With the increasing demands that human beings place on the environment, a concerted effort needs to be made to ensure that the environment is conserved and utilised in a sustainable manner. Therefore, it is imperative that all development actions be carefully scrutinised. The Integrated Environmental Management process may be just the process to address such development problems. The IEM process aims not only to identify those activities that would have excessively negative impacts on the environment it also looks at proposing alternative development strategies that may reduce the environmental impact of development. A tool which is being well received as being able to assist in such decision making is a Geographic Information System (GIS). The most suitable location for road networks that would have least environmental impact within the Eastern Shores State Forest, KwaZuluNatal, were determined by implementing the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) along with Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) process within real-time GIS. The location of road networks is a fundamental aspect of development due to the many negative impacts they may have on the environment. The AHP not only aided in identifying all the elements required to make a decision more accurately. It also allowed one to recognise the interrelationship between the various elements. The biggest advantage however, of using this model is that it allowed for the establishment of relative mathematically-based weights for the criteria. This effectively aided in identifying which of the vegetation types (ie. wetlands, swamp forest, grasslands, wetlands and coastal forest and thicket) in view of environmental consultants and ecologists would be most conducive to development. In so doing minimising the impact of the development. iii The MCE provided the ideal tool to incorporate these relative weights in order to combine them to arrive at an image that contained all the relative weights of all the various factors. A spatial database was constructed and a number of relevant images developed, using various GIS techniques. From these images it was possible to determine the most suitable locations for road networks within the Eastern Shores State Forest. Particular attention was focused on how GIS may be integrated within the IEM process. It was found that GIS could not only accurately determine where development should take place, but also established that it is an effective tool for aiding in the decision making process by providing accurate detailed maps of the area proposed for development. The success and overall simplicity of the procedure in this study suggests that GIS would be valuable to the IEM process. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1999.

KZN Nature Conservation Services budgetary cuts for the KrantzkloofNature Reserve (KNR) has led to economic shortfalls in important areas like facilities maintenance and invader plant control. The study has found that the benefits of maintaining KNR, determined from the estimated Total Economic Value (TEV), are huge and far outweigh the budget shortfall. The shortfall has been closed by user charging, the timing of which has prevented any deterioration in the facilities and ecology ofKNR due to budget cuts. Facilities maintenance needs to be prioritized to protect the user charge funding base and alien invader control needs to be prioritized due to escalating costs and the magnitude of the problem. The study has found that subcatchment stakeholder groups in the developing Emolweni forum, within which KNR is strategically placed, are strongly associated with local conservancies which will essentially provide the backbone for the envisaged forum. In order for stakeholder groups to be more representative, however, it is important for local conservancies to fmd a way to draw in community groups not normally involved in conservation work. The forum should provide networking and support for projects like environmental education, income generation and rehabilitation that will allow these community groups to participate in conservation work in a meaningful way. Delivery should occur through strategically placed community institutions like schools and clinics and should target young people and the unemployed. Nature reserves have largely untapped resources and a quasi- option value project is explored that combines alien vegetation control with the development of an indigenous nursery in an ecological and economic sustainable manner. It is envisaged that income derived from the sale of horticultural plants may substitute the income derived from medicinal plants and thus reduce the pressure applied on KNR's threatened resources by the unemployed. The study recommends that the subcatchment be divided into manageable units, based on a situational analysis, out of which particular criteria and objectives can be developed. Surveys, inventories, mapping and research activities should be carried out, with reports on the state or use of soil, water and biota submitted to the forum, which can then provide management solutions. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

