and the effort of seamen to overcome their · · common problems with the result that, although the political and social circumstances on land changed very often, the principles of maritime law remained unchanged.