The purpose of this research is to study how journalists in two Caribbean countries, Dominica and Saint Lucia, see their profession in a developing country where freedom of the press is high but where restrictions also occur. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews we will ask thirteen local journalists in the aforementioned countries what they think about journalistic values and ask for their thoughts on the journalists´ role and responsibility in society. We will also ask them about what limitations there might be to accomplish these ideals. Since every country differs from another, our study will lean on normative theories, and the study will be based on Hallin and Mancini's work Comparing media systems (2004) and their three models of media. According to the respondents in Saint Lucia and Dominica, the main role for the journalists is to report accurate, balanced and fair stories to the audience so that they can make informed decisions in their everyday life. However, the respondents in both countries face challenges in fulfilling these ideals where in Dominica the main challenge is access to information that prevents the press to work on a free basis. In Saint Lucia the respondents state that main obstacles are the “red tape”, i.e., the problematic bureaucratic procedure, that journalists have to deal with when trying to get information, and also threats such as lawsuits and pulled advertisement - something that prevents them from producing free and independent journalism. / <p>Detta är en Minor Field Study finansierad uppsats. </p>

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This study investigated the response of the macrophytes in St Lucia Estuary, northern KwaZulu-Natal to drought. The present distribution of vegetation (2010 / 2011) was mapped and changes over time recorded from past aerial photographs. The changes in macrophyte cover in response to environmental factors (sediment and groundwater characteristics) was measured along four transects in 2010 and compared with results from previous years, in 2005 and 2006. In the current study, 1960 images were digitized to illustrate macrophyte distribution and cover of the Narrows, Makakatana and the Eastern Shores during a low rainfall period which started in 1958. The 2001 images were digitized to illustrate vegetation distribution and cover of the same area prior to the current drought which started in June/ July 2002. The 2008 images were digitized to illustrate vegetation distribution and cover of estuarine vegetation within the floodplain during the drought (after 6 years). The sites were visited in June 2011 for verification of the distribution and boundaries of each macrophyte habitat. The area covered by the water column varied over time. In 1960 during a low rainfall period the water was 32705 ha, 33320 ha in 2001 and reduced to 30443 ha in 2008. The area cover of inundated and dry reeds fluctuated with the water level. Under high water levels, low-lying areas such as Fanies Island and Selley‟s Lake were flooded and under low water levels, intertidal sand and mudflats were exposed and colonised by succulent salt marsh (Sarcocornia spp. and Salicornia meyeriana). Similar conditions were observed at Makakatana. Mangroves were observed from the mouth to the Forks. Avicennia marina was the dominant mangrove species and primary colonizer of dredge spoil. The area cover of mangroves in the vicinity of the mouth fluctuated as a result of fluctuating water levels, dredging operations, excavation of the Back Channel and Cyclone Gamede which killed intertidal vegetation. Between 2001 and 2008, mangrove expansion was faster in the Mfolozi Swamps area (± 1.4 ha yr -1) compared to the Narrows (± 0.4 ha yr -1). Long term monitoring transects were set up in 2005, at Makakatana, Charters Creek, Catalina Bay and at Listers Point to document changes in sediment conditions and vegetation cover. These were sampled in July 2005, October 2005, February 2006 and May 2010. Silt was the dominant particle size at Catalina Bay, Charters Creek and Makakatana. At Makakatana, average ground water salinity was 17.2 ± 6.6 ppt, 4.1± 4.9 ppt at Catalina Bay and 32.9 ± 19.3 ppt at Charters Creek. Drought resulted in the accumulation of salt on the surface sediment layer at Listers Point and Charters Creek due to low rainfall. Listers Point, the site with the lowest freshwater input and habitat diversity had the lowest macrophyte species richness with only three species. The dominant species at this site were Sporobolus virginicus and Chenopodium album L. which are highly salt tolerant species. Catalina Bay had the highest species richness (18 to 27); as a result of freshwater input via groundwater seepage from the sand dune aquifers on the Eastern Shores. Along the Eastern Shores, vegetation was dominated by species of Cyperaceae, Juncaceae and Juncaginaceae. Fluctuations in groundwater depth were observed at all sites, Listers Point groundwater depth in February 2006 was 80 cm and the ground water level was not reached during the May 2010 field trip. During the May 2010 field trip, the water column salinity of the St Lucia system was highly variable, Makakatana had the lowest water column salinity of 7.1 ppt, 42.1 ppt at Catalina Bay, 44 ppt at Charters Creek and Listers Point had the highest water column salinity of 95 ppt. An assessment of the changes in macrophyte cover along the transects showed that cover fluctuated in response to rainfall, water level and drought. At Listers Point, there was a continuous decline in the abundance of Sporobolus virginicus over time which was sparsely distributed in the first 40 m of the transect. Sarcocornia natalensis, a succulent and obligate halophyte, was recorded, in areas with high sediment conductivity. In May 2010, bare ground increased to an average percentage cover of 96.5% and was covered with dead organic matter and a salt crust at Listers Point. At Makakatana, there was a significant decrease in bare ground from July 2005 to May 2010 (H = 24.58, N = 197, p<0.001) as bare areas were colonized by salt marsh. Multivariate analysis showed that the abundance of Sporobolus virginicus was positively influenced by sediment moisture content and Paspalum vaginatum abundance was strongly influenced by the water column salinity. At Catalina Bay, low sediment conductivity at the groundwater seepage area resulted in terrestrial vegetation encroaching on estuarine vegetation. Sarcocornia natalensis became more abundant towards the water column. During the period of study, species richness at St Lucia ranged from 2 (Listers Point, May 2010) to 27 (Catalina Bay, February 2006). Salinity and water level fluctuation have a significant impact on the distribution of macrophytes at St Lucia during the drought. In saline areas salt marsh plants have colonized exposed shorelines and along the Eastern Shores groundwater seepage has increased macrophyte species richness. Low water levels have resulted in the exposure and desiccation of submerged macrophytes, which are replaced by macroalgae.