The tourism industry has emerged as one of the key economic drivers in Africa and remains as one of the few growth industries in the world. The industry has well-documented, significant socio-economic and environmental impacts, many of which are not positive and result in enduring problems at destinations. This is particularly acute in countries such as South Africa where socio-economic inequities are high and historical patterns of development have resulted in most people being marginal from the tourism sector. The accommodation sector is one of the main players in terms of tourism and benefits the most from this industry. However, very few studies have critically examined this sector in terms of environmental management. It is the lacunae in the research that this study aims to address. The main objectives of the study were to investigate the nature and extent of environmental management in hotels and lodges in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The primary data collection was undertaken via the use of surveys to 60 accommodation managers and 400 hotel guests. In-depth interviews were also undertaken with key tourism industry stakeholders. The main findings of the research indicated that although participants were aware of the detrimental environmental impacts of the accommodation sector, environmental management programs were very much in its infancy. Hotel managers were enthusiastic about environmental management but were unable to implement environmental programs and actions due to a number of challenges and constraints. Environmental issues were also not a high priority for hotel guests in the study. The study concludes that environmental issues in the accommodation sector needs to be re-examined and measures need to be put in place to address the sector’s negative impact on the environment. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

The study stemmed from the observation that the Msunduzi Municipal Council has adopted the principles of Agenda 21. The aim was to examine participatory approaches employed by the Local Agenda 21 Working Committee. The research findings have signalled the importance of improving public invol vement in environmental decisionmaking. Yet the participatory approaches employed by the working committee such as advertisements and council meetings have proved inadequate to effectively meet the challenge of constructively involving the public. One reason is a lack of understanding on what public participation is supposed to accomplish. The Msunduzi Municipal Council is faced with the challenge of making high quality decisions while remaining responsive to the citizens those decisions affect. Meeting the challenge in the environmental policy arena poses particular problems because issues are often technically complex and value-laden, and multiple interests operate. At the same time , experience with public participation to support the position that involving the public is a mitigated good and more of it is always better, has not yet penetrated council structures. The Council is increasingly seeking better ways to fulfil its constitutional mandates while constructively engaging the public in environmental decision-making. Representatives of business and civil society are now included in joint forums with the council. They bring with them expertise and local perceptions to the policy-making process. It has been found out that members of civil society have led the way in showing connections between the environment and development. The effectiveness of promoting environmental equity depends upon the use of participation methodology that caters to the cultural and socio-economic needs of groups. The use of social capital is one way of organising and ordering individuals into productive associations. Local Agenda 21 makes possible social capital through the involvement of different stakeholders in environmental management and decisionmaking. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

Cumulative Effects Assessment (CEA) is a more holistic assessment method that has emerged in the wake of experts recognising that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has a tendency to be a site –project specific process, which frequently lacks the capacity to assess multiple development actions within a region (Canter, 1997). Although CEA is part of environmental policy for many countries, including South Africa, research has revealed that CEA is often poorly applied and in many cases ignored (DEA, 2004;Canter and Ross, 2008).One possible solution to enhancing CEA, within the study area, is for the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs KwaZulu Natal (DAEA), the agency ultimately responsible for assessing the effects of development, to adopt a participatory approach with the Department of Water Affairs (DWA). This study explores the potential for KwaZulu Natal DAEA, and the associated members responsible for assessing the effects of development, to enhance CEA by engaging with the multi stakeholder Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) processes, in the institutional engagement space provided by the Catchment Management Agency (CMA). The rational for the DAEA adopting such an approach to enhancing CEA, in addition to the linkages between land and water, the linkages between DAEA and DWA's responsibilities and the opportunity for engagement, is that the theses forums encompass all the major stakeholder groupings within the region. This in conjunction with the DAEA's participatory policy would provide the ideal opportunity for DAEA members, involved in CEA, to reap the benefits of participation in enhancing CEA. The aim of this research is to investigate the potential to enhance CEA through participation between the DAEA, the DWA and the multi-stakeholder IWRM processes in the CMA engagement space. In particular the research has the objectives of firstly gaining an understanding of the barriers to such an opportunity and secondly exploring what stakeholders perceived as potential initiatives that could be established to overcome the barriers. The methods of investigation were primarily semi structured interviews. These interviews were conducted with seven staff members from the local chapter of the DEA, The Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs KwaZulu Natal (DAEA). Due to the limited number of DAEA members within Pietermaritzburg region staff from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, who deal with CEA under the auspices of the DAEA were also included. Further data sources included an extensive review of the relevant literature. Based on an analysis of the information gathered in the above mentioned manner, it was concluded that the current application of CEA is poor within the study area and participation between the DAEA and the DWA, although promoted in accordance with policy, was subject to barriers, many of them physiological, which severely hinder the process. It was also concluded that barriers to participation were preventing DAEA employees from recognising the full potential of the opportunity to engage with the established IWRM process in the CMA engagement space as a means to enhance CEA. Despite the many apparent barriers the majority of stakeholders did recognise the linkages between land and water, the linkages between the DAEA and the DWA and the value of what effective participation could mean for enhancing CEA. DAEA and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife employees did however not seem to acknowledge the true potential to enhance CEA by participating with the DWA as they were not taking advantage of the opportunity. Stakeholders did however suggested, that a dramatic change in attitude and mind set towards the way participation was approached was needed from all sectors and that the DAEA needs to acknowledge and take advantage of such opportunity to enhance CEA. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

