An under-reported consequence of the democratic transition is the impact on land management (LM) within communal areas of South Africa (SA).Yet land is an essential natural resource, both for the survival and prosperity of humanity, and for the maintenance of all terrestrial ecosystems (FAO&UNEP,1997.)This study focuses on land management in the Wild Coast with special reference to indigenous people in Coffee Bay.Using the concept of the land management paradigm, the study adopts an intensive research design for the analysis and interpretation of data.The study aims to examine how land as a 'resource'is managed by the local indigenous people with special reference to wether it is moving towards or away from sustainability.The study discusses LM in the rural-built up environment with emphasis on land based activities, land tenure, gender issues,indigenous knowledge systems, changes in land use and degradation.The study looks at the indigenous people's participation in the new LM policy formation as predetermined by the grand scheme of democratization and decentralization.It highlights that indigenous knowledge systems are at the centre in rural sustainable LM, and equity in land issues forms another breakthrough for communal tenure system in the new SA.Indigenous people's views in policy formulation are not necessarily matched with national policy objectives due to poor public consultation.In general, the study provides an understanding of how indigenous people grapple with new policy changes in LM, to ensure sustainable land management in the rural South Africa

The study explored and investigated demand and struggles for land in the communal areas of South Africa with particular reference to Luphaphasi in the former Xhalanga magisterial district, in the Eastern Cape. The study argued that despite arguments about proletarianisation and conversion of rural land users into wage laborers, leading to assumptions that there was less interest in land use by rural people, there is and has always been demand and struggles for land in communal areas such as Xhalanga.

The study explored and investigated demand and struggles for land in the communal areas of South Africa with particular reference to Luphaphasi in the former Xhalanga magisterial district, in the Eastern Cape. The study argued that despite arguments about proletarianisation and conversion of rural land users into wage laborers, leading to assumptions that there was less interest in land use by rural people, there is and has always been demand and struggles for land in communal areas such as Xhalanga.

The purpose of this research was to determine if the integration of census and land cover data could provide evidence of spatial patterns and temporal change for the Upper Tsitsa Catchment. This thesis contributed to academic literature with regards to dasymetric mapping and provided a database for the Ntabelanga and Laleni Ecological Infrastructure Project. The study took place in the Upper Tsitsa Catchment which is located in the north-eastern region of the Eastern Cape and falls within the uMzimvubu Catchment. South Africa National Population Censuses for 2001 and 2011 and the National Land Cover data sets for 2000 and 2013/14 were used to create dasymetric maps depicting demographic changes over time for the catchment area. Spatial statistics were performed on the dasymetric and choropleth map to determine the accuracy of the data that was created. From the results, it was found that although the statistics were skewed, the method was more accurate in displaying the population densities, which was noted during the sampling process of the spatial analysis. It was found that there had been a decrease in the population density within the catchment. This affected the density of several other variables such as population race group, language and employment status statistics as decreases in these values could be due to individuals migrating out of the catchment as well as socio-economic upliftment, such as having better access to services. The use of dasymetric mapping allowed an accurate representation of the population density from the census data to be created. The results of the dasymetric mapping were more accurate as they depicted where the population within the enumeration areas were located, and recognised that some areas were populated while some areas were not. To conclude, it was found that using dasymetric mapping provided reliable and useful data about population density and enables comparison over time.

