The primary aim of this research was to examine the processes involved in the implementation of land reform policies in South Africa with specific reference to the Nkaseni Land Restitution Claim in the Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal. The objective was to conduct an in-depth diagnostic study with a view to understanding the nature of the challenges, and to propose interventions that could improve land reform processes and the functioning of communal projects in the country. The hypothesis of this research was that the South African government's attempts at land reform have thus far failed to live up to expectations. Part of this research aimed to investigate this hypothesis using the Nkaseni Communal Project as a case study. A number of issues were identified as findings in this research and this report aims to present these issues. Through this study, the pillars of the land reform programme in South Africa were discussed as tenure reform, restitution and redistribution. While mention of the other land reform programmes was made, emphasis was placed mainly on the restitution policy which is the focus of this research. In this research, the experience of land reform in Less-Developed Countries such as Brazil, Kenya, Tanzania and China, has been reviewed. A lesson learnt from developing countries is that tensions and potential conflicts can hinder the process of land reform. It was also established that land reform is time-consuming, expensive and difficult. Some of the issues identified fall outside the mandate of the Department of Land Affairs, which recommends a clear framework for effective role-player participation with other government departments and other relevant stakeholders. A clear policy is needed on post-transfer support for land reform communal projects. This includes clarifying the specific roles, functions and powers of the different stakeholders. This study was also able to provide some evidence that there are numerous challenges that are being experienced by communal-managed projects that have been set up within the KZN Province. A number of the challenges emanate from poorly-drafted Constitutions of the Communal Property Institution as well as poor implementation of projects. The study was able to illustrate that land title can be transferred to the Communal Property Institutions, but that does not translate into the realization of secure individual rights of members of the institution. It was also noted that failure to address issues relating to individual rights allocation can be one of the major sources of conflict within Communal Projects. The research findings revealed that there was very little focus on empowering beneficiaries of communal projects to manage their newlyacquired resources once transfer of land had taken place. Also noted is that there was a lack of understanding of the Trust (as an institution) by some of the Trust members. Lack of co-operative governance was raised as a key issue hindering support from other stakeholders. The study revealed that there was a lack of systems or processes of dealing with multiple interests of Trust members. There was poor representation of women within decision-making structures. Lack of skills transfer to land reform beneficiaries is another contributing factor to the many challenges that are faced by the Communal Property Institutions. Beneficiary training and capacity building are key recommendations in the findings. From the start of the land reform programme, it was recognized that, given South Africa’s Agricultural history, transferring skills to beneficiaries was to be one of the key challenges and determinants of the land reform programme’s success. In the light of this study, a more integrated method of skills transfer at the community level would have many advantages, as it would help alleviate a number of the challenges currently experienced by the land reform projects. Lastly, the study also indicated that land reform beneficiaries were rarely experienced in making independent decisions. It is clear from this research that there is no blueprint approach to land reform, as each project should be designed for the particular conditions to be effective. The important aspects of both individual and communal tenure should be properly understood when reform initiative attempts to change social relations in rural areas are undertaken. There must be flexibility in policies regarding farm size, while support must also be given to proper training and extension aimed at increasing the individual farmer's managerial ability. / Thesis (MPA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

During the past two centuries, land cover has been changing at an alarming rate in space and time and it is humans who have emerged as the dominant driver of change in the environment, resulting in changes of extraordinary magnitudes. Most of these changes occur due to demands placed on the land by the ever-increasing human population and their need for more land for both settlement and food production. Many researchers underscore the importance of recognizing and studying past land-use and land cover changes as the legacies of these changes continue to play a major role in ecosystem structure and function. The objectives of this study were to determine the extent of land cover changes between 1992 and 2008 in the study areas, Esikhawini and Dube located in the uMhlathuze municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, and to both predict and address the implications of the extent of future changes likely to occur in the area by 2016. Three Landsat satellite images of the study area were acquired for the years, 1992, 2000 and 2008. These images were classified into nine classes representing the dominant land covers in the area. An image differencing change detection method was used to determine the extent of the changes which took place during the specified period. Thereafter, a Markov chain model was used to determine the likely distribution of the land cover classes by 2016. The results revealed that aside from Waterbodies and Settlements, the rest of the classes exhibited a great degree of change between 1992 and 2008, having class change values greater than 50%. With regards to the predicted change in the land cover classes, the future land cover change pattern appears to be similar to that observed between 1992 and 2008. The Settlements class will most likely emerge as the dominant land cover in the study area as many of the other classes are increasingly being replaced by this particular class. The overall accuracy of the classification method employed for this study was 79.58% and the results have provided a good overview of the location and extent of land cover changes in the area. It is therefore plausible to conclude that these techniques could be used at both local and regional scales to better inform land management practices and policies. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2012.