The current organisational framework of public policy management offers a powerful tool that of network management. Policy network theory revolves around the idea that no one can work in isolation, and therefore, the notion of interdependency between different organisations becomes very important in order to achieve policy goals efficiently and with efficacy. This encompasses the interactive relationship that is based on information sharing as well as resources. The assumption behind policy network is that nobody is an expert in everything, and nobody has sufficient resources to address every problem. The concept of interdependence entails the co-operation and collaboration of various autonomous actors who have different interests and yet collaborate to achieve certain policy objectives. There is then a need to build "bridges" to facilitate these interactions. The size and scope of policy networks depend on the nature of each policy and the context in which it is formulated, implemented and evaluated. Environmental networks in South Africa, and especially in Pietermaritzburg, has been utilised in order to address the problem of environmental management. The Keep Pietermaritzburg Clean Association has been instrumental in implementing waste management programmes using a policy network strategy. This research focuses on one such programme "Adopt a Spot". Here there are 123 stakeholders all with the aim to beautifying P ietermaritzburg. This research indicates the usefulness of policy networks particularly as an instrument to facilitate policy implementation. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Public policies are not designed and implemented in a vacuum. Instead, policy design and implementation are processes which require that all relevant stakeholders be involved in all stages of a policy process. It is for these reasons that this study was undertaken. Environmental policy implementation has proved to be a challenge for most municipalities in South Africa. The municipality which was chosen by this study as a case study is Msunduzi Municipality. Faced with different challenges which are attributed to a lack of resources and appropriate forms of organisation which are required for environmental policy implementation, this Municipality has struggled to meet its responsibilities. It is for these reason, then, that this study argues that one of the possible ways in which effective design and implementation of environmental policy in Msunduzi Municipality could be achieved is by collaboration and partnership through policy networks involving government agencies, businesses and civil society organisations. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

