Bibliography: leaves 61-67.

Bibliography: leaves 81-86. / The aim of this dissertation is to identify policy-scientific causes underlying the constraints to successful Implementation, and give recommendations In order to improve the attainment of initial goals specified, in 'the resettlement policy. To identify these policy-scientific causes, criteria were extracted from the theoretical policy making as well as from international experience with regard to policy implementation. Subsequently, the policy process of resettlement was assessed according to these criteria. This report presents the findings of the policy assessment of the National Resettlement Policy of Namibia.

Bibliography: p. 143-147. / The purpose of this report is twofold. Its aim is firstly to compare the Western Access Road (WAR) with the Least Cost Alternative Route (LCAR) in terms of their ·impact on the environment and identify which of the two routes is the preferred alternative. To this end, the report documents and analyses the results of an impact assessment study, carried out by the Environmental Evaluation Unit (EEU) of the University of Cape Town. The report also includes recommended actions to mitigate negative impacts and enhance positive impacts. The report secondly serves as a dissertation, for the purpose of academic evaluation by examiners, for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Environmental Science. To this end it aims to demonstrate analytical rigour and an understanding of the theoretical basis of the study.

Includes bibliographical references. / In 1993, the Government of Namibia formulated the Rural Water Supply Policy which provides for the establishment of the Water Point Committees to take responsibility for management of water supply in rural areas. By establishing these local-level water management institutions, policy makers in Namibia assume that water resources in the rural areas will be managed sustainably. This dissertation seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of local-level institutions in the management of rural water supply in Namibia. Water Point Committees in the Khorixas regional constituency will be used as an illustration. Specifically, this dissertation examines the provisions of the Rural Water Supply Policy and the National Land Policy and assesses their implications with regards to management of land and water in communal areas. In addition, the socio-economic conditions of the Khorixas constituency and their appropriateness for local-level management are examined. The extent to which the attributes of sustainability have been considered in the implementation of policies is also examined. Broad recommendations that could improve the effectiveness of the Water Point Committees in the Khorixas constituency and possibly in other areas in Namibia are made.

Bibliography : leaves 152-161. / Nature exists as an objective reality on which human beings rely physically and spiritually. We are part of nature. But throughout human and environmental history 'nature' has also existed as a human idea and cultural construct. We project our values, fears, and aspirations onto our environment so that in nature we see a reflection of our own historical development and social existence. Our different class, cultural, and gender life experiences generate different attitudes towards our natural environment. For the most part we regard the ideas and attitudes towards nature as natural, and not as ideological constructions. Dominant techno centric and ecocentric discourses within contemporary environmentalism unselfcritically regard nature as a commodity and as a moral authority respectively. These alienated and romanticised views of nature reflect our contemporary estrangement from the natural world that we are part of Marx's dialectical materialism provides the analytical tools to critique the human/nature dualism expressed by technocentrism and ecocentrism and offers a more dynamic, historical, and ecological perspective on the changing relations between humans and' their natural environment. As humans we are also apart from nature. We have a unique capacity to stand aside and consciously shape our relation with nature, albeit within the constraints and possibilities offered by ecological processes. How we define that relationship is for the most part determined by our own human economic, social, and political relations. This thesis argues that our contemporary alienation from, and abuse of, nature emerges out of the development of capitalist economic and social relations and the ethic and practice of the private ownership of natural resources. Ironically, it is the most alienated and impoverished sector of human society that offers the most progressive perspective on reconciling humans with nature. The struggles of urban and rural working class and poor communities for environmental justice integrates social, economic, political, and ecological issues in a way that poses a radical challenge to the alienated dualism of mainstream environmentalism. This thesis explores and highlights the progressive possibilities that the 'environmental justice perspective offers in our struggle for social justice and ecological wisdom.

