Bibliography: leaves 99-105. / This report describes a study of land degradation in adjacent portions of land comprising a section of the Cathedral Peak State Forest (park and private land) and segments of three wards of the former Kwazulu homeland district of Okhahlamba. The study region is known as the Cathedral Peak Area. The report aims to describe and account for the historical development of land degradation in the Okhahlamba District using the Cathedral Peak Area as a case study. Sequential aerial photographs from 1945, 1964 and 1992 were employed to conduct a temporal comparison of area effected by changes in number of homesteads, area of cultivation, forests, eroded areas or surfaces and gullies and drainage density. The results show that for number of homesteads and cultivated area in the Cathedral Peak Area, there has been an exponential (geometric) and constant (arithmetic) increase respectively during the period under investigation. These increases in anthropogenic activities in the Cathedral Peak Area have resulted in a consequent increase in pressure on environmental resources of the area.

Bibliography: p. 136-139. / As a consequence of increasing development pressure and demands on the Liesbeeck Black River Confluence Area (hereafter referred to as the Confluence Area), the Cape Town City Council (CCC), which has the responsibility for land-use planning in the Confluence Area (CA), recognised the need for a focused land-use study to be undertaken. Preliminary baseline information therefore, was collected by the Environmental and Geographical Science Masters class and is presented in the environmental baseline study (MPhil class, 1994).This is an individual study that serves to review and assess the baseline information. It aims to provide general recommendations for future land-use planning in the CA, which optimise the inherent environmental capabilities of the area. It attempts to present to the decision-makers and land-use planners a holistic environmental information base for more··informed land-use planning.

Bibliography: pages 117-119. / In December 1991, De Beers Namaqualand Mines (DBNM) commissioned the Environmental Evaluation Unit (EEU) of the University of Cape Town to undertake a socio-economic impact assessment of the future closure of their diamond mines in Namaqualand. As the end of the life of the mines is approached it will be necessary to plan for a reduction in productivity and ultimately for mine closure. It is estimated that the financially viable diamond reserves will be depleted by approximately 2002. The purpose of this report is to identify and assess the impacts of mine closure and make recommendations for the mitigation of these effects. The study has taken place during the initial stages of planning for mine closure. Conclusions and recommendations could thus be utilised by DBNM to inform the planning process.

Bibliography: leaves 22-24. / The main issues around filming in the Bo-Kaap are the need for film crews to respect the area's cultural norms, and for the community to benefit from the inconvenience of hosting film shoots. Recommendations to mitigate costs and enhance benefits of filming, according to the principles of sustainability, include formulating location-specific filming conditions; encouraging local involvement in the film industry; developing a film permitting bylaw; formalising a Professional Code of Conduct for film crews; and establishing an environmental and cultural trust fund for donations from film companies.

Bibliography: leaves 129-135. / The Olushandja Dam situated in far northern Namibia, forms an important component of an international water transfer scheme. In the past, this reservoir has not been used to store water at its maximum capacity. An upgrading project has been proposed by the Namibian Department of Water Affairs (pWA).The project will entail significant fluctuations in the level of the dam with implications for the adjacent human settlements. These comprise rural communities who have come to depend on the dam as a valuable source of water. A impact analysis has been commissioned to examine the potential social effects of the upgrading scheme and identify ways of mitigating negative impacts, and enhancing opportunities for the surrounding communities. The social assessment forms a component of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) commissioned by the DWA in December 1994.The Olushandja Dam was designed as part of system to supply the densely populated former Owamboland in northern Namibia with water from the Cunene River which, in part, forms the border between Namibia and Angola. The transfer scheme was initiated in 1969 by an agreement between the respective administrations of Namibia and Angola which gave each country rights to 50%of the flow of the Cunene River. Prior to the implementation of the transfer scheme, citizens of Owamboland were entirely dependent, for their subsistence way of life, on a seasonal supply of surface water. This supply is concentrated in numerous shallow water courses, known as oshanas which drain southwards to the Etosha pan. The more reliable supply from the Cunene River is necessary to sustain development in the face of recurrent drought and a substantial increase in population pressure.