After an extended period of apartheid and its inherent ills, the first democratic elections were finally held in 1994 in South Africa. Major changes in governance issues had to be effected in order to improve the well-being of millions of South Africans living in abject poverty. One of the major structural changes made by the democratic government with regards to governance was to introduce a threesphere governmental structure comprised of national, provincial and local spheres. Through the system of intergovernmental relations and cooperative governance, powers and functions of the three spheres are defined as well as the inter-relationship between them. Local government has been identified as the sphere closest to the people and therefore critical to service delivery. Over the last five years, local governance issues have been receiving increasing attention as it has been realized that in order for the government to improve human well-being, local governments have to be efficient and competent. However, there is an impasse within the sphere of local government which is posing a serious challenge to service delivery, especially in rural areas. This impasse is related to roles and responsibilities of traditional leadership vis-a-vis municipal councillors. This problem is more noticeable in the former homeland areas where considerable power used to be in the hands of traditional leaders during the apartheid era. This study used case study evidence from the Department of Social Welfare and Population Development led poverty alleviation project, the Imbothimuni Flagship Programme, to investigate the role of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a catalyst for improving the state of intergovernmental relations and cooperative environmental governance. The project was implemented in the rural village of Imbothimuni at Mid-Illovo in KwaZulu-Natal. The findings of the study showed that there remains a lack of cooperation between traditional leadership and municipal councillors. The democratic government's initiatives to strengthen local government and enhance service delivery are not realized where there are conflicts and ambivalence over who should exercise the leading role in rural development. A myriad of legislative provisions have been drafted to legitimize the institution of traditional leadership, but they still fail to provide a legislative framework within which traditional leaders and municipal officials can cooperate. As a result of this lack of cooperation, developmental imperatives continue to be compromised and environmental degradation persists. The in-depth analysis of the legislative provisions relevant to traditional leadership shows that the government has resolved to legitimize the institution, in spite of the controversial debate on this notion. What is needed as a matter of urgency is a succinct legislative framework within which traditional leaders and municipal councillors can operate without conflict. The study revealed that the role of EIA in bringing together stakeholders, including traditional leaders and municipal councillors, is invaluable. The study also revealed that there is an urgent need for environmental awareness campaigns aimed at municipal officials, grass roots communities and most importantly, the traditional leaders. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Environmental management has increasingly become a critical approach for dealing with environmental issues. Implicit in this, is the premise that for environmental management to be effective, a systematic approach is imperative. For this reason, environmental management systems have emerged as the strategy for organizations within which environmental management initiatives are co-ordinated. While environmental management systems (EMS) are a necessary and important tool to achieve quality environmental performance and protection, experience with them illustrates how their adoption and implementation are constrained by a number of factors. EMS cannot operate in isolation. Rather, they need to be incorporated into an organization's overall management strategy. Using the Msunduzi Council as a case study, this study looks at the challenges and complexities that local governments, tasked with the protection of the environment at local level, encounter. The New England Road Landfill Site has been highlighted as a section of the Msunduzi Council where an Environmental Management System is entrenched. Research methods used to obtain data comprised a workshop and key informant interviews. Issues that emerged from the workshop informed and directed the analysis of the data. As research undertaken and conclusions drawn suggest, the adoption and implementation of an Environmental Management Framework or System ensures that environmental matters are tackled in a systematic and proactive manner within an organization. This in turn promotes quality environmental management and subsequently sustainable development. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2002.

Sustainable development’s wide scale adoption has resulted in the rapid emergence of the field Sustainability Science. This trans-disciplinary field of research attempts to understand the interconnectedness, relationships and complexity between the natural environment and society. To understand these relationships and integration between the natural environment, the economy and society within a sustainability context, an ecosystem goods and services (EGS) approach can be taken. EGS research is being incorporated into mainstream environmental decision-making and strategic thinking, particularly within the corporate sector, however, adoption has been slow. The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review (ESR) is a framework, developed by the World Research Institute (WRI), which aims to assess the dependence and impact that a company has on EGS through a systematic approach. This methodological framework can be adapted into a tool that assists in more informed environmental decision-making at a local government level. This adapted tool highlights EGS issues within particular open spaces and links these issues to sustainability targets and identifies risks and opportunities for local government. For this research, the ESR tool was tested on open spaces within the Msunduzi Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, by adapting the ESR methodological framework to relate to local government decision-making and by incorporating existing tools and strategic documents, namely the Environmental Management Framework (EMF) and the Spatial Development Framework (SDF), into the EGS assessment tool. Site-specific EGS issues were identified at two open space study sites through posing different development scenarios, and results from testing the tool revealed linkages between EGS and risks and opportunities for sustainability. The tool has applicability to local level decision-making, particularly in the early stages of development planning, by providing a more holistic input into the environmental decision-making process. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.