Wind induced turbidity within shallow lakes can greatly affect the biological functioning of a system in either a positive or negative manner. This research aims to understand and model the physical processes that cause sediment re-suspension. Lake St Lucia on the east coast of South Africa, a UNESCO World heritage site was used as a case study. Lake St. Lucia is a shallow water system which commonly experiences high levels of turbidity. Coupled with the naturally shallow depth of the lake, it is currently drought stricken, resulting in abnormally low water levels. A simple model has been developed which accounts for sediment re-suspension due to wind-driven waves and their associated bed shear stresses. The wave heights within a shallow lake such as St Lucia are controlled either by the fetch (for a large water depth), or the water depth (for a large fetch). When the wind is strong enough, the wind-driven turbulent mixing causes the water column to become fully mixed. When the wave-driven boundary layer becomes turbulent, sediment, being entrained within the water column increases significantly. The model also accounts for the effects of temporal consolidation on the re-suspension of sediments by setting a time scale for the erosion processes. It was found that the median of the monthly turbidity levels over the past ten years exceeded the average turbidity levels over the past 92 years. In all cases it was shown that mouth linkage with the uMfolozi resulted in lower turbidity levels than without any linkage due to the higher average water levels. The model was then developed to predict the spatial variation in turbidity within the Southern Lake. This was achieved through the use of existing bathymetric data for the Lake. This spatial model was then used to show how the turbidity varied for different wind and water depth conditions. Two conditions were considered, a NE and SW wind blowing at 8m/s for water levels of 0 EMSL and -0.5 EMSL. The spatial model showed that a decrease in water level increases the turbidity within the lake significantly. The wind directions appeared to yield similar results of sediment re-suspension. It was also shown that the high turbidity values were situated in the shallow depths even though the wave heights were small in comparison to those in deeper water. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