In recent years theorists have challenged the certainty that there is one universally 'right' system of knowledge, arguing that there exists a diversity or plurality of ways of knowing the world (Turnbull 1997; Green 2008). Western scientific research has been reframed by these 'relational ontologists' as a set of knowledge practices that tend to produce and reinforce a dualistic view of the world. In particular, 'scientific', positivist accounts of nature have historically positioned mind and body, human beings and nature, humans and non-humans as essentially different or separate from each other (Thrift 2004; Haraway 2008). The methodological recommendation is that, as social theorists, we carefully observe knowledge practices and allow ourselves to be surprised or challenged by what we find rather than constantly performing these preconceived ways of knowing the world through our research (Law 2004; Lien & Law 2010). Farming bees commercially in the Western Cape, South Africa involves a high degree of skill and intimate daily engagements with plants, animals, landscapes and weather-worlds. As such it is an ideal case study for interrogating dualistic framings of human-environment relations through an ethnographic exploration of environmental knowledge practices. Commercial bee farmers that participated in this study raised a range of concerns about complex dynamics influencing their businesses, including challenges accessing viable land for bee sites and accessibility and security of the flowering plants upon which bees depend for food. I argue that, in practice, these challenges involved relational entanglements of farmers and other 'more-than-human' actors (Whatmore 2006) in what I refer to as a dynamic social-ecology (Ingold 2000; Berkes & Jolly 2001; Ommer et al. 2012). I argue that pollination and honey were co-produced by meshworks of more-than-human actors (Ingold 2011; Cohen 2013) and that knowledges were grounded in farmer's physical bodies and performed through practical skills. Farmers embodied multiple roles (such as farmer-businessman and farmer-researcher) and were able to move fluidly between different assemblages of skilled practices and ways of knowing in their engagements with plants, bees and other people (Turnbull 2000; Mol 2002). These insights are used to interrogate dualistic framings of inter-species relationality as well as to critically develop a relational understanding of environmental knowledge practices.

The purpose of the study was to examine the cultural ecosystem service and the community perceptions of the Diep River Corridor that connects the Table Mountain National Park, Little Princess Vlei, Zandvlei Estuary, and finally feeds to the sea of the Atlantic Ocean. Constructed interview questions were used to assess the cultural ecosystem activities occurring along the Diep River corridor. The intention of assessing the cultural ecosystem services was to examine the importance of the corridor for the local communities. The corridor was historically important for various activities such as water for human and livestock drinking purposes, agricultural activities, and irrigation of gardens and to a power water mill. The increased number of people relocating and using the Diep River corridor resulted in degradation and transformation of the river. The study thereof acknowledges people as the major cause of transformation of the Diep River corridor. Literature revealed a lot of studies that have been about water quality, vegetation cover and positions people as the cause of environmental crisis such as pollution. This study thereof saw the need to assess the perceptions of people towards their natural environment and see if this could be used to argue for the importance of this green amenity. Overall, the assessment of community members' perceptions regarding the importance of the river corridor as an available green space was a challenge as individuals had a number of different views. Cultural ecosystem services associated with the Diep River corridor are numerous and variably experienced and enjoyed by the different communities along the river corridor. The outcome of the study revealed different levels of importance and various uses of the corridor by individual and group participants. Important community activities included walking, relaxing, enjoying the peaceful environment, experiencing the beauty of nature, spending time alone or with loved ones, having picnics, sports and kayaking/ boating. The study recognizes that improved management of Diep River corridor for these recreational activities is important and efforts must be made to meet the diverse interest of local community members and residents. The findings will hopefully result in community needs being taken into increased consideration for future recreational management around the Diep River corridor.

