This research studies the characteristic features of shifting paradigms in South African Water legislation over the past hundred years and aligns these changes in legislation with established world views in water resource management. A comparative analysis is used to describe and compare how changes in South African water legislation over the past century have changed water resource management paradigm and vice versa. Three distinct legislative periods are explored within South African water law. The first period from 1912 to 1955 was dominated by the Irrigation and Conservation of Waters Act of 1912 which favoured the agri-industrial and minority landowners. The second period is recognised as the pre-modernism and industrial modernism as paradigms that are closely aligned to the earliest national water legislation. It is characterised by the advancement of the hydraulic mission and growing demand for water resources. The third phase is the National Water Act which transformed water resource management in South Africa. It represents a radical shift in legislation from the dominant paradigm in South Africa and provides one of strongest features indicating that legislation, along with political will, is the major driver and enabler in contributing towards change in water resource management. In South Africa, the paradigm shift in water resource management is the direct result of legislative influence driven by a quest to emphasise the need for social justice and equity in order to redress an unjust Apartheid system.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 361-391).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-146).

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

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Two original computer simulation models are presented in this thesis. Although these models differ in their temporal, spatial, and structural dimensions, they are unified by a common purpose: to build quantitative understanding of environmental resources and better inform their future management. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service, there are significant undiscovered reserves of oil and natural gas located in the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf region. While the existence of these energy resources is critical to the nation’s future economic well-being, of equal importance is the amount of already extracted energy that will be required to deliver the new fuel to society in a useful form; the difference between the two quantities is the net energy supply. “Energy return on investment” (EROI) is an indicator of the net productivity of an energy supply process; specifically, it is the ratio of gross energy production to total, direct plus indirect, energy cost. Chapter 1 describes a dynamic model designed to calculate the EROI of offshore energy extraction in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico from 1985 to 2004 under differing assumptions regarding energy cost and technology. In 2004, the EROI of the process is estimated to range from 10 to 25 depending on how comprehensively energy costs are defined. In comparison, the EROI of U.S. onshore petroleum extraction in the 1930s was at least 100. Ecosystem services are those functions of ecosystems that support, directly or indirectly, human welfare. Although interest in ecosystem services has surged in recent decades and is currently still on the rise, these phenomena have yet to be universally quantified. The current Multi-scale, Integrated Models of Ecosystem Services (MIMES) project is an ambitious attempt to do so through dynamic, spatially explicit modeling. As a part of this broad initiative, Chapter 2 details the development and testing of a model designed to measure and map the ecosystem service “water regulation” at multiple scales. The model is an extension of the well known and widely used “runoff curve number” method originally developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; it is applied to the Winooski watershed (Vermont, U.S.A.) and to the entire globe.

The study reviews the biophysical attributes, socio-economic usage and environmental problems of the coastal zone in England and Wales, and evaluates current resource management policies for the coastal environment. This policy assessment reveals some deficiencies in the present fragmentary system of coastal zone management. In the light of these findings, a detailed case study of the Newhaven-Eastbourne sector in East Sussex is presented. After an initial analysis of the historical interplay between physiographic change and human use requirements in the chosen area, a statement of contemporary resource use and management problems is assembled. A detailed analysis of three leading problems serves to show that effective coastal management must focus on broad 'issue areas' rather than on single problems, acknowledging the interdependency between many coastal policy issues. Using a sample three year period, a content analysis of local newspaper coverage identifies a distinct spatial concentration of resource use problems on developed coastal frontage. A social survey of local residents is employed to measure community awareness of coastal problems and the agencies responsible for their resolution. This survey shows a high degree of community self-interest in the perception of problems, and suggests a local authority focus for public concern over coastal issues. A full description of the coastal management system in the study area demonstrates that the national fragmentation of responsibilities is fully replicated at local level, although the local authorities discharge a group of key management functions. The technical and institutional requirements for more effective coastal zone managementare discussed, and the potential of a coastal resource evaluation system and selected operations research techniques are tested with reference to the study area. Finally, the prospects for a reform of existing management arrangements are examined, and three outline models for a revised system are presented.

Student Number : 0313728F - MSc research report - School of Civil and Environmental Engineering - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / Human activity is characterised by the use of energy and materials to produce goods and services with wastes as by products. Population growth and development has increased the requirement of materials and energy which means more wastes. Industrial development has lead to a faster conversion of material and energy which means even more wastes. This has caused significant negative environmental impacts that are threatening natural resources and ecological balance from which the required materials are obtained. Developing countries are faced with the difficulty of balancing economic development and environmental protection. A development programme that is based on prioritising economic development at the expense of the environment is not sustainable. The main objective of this research is to investigate the potential of using industrial ecology principles to address the environmental problems of developing countries. This is done by using a case study of Matsapha Industrial Estate in Swaziland. The term industrial ecology is derived from an analogy to biological ecosystems, in which waste from one organism is food to another making the system sustainable because of the closed waste loop. Braden Allenby (1992) defines industrial ecology as: “Industrial Ecology may be defines as the means by which a state of sustainable development is approached and maintained. It consists of a systems view of human economic activity and its interrelationship with fundamental biological, chemical and physical systems with the goal of establishing and maintaining the human species at levels that can be sustained indefinitely, given continued economic, cultural and technological evolution”. Using a cross sectional data set, appropriate environmental performance indicators of the case study area were determined. Three broad categories of environmental performance indicators are used. These are: - Resource Use - Emissions - Management of Community Interactions The investigation of the opportunities of using industrial ecology principles in the case study area is done by setting up scenarios where the principles are applied. The results are then compared with established environmental performance indicators. The industrial ecology principles considered are: - Systems Approach - Industrial Symbiosis - Industrial metabolism - Integrated Approach - Diversity or Flexibility - Shared resources Of the six, five were applied. Industrial metabolism was not applied because of the scope of the research. The research indicates that the use industrial ecology principles do improve the environmental performance of the case study with some economic benefits. The research also revealed that industrial ecology improves the interaction between the three components of industrial ecosystems i.e. the industrial activity, the social and the ecological or environmental component thus establishing the foundation for sustainable development. It is also revealed that industrial ecology provides the means of moving towards closing the waste loop in a way that recognises the importance of balancing the economic objectives of industrial activities and the environmental objectives of the public sector as well as the social responsibility of both the industrial and public sector. The research recommends that industrial ecology principles be used to address the environmental problems of the case study area because of the many benefits that would be realised particularly the achievement of both economic and environmental objectives. The main recommendations of the research for the case study area are: - Identification of the Industrial Estate Manager. The recommended industrial estate manager in the case study area is the existing Matsapha Town Board. It is therefore not an individual but an institution. This institution would be the organising force that will facilitate and coordinate the interaction between the three components of the eco-industrial system. - Resource Recovery in the form of recycling be the eco-industrial theme because of the absence of an anchor industry. - Further research focused on industrial metabolism and use of various wastes as inputs for other industries