Increasing turbidities due to land use changes and poor catchment management can cause negative impacts on estuaries worldwide. High turbidity has an impact on the biological functioning of estuaries which are amongst our most productive ecosystems. This study focuses on the St Lucia estuary on the east coast of South Africa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ramsar wetland of international importance. Increased turbidity due to suspended inorganic sediments has been identified as an important threat to the sustainability of biodiversity in the St Lucia system. In order to determine the influence of increased cohesive sediment loads on the estuarine system it is necessary to understand how flocculation affects the fate and transport of cohesive sediment. Flocculation describes the processes of aggregate formation and breakup. Suspended sediment concentration, salinity and turbulent shear rates have been identified as key drivers of estuarine flocculation. This study investigates flocculation by measuring how the floc size distribution and settling velocities of flocs vary with the key drivers. A laboratory technique was developed where flocculation was simulated in an agitated beaker. Digital imaging techniques were used to measure changes in the size of flocs within the beaker and floc settling velocities in a still settling column. Results show reduced aggregation and floc size with increases in turbulent shear. Floc settling velocities were observed to increase with floc size while the effective density was observed to decrease. The study is concluded by investigating potential applications for the results obtained. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

The St Lucia estuarine lake system in South Africa is part of a UN- ESCO World Heritage site and a Ramsar wetland of international importance. Like many estuarine systems worldwide St Lucia has experienced signi cant anthropogenic impacts over the past century including catchment land use changes, water diversions/abstractions and inlet manipulation. In addition, the system has recently su ered losses in species diversity and abundance following unprecedented hy- persaline conditions and desiccation. Questions regarding its sustain- ability have motivated a reevaluation of management decisions made in the past and of options for the future. To understand the func- tioning of the system, it is necessary to analyse it holistically in terms of the physical processes and their interaction with the biology. This study focusses on aspects of the biophysical interactions in the estu- arine complex, and aims to provide new knowledge to underpin the development of improved models for predicting the response of the system to anthropogenic interventions. A model for the water and salt budgets was used to investigate what if scenarios in terms of past anthropogenic interventions, in particular the e ects of diverting the Mfolozi River from St Lucia. Furthermore, the risks of hypersalinity and desiccation were assessed for each sce- nario. Integrating these modeled scenarios with observed biological responses to physicochemical changes suggested that large long-term changes in the ecological structure can be expected in the di erent management scenarios. To validate this, the ecosystem response to changing environmental responses was quantitatively assessed using ecological network analysis. Long-term simulations show that the separation of the Mfolozi and St Lucia mouths had a signi cant impact on the functioning of the St Lucia system. The Mfolozi plays a pivotal role in maintaining a more stable mouth state regime and provides a vital source of freshwater during dry conditions. The con guration of the Mfolozi/St Lucia inlet plays a key role in the physico-chemical environment of the system and in uences the system's susceptibility to desiccation and hypersaline conditions. Ecosystem indices revealed that the water level, salinity and mouth state have a signi cant impact on species abundance and diversity as well as the ecological structure and functioning of the system. In addition, ecosystem indices show that the system recovers rapidly during favourable conditions. The arti cial separation of the St Lucia and Mfolozi inlets underpins the most signi cant impacts on the water and salt budget of the lake and its reversal is key to the sustainability of the system. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2013.

Among the location theories that geographers have devised in the past thirty years, the most influential has probably been Walter Christaller'd Central Place Theory (11, 12, 27). Its main point is that a certain amount of productive land supports an urban center, and the center exists because essential services must be performed for the surrounding land (25:203). Theoretically, a hierarchy of such centers exists, ranging from hamlets to metropolises with their distribution throughout a region following an hexagonal pattern. Many of Christaller's basic premises have been subatantiated by the work of numerous geographers (11, 25:203). Most of these works, however, have been carried out in regions of fairly uniform conditions of topography, climate, agricultural economy, and cultural background. Consequently, it is generally admitted that lack of uniformity in any of those conditions can modify the basic pattern (25:207). To the eyes of the cultural geographer, the emphasis on economic factors relegates unduly on the background important cultural factors. [...]

Pine plantations have been established on secondary grassland on the dune systems of the Eastern Shores of Lake St Lucia, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa for the past 40 years. These plantations have been progressively felled for the past six years, and will continue to be felled until the year 2011, by which time they will be eliminated. Space-for-time substitution was used to determine the direction of both woody and herbaceous vegetation succession and to predict possible future management implications for the Eastern Shores. Soil samples were taken from undisturbed grassland, grassland with trees, dune forest, pine plantations, and clearfelled areas at various successional stages. To determine the effects of the pine plantations on the soils of the area, soils were subjected to particle size