Land degradation is a serious problem in communal district of Alfred Nzo, Eastern Cape in South Africa. The root causes of land degradation and soil erosion differ. The causes of land degradation in Alfred Nzo district communal areas are due to soil erosion by wind, water and poor agricultural practices. Rainfall is one of the most important climatic factor that contributed a lot in land degradation in the Alfred Nzo District. Other main factors contributing to land degradation include: Socio-economic factors related to historical land policies and inappropriate land uses, Poor land use planning, Drought and rainfall variability .Land use and management and sand mining. This study tried to pay more focus on the assessment of government policies which aimed at combating land degradation in South Africa in their nature but the area of focus will be Ntabankulu Local Municipality area in the project called Ematolweni Agricultural Co-operative Project. The reason to focus in this project is because they are currently practising crop production under electrified irrigation system but the main obstacle in this project are the dongas which are seemed to be a serious threat to the project site. During rainy seasons the project site is not easily accessible, that hampers access to market. There is also direct and serious effect of land degradation which is food insecurity which is emanating from loss of biodiversity and ground cover, loss of soil productivity, loss of income, decreased yield, and decline in economic productivity and national development. Lastly it is wisely recommended that to reduce the effect of land degradation in Alfred Nzo enlarge, government should strengthen the intervention programmes and provide more support to the LandCare programme which was the concept introduced in Australian and adopted in South Africa in 2001. This programme is assisting at restoring sustainability and productivity to land and water management in both rural and urban areas. It is holistic in nature, encompassing integrated sustainable natural resource management.

Land degradation in most communal parts of the Keiskamma catchment has reached alarming proportions. The Keiskamma catchment is particularly predisposed to severe land degradation associated with soil erosion, thicket degradation and deteriorating riparian vegetation. There is a close coupling between land use/cover dynamics and degradation trends witnessed in the catchment. Soil erosion is prevalent in most of the communal areas in the catchment. The principal aim of this study was to investigate land use/cover trends, model the spatial patterns of soil loss and predict future land use/cover scenarios as a means of assessing land degradation in the Keiskamma catchment. Multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery from 1972 to 2006 was used for land use/cover change analyses using object-oriented post-classification comparison. Fragmentation analysis was performed by computing and analyzing landscape metrics in the riparian and adjacent hillslope areas to determine the land cover structural changes that have occurred since 1972. The landscape function analysis was used to validate the current rangeland conditions in the communal areas and the former commercial farms. The current condition of the riparian zones and proximal hillslopes was assessed using the Rapid Appraisal of Riparian Condition and future land use/cover scenarios were simulated using the Markovcellular automata model. Spatial patterns of soil loss in the Keiskamma catchment were determined using the Sediment Assessment Tool for Effective Erosion Control (SATEEC), which is a GIS based RUSLE model that integrates sediment delivery ratios. Object oriented classification was used to map soil erosion surfaces and valley infill in ephemeral stream channels as a means of demonstrating the major sediment transfer processes operating in the Keiskamma catchment. The Mahalanobis distance method was used to compute the topographic thresholds for gully erosion. To understand the effect of soil characteristics in severe forms of erosion, laboratory analyses were undertaken to determine the physico-chemical soil properties. iv The temporal land use/cover analysis done using the post-classification change detection indicated that intact vegetation has undergone a significant decline from 1972 to 2006. The temporal changes within the intermediate years are characterized by cyclic transitions of decline and recovery of intact vegetation. An overall decline in intact vegetation cover, an increase in degraded vegetation and bare eroded soil was noted. Fragmentation analyses done in the communal villages of the central Keiskamma catchment indicated increasing vegetation fragmentation manifested by an increase in smaller and less connected vegetation patches, and a subsequent increase of bare and degraded soil patches which are much bigger and more connected. The Landscape Organisation Index revealed very low vegetation connectivity in the communal rangelands that have weak local traditional institutions. Fragmentation analyses in the riparian and proximal hillslopes revealed evidence of increasing vegetation fragmentation from 1972 to 2006. The Markov Cellular Automata simulation predicted a decline in intact vegetation and an increase in bare and degraded soil in 2019. The Keiskamma catchment was noted as experiencing high rates of soil loss that are above provincial and national averages. The classification of erosion features and valley infill showcased the vegetation enrichment in the ephemeral streams which is occurring at the expense of high soil losses from severe gully erosion on the hillslopes. This in turn has led to an inversion of grazing patterns within the catchment, such that grazing is now concentrated within the ephemeral stream channels. Soil chemical analyses revealed a high sodium content and low soluble salt concentration, which promote soil dispersion, piping and gully erosion. The presence of high amounts of illite-smectite in the catchment also accounts for the highly dispersive nature of the soil even at low SAR values. Significant amounts of swelling 2:1 silicate clays such as smectites cause cracking and contribute to the development of piping and gullying in the catchment. Given the worsening degradation trends in the communal areas, a systematic re-allocation of state land in sections of the catchment that belonged to the former commercial farms is recommended to alleviate anthropogenic pressure. Strengthening local institutions that effectively monitor and manage natural resources will be required in order to maintain v optimum flow regimes in rivers and curb thicket degradation. Measures to curb environmental degradation in the Keiskamma catchment should encompass suitable ecological interventions that are sensitive to the socio-economic challenges facing the people in communal areas.