Climate change is projected to impact the hydrological cycle and have a negative effect on water supply. In South Africa, water to the end user is supplied by local municipalities, and thus municipalities are likely to benefit from adapting to these climate impacts. This research aims to understand the views and behaviours of local municipal actors towards water management and climate change, and how these views and behaviours influence the resilience of their water supply system in the face of climate change. A secondary aim of the thesis was to determine if the advice networks, where the actors receive the bulk of their information from, influenced the actor’s views and behaviours around water management, climate change, and adaptation, using a social network approach. The study area focused on five local municipalities in the West Coast District of South Africa. This research made use of a mixed methods approach, utilising both qualitative and quantitative data, obtained using semi-structured interviews with a structured component. Qualitative data were used to collect water management-related views and behaviours of municipal actors, whilst quantitative data were collected to determine social network characteristics. The views and behaviours on water demand and supply management of the actors interviewed tended to differ. Actors’ views on ideal water management approaches were more concerned with the long-term sustainability of water resources through raising awareness and managing existing infrastructure better. Actor’s preferred behaviours however focused on immediate relief to water shortages, by augmenting existing supply and enforcing restrictions. These findings imply that actors respond reactively to drought, and not proactively. In terms of climate change, actors showed a clear understanding of climate change and its risks to water management. Actors understood how climate change adaptation could be used to make their municipalities’ water supply more resilient, by utilising sustainable sources of water or through ecosystem-based adaptation, however it was found that municipal plans and behaviours did not generally reflect these views. Social network characteristics such as strengths of ties, and the existence of multiplex ties, did not appear to influence the sharing of behaviours or views between the actor and their given advice network. It was thus theorised that institutional lock-in and hierarchical governance might play a larger role in influencing views and behaviours than the actors’ social networks. The reactive responses by actors to issues of water demand or supply can lead to poor resilience in the face of climate change, where cases of drought and water shortages may become more frequent. Whilst municipal actors are aware of these changing conditions and risks, the limitations placed on them by governance structures and lock-in impact their ability to be proactive. More work needs to be done to ensure sustainable and resilient water management interventions are implemented at the local municipal level. Additionally, lockin, both institutional and technological, could usefully be challenged to allow for innovative ideas to enter the realm of water management at the local municipal level.

Bibliography: leaves 124-128. / The current mono-crop farming practices in the Namibian resettlement farms . there were visited are unsustainable due to soil nutrient, structure and eventually texture destruction. Furthermore, the aridity of Namibia makes crop and livestock farming difficult. Permanent agriculture (permaculture) is a way of living sustainably in the environment and it is proposed as an alternative farming method for the mostly poor and illiterate settlers on resettlement farms. It emphasises self-reliance on basic needs and the creation of artificial ecosystems from which nutrition and infrastructure can be attained in a sustainable manner without exploiting or polluting the environment. Permaculture is not an instant solution but, a long-term sustainable alternative to current agricultural practices in semi-arid and arid areas of Namibia.

Includes bibliographies. / Land degradation has been recognised as a major economic, social and environmental problem, with more severity in arid and semi-arid regions of Africa. Throughout the dryland regions of Africa natural resources are deteriorating at an accelerating pace. This ecological degradation is caused by overexploitation of resources, and severely undermines Africa's economic future which is largely dependent on agriculture. Amongst the main factors contributing to land degradation in drylands are human actions that ignore the resilience limits of drylands. The ecology of drylands requires land uses that allow flexibility and mobility rather than imposing stability. During the last century, technology and cultural changes have altered the pattern of exploitation of arid and semi-arid areas. Most often the changes are driven by economic needs or national governments policies. Governments tend to make decisions, even if well intended, without prior assessments of the environmental suitability of the intended sites. In most dryland regions the tendency has been towards development of permanent settlements in under-utilised areas leading to increases in population densities beyond the areas' ecological capacity. The result has been overutilisation of natural resources particularly around available water points. This has in turn led to accelerated ecological and cultural decline, and has enhanced the process of land degradation. This dissertation provides a theoretical framework of ecological characteristics and the socio-economic adaptations of dryland environments. The factors contributing to land degradation in arid and semi-arid lands are examined. Examples are drawn from a resettlement programme and the subsequent provision of boreholes in a semi-arid area in Gam, Namibia. The dissertation specifically seeks to examine the Government of Namibia's political decision on a resettlement programme in Gam and evaluate the impacts of resettlement on ecological and socio-economic variables in Gam.