This dissertation examines the various forms of informal settlements in evidence in the Greater Edendale Area, and extracts the design criteria for the development of an appropriatc land records system to manage these informal settlements and their upgrading processes. It is shown that the various setllement patterns in existence ill the Greater Edcndale Area (GEA) reflect the apartheid history of South Africa and the policies of the previous governments. All exhibit certain aspects of informality, and therefore exist at various points on a continuum of formality-informality. Certain settlement patterns, such as the properties within formal townships developed by the former Department of Development Aid, possess many formal aspects and relatively fewer informalities, whereas others, for example the conventional informal settlements on State owned land, are informal in almost every respect. It is shown that the government's policies require informal aspects of settlements relating to land tenure and services should be upgraded, and that the responsibility for such upgrading has been delegated to the local government level. I will show that this upgrading of informal settlements can be broken down into four major processes which make up the overall upgrading process. These are land delivery, land tenure reform, provision of services, and cost recovery. It is argued that to effectivcly deal with these upgrading responsibilities, the local government structure. in this case the Pietermaritzburg-Msunduzi Transitional Local Council , should develop and maintain a land records system at the local level, with community participation to ensure sustainability. The design requirements for such a system are identified throughout the chapters, and are drawn together in the final chapter as a set of design criteria for the land records system. These design criteria call be represented by five main themes: firstly, that the land records system should be based on the design of the multipurpose cadastre; secondly, that in addition, it should accommodate non- parcel-based tenures; thirdly, that it should incorporate temporal GIS technology; fourthly, that it should be easily accessible to the community; and finally, that it should incorporate the users' needs and should be extremely user-friendly. / Thesis (M.Sc.Sur)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Using a Geographic Information System (GIS), locational analysis was performed for prehistoric sites recorded during a 1985 surface survey conducted in Henry County, Indiana. Two sensitivity models were developed to identify areas more likely to contain substantial archaeological resources. Both models were based on environmental data derived largely from soil survey information. An intuitive model was created and "blindly" applied to the study area. This model did not interpret the distribution of sites very well. During development of an alternative model, the 1985 survey data was more thoroughly investigated. Site locations were found to be correlated with Soil Conservation Service drainage categories. In upland areas, sites with ten or more artifacts clustered around pockets of very poorly drained Millgrove loam soils. In lowland areas, sites with ten or more artifacts exhibited a preference for well drained soils. Before and during analysis, the integrity of source data was investigated. A United States Geological Survey 7.5-minute digital elevation model was found to be unsuitable for analysis within the study area. Mapping errors were discovered within the 1985 survey data. Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, which can increase the spatial integrity of survey data, was demonstrated and used to register and adjust source data. A mapping-grade GPS base station was established at Ball State University. / Department of Anthropology

The Upper Wabash Drainage over the last few years has become an area which has provided archaeologists with vital data concerning prehistoric settlement patterns. One time period which has not been well represented is the Archaic Period. Many questions have been unanswered about Archaic settlement patterns within the region. This study examines data from archaeological survey and presents a model for both Early and Late Archaic settlement within the Upper Wabash drainage. The information generated by this analysis will provide a better understanding of the Archaic period within this region. The study will also prove to be useful as a reference for future research as well as an important mechanism for resource management. / Department of Anthropology

Bibliography: leaves 457-486. / xxii, 486 leaves : ill., maps ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geography, 1996

No description available.

No description available.

The restoration of livelihoods in the event of involuntary resettlement is commonly based on providing compensation to those who are displaced. The outcomes of these resettlements have been well documented around the world and provide a serial of recurring horror stories. For this reason, it is proposed that a new foundation for conducting involuntary resettlement is needed. Academics profess that by conducting resettlement as a development project in its own right, the performance of resettlements can be improved and the benefits will accrue to the local population. This concept is called Resettlement with Development (RwD). To this end, China was the first country to include RwD in its National policies on involuntary resettlement. However, it was not until the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River that the policy was translated into practice. / This research is an attempt to determine whether RwD is a suitable model for livelihood restoration and improvement. In exploring the primary research aim, a year was spent in the resettlement region of the Three Gorges Dam, visiting resettlers and undertaking questionnaires, interviews and policy analysis. Two counties in Hubei province were chosen for comparison - Badong county and Zigui county. The application of RwD in these two locales was variable, with an uneven level of development intervention. The investment environment and county policy of Zigui attracted a greater degree of investment and related development than that of Badong. The capacity of these development initiatives to generate sustainable livelihood outcomes for the resettlers was central to this research. / Through questionnaires, interviews and policy analysis, this research finds that although the RwD methods are applied more intensely in Zigui they do not necessarily translate into better outcomes for the resettlers at this locale. The data suggests that: (i) there is no difference in the degree of relative poverty in Zigui and Badong; (ii) Zigui is experiencing more relative poverty than Badong; (iii) there is no difference in vulnerability and resilience; (iv) the natural resource base is comparable in both counties; and (v) Badong and Zigui are both at risk of food insecurity. However, whilst the majority of households in all sites at Badong are experiencing declining incomes, there is no significant decline in incomes at Zigui. Although employment levels have declined at both Badong and Zigui, the decline is not so severe at Zigui. Finally, infrastructure in Zigui has improved in comparison to Badong after resettlement. Hence, although the RwD initiatives have not dramatically improved the situation for resettlers in Zigui, they have lessened the impoverishment effects that are synonymous with involuntary resettlement. Moreover, further analysis suggests that the outcomes seen in the TGP resettlement are not a consequence of the inadequacy of the RwD model. Instead, the RwD model is found to be only partially applied in the TGRA. Future attempts at RwD must endeavour to apply the RwD model more completely.

Thesis (L.L.M. (Law)) - Rhodes University, 2008