The study presented here describes an attempt to bridge the gap between systematic conservation assessment and decision-making for land-use planning in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. The aim was to investigate how to effectively convince officials concerned with land use planning processes in the local municipal sphere to include conservation priorities meaningfully in their processes. The approach used to reach this aim was social marketing, the use of marketing technologies and concepts to effect behavior changes to further societal good. So far social marketing is not commonly used in the conservation domain; I therefore aimed also at proving the usefulness of this approach for conservation. Following the introduction which provides background to the project and a more detailed summary, Chapter 2 provides a detailed and comprehensive review of the considerations and concepts regarding the use of social marketing in a context geared at protecting nature. The research on the primary target group for this study, officials concerned with land use planning processes in the local municipal sphere is described in Chapter 3. The main outcomes were that land use planners perceive few needs with regards to implementing the incorporation of biodiversity conservation issues in the land use planning process, and that the deficiencies in the land use planning process per se, as well as the lack of recognition in the political sphere (the domain of elected councilors), represent the core barriers to adopting the conservation priorities. I conclude that to effect behavior change towards adoption of conservation priorities the land use planning processes need to be supported and the political sphere need to be included in the behavior change process. 6 Chapter 4 therefore focuses on the new target group that emerged as essential in the previous chapter, locally elected councilors. I found that councilors do actually consider land use planning procedures as being important, but also as being dysfunctional. Councilors do value their natural environment for themselves as well as for its tourism value, but most councilors had little understanding of what the term “biodiversity” means and did not connect the term “sustainability” with the natural environment. It became also evident, that councilors do not see conservation in a predominantly positive manner. Chapter 5 therefore yields insight on councilor’s perception that environmental protection and development are mutually exclusive, and the negative frames attached to the conservation endeavor as being socially unjust, disrespectful and utopian. In Chapter 6 I investigated the usefulness of a tractable and well established measure of environmental attitudes or beliefs. I assessed my target audience’s responses to the New Ecological Paradigm scale and the Inclusion of Nature in Self scale. I conclude in Chapter 7 with an account of the difficulties I encountered during the project, an assessment of my project from a social marketing perspective, components of my project that did not yield the results expected, and a proposal for future research.

Property development (PD) is basically driven by the need or demand from the people. Sustainable property development has emerged in response to a global problem – and the need to maintain environmental integrity, according to Gurry (2011) cited by Botha (2013: 7). Keeping and Shiers (2004) state that property development, as a whole, has to balance social, economic and environmental needs. Emanating from the above, any successful development project must offer investors security, infrastructure and efficiency and should also put the needs of citizens at the forefront of all its planning activities. Availability of land, existing infrastructure, availability of finance, economic conditions, political influence and corruption always influence growth of property development in any area. This study aims to identify factors that contribute to lack of property development in Mthatha. Data collected shows that the challenges sometimes lead to failure and delays of the development. The purpose of this study is to identify these challenges, investigate the available literature, consider what has been done so far to address these challenges and make recommendations. It is essential to understand the state of the town and perceptions of the people in the area dealing with Property Development. Mthatha is the main focus of the study because of the perceived number of failed and delayed property development initiatives. The primary and secondary data collected provide the basis for understanding challenges that lead to such failures and delays. This research was conducted by means of a review of the related literature and an empirical study. The empirical study was conducted using a quantitative statistical approach by distributing research questionnaires to members falling within the sample population. The primary objective of the study is to develop a framework for successful implementation of property developments in Mthatha. The study’s findings reveal shortcomings which contribute to the study’s identified problems relating to property development in Mthatha, namely: decaying infrastructure, shortage of land, implementation of the IDP, availability of finance to promote real estate developments, political influence and corruption. Wikipedia defines Property Development as a “multifaceted business encompassing activities that range from the renovations and release of existing buildings to the purchase of land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others”. Harvey and Jowsey (2004), as cited by Botha (2013: 5), define Property Development as a process that involves changing or intensifying the use of land to produce buildings for occupation.