Bibliography: leaves 82-88. / The Gariep Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA) was identified by the Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) as one of seven potential TFCAs in southern Africa. Conservation of the Gariep TFCA would provide protection to the Nama-karoo biome, thereby improving the representativeness of South Africa's reserve network, a national conservation goal. However, the land in the Gariep TFCA is privately owned and land purchases or contractual agreements with landowners will be required before conservation activity can be carried out. With limited resources available for conservation, and competition between conservation and other activities for a limited supply of land, it is necessary to focus conservation efforts on land with the greatest value to conservation. Creation of the Gariep TFCA should therefore be the outcome of a deliberate and rational planning process which is based on all relevant available information. Accordingly, the aim of this dissertation is to produce a decisionsupport instrument which can be used for planning of the Gariep TFCA. The COVER evaluation is a rapid, coarse-filter approach, necessitated by the level of detailed environmental information available. The main source of environmental data for the evaluation was the biophysical and socio-economic information collected for the Feasibility Study (1998). This was supplemented by first-hand knowledge of the Gariep area, a literature review, and interviews with conservationists. The overlay method used for the evaluation is a means of including environmental factors into land use planning. A conservation overlay (COVER) approach was used to evaluate the Gariep area for Because an integrated approach to conservation was adopted, both scientific and socio-political criteria were selected for the evaluation. The scientific criteria evaluate biodiversity, while the socio-political criteria evaluate land availability and tourism potential, and the threat to present conservation value. These criteria were used to evaluate eight environmental factors for conservation. The results of the evaluation are displayed on a series of maps showing the geographic location and extent of the various value zones. The separate maps show the biological conservation value, tourism value, the threat which human activity poses to conservation, and the social cost of conserving the Gariep area.

Bibliography: leaves 133-137. / The Olushandja Dam, which is situated in the Omusati region in northern Namibia, serves as a balancing and storage dam for water supplied from the Calueque Dam, on the Cunene River. Olushandja Dam forms an important component of the bulk water supply network. The Namibian Department of Water Affairs (DWA), the proponent of the project, aims to upgrade the Olushandja Dam, with the objective of increasing the surety of water supply to the regions of northern Namibia. The upgrading of the Olushandja Dam involves the repair of the north wall pump station and the installation of two pumps, with a combined pumping capacity of 3.2m3/s. A complete set of stand-by pumps will also be provided to optimise the surety of supply. The impact of upgrading the dam will be in terms of management, rather than construction or development, as the construction related to the upgrading will be minor. A sound management strategy is required to maximise the benefits of an assured water supply, while minimising the negative effects on the communities living in close proximity to the dam.

Bibliography : p.111-114. / This dissertation, in taking a holistic approach, seeks to use the Shewula community initiative as a pilot project for establishing more effective biodiversity conservation and natural resource management initiatives/programmes on Swazi Nation Land (SNL). A new conceptual framework is proposed for integrating community-based conservation (CBC) and community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) on SNL Swaziland, namely Managed Natural Environments (MNEs). The dissertation concludes that an integrated CBC-CBNRM programme should be promoted as an innovative and essential aspect of the Swaziland Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BSAP).

Bibliography: leaves 95-99. / The costs of establishing and installing a borehole are high, ranging from R 57 000 to R 180 000 depending on the depth of hole drilled and type of pump installed (DR WS, 1996). Because of these high costs, the Namibian Government has historically taken responsibility for the provision, operation and maintenance of rural water supply. However, in accordance with the principles advocated in the country's new Water and Sanitation Policy (WASP), an emphasis has been placed on shifting this responsibility to the communities utilising these water supplies (DWA, 1993). In April 1997, the Directorate of Rural Water Supply (DRWS) implemented a programme for the "Community Management of Rural Water Supply". This programme is to be phased in over nine years and during this time rural communities are expected to gradually take over full responsibility for the operation and maintenance costs of their water supply. In the final stage of this programme it is envisioned that these communities will be required to replace broken equipment, and provide new installations themselves (DR WS, 1996). Expecting rural communities to pay for the full cost recovery of their water supply will result in obvious socio-economic impacts on these communities (Sekhesa, 1997). However, the present reliance of many rural communities on groundwater resources gives them little alternative but to accept responsibility for the high costs associated with boreholes. This dissertation therefore, aims at assessing the feasibility of developing sand-storage dams as an alternate supply of water in the rural areas of Namibia.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-152). / This thesis examines the recent experience of resettlement through a case-study of the Metema Woreda resettlement site, located in the Amhara Regional State from a disaster risk lens through the application of the sustainable livelihoods framework. Specifically, the study sought to examine the vulnerability and risk context of resettled households. It also aimed to investigate the ways in which household livelihoods are configured and differentiated in the new environment.