A history of land degradation is reconstructed in a part of the dividing ridge between the Great Fish and Keiskamma rivers, in Peddie District, former Ciskei. The study entails a comparative investigation of the progressive changes in land use, vegetation and soil erosion in three tenure units, namely: former commercial farms, traditional and betterment villages. Analysis of the sequential aerial photography of the area for 1938,1954, 1965, 1975 and 1988 is employed. This is backed by groundtruthing exercises. Data thus obtained are quantified, and linkages between degradation, anthropogenic and physical factors are derived using PC ARC/INFO GIS. Differences in land tenure systems emerge as the main controlling factor to variations in land degradation. Confinement of vegetation diminution and erosion to traditional and betterment villages is observed at all dates. Scantily vegetated surfaces and riparian vegetation removal are a characteristic feature of both areas throughout the study period. 'Betterment,' introduced in the early 1960s to curb land degradation is, instead observed to exacerbate it, particularly soil erosion. Trends in land use change are characterised by the abandonment of cultivated land, which is noted to coincide with a sharp rise in population. Erosion intensification into severe forms particularly between 1965 and 1975, coincident with a period of extreme rainfall events, emerges as the most significant degradation trend. A close spatial correlation between abandoned cultivated land and intricate gullies is identified. So is the case between grazing land and severe sheet erosion. Within the grazing lands, an examination of erosion and categories of vegetated surfaces reveals that erosion occurs predominantly on the scanty vegetation category. Such erosion-vegetation interaction largely explains the non-recovery of the scanty vegetation category, even during periods of intense rainfall. Extensive channel degradation is evident along stream courses with scanty riparian vegetation. Physical factors are noted to have a significant bearing on erosion. The high prevalence of erosion on the Ecca group of rocks confirms its erosion-prone nature. Pockets of colluvium and alluvium accumulation in the steep bottomlands are identified as the sites of the most severe gully erosion. Field surveys at some of the sites indicate that a dolerite sill through the area forms a boundary of colluvium accumulation and the upslope limit to gully incision. That these sites are recognised as formerly cultivated land, portrays the interaction between physical and anthropogenic variables with regard to inducing degradation in the area.

Vegetation stress as a form of degradation is a widespread problem in many catchments in the Eastern Cape province. The Keiskamma is one of the catchments where considerable parts of the thicket biome are stressed. This necessitates an assessment of the status of the thicket biome by way of detecting vegetation stress in the area. The underpinnings of vegetation stress are investigated in this study. As a basic method to evaluate the thicket condition, remotely sensed data were acquired. High resolution ASTER imagery for the Keiskamma area at two different dates (2001 and 2005) was used to compute SVI and NDVI as indicators of vegetation stress conditions. A Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was used to derive slope angle and aspect. By way of digitizing from ortho-photo maps, various land-use types were mapped using Arc View GIS. The relationship between land use, terrain, soil erosion and vegetation stress was established. Field based techniques comprising stomatal conductance measurements were used and compared to remotely sensed data. The SVI and NDVI resultant images expressed similarities in areas depicting vegetation stress conditions at both epochs. A strong linear regression between NDVI and stomatal conductance measurements (mmol/m²) serve to confirm that the NDVI is a reliable indicator of vegetation stress condition. Slope angle and aspect were found to have a significant influence on vegetation stress conditions. Similarly variations in soil moisture and soil surface condition have strong implications for vegetation stress. Amongst other land-use types, abandoned lands were found to have the lowest NDVI values implying an association with the worst vegetation stress scenarios. It was concluded that an element of persistent stress conditions exists amongst the thicket vegetation of the Keiskamma catchment. This was mainly due to land use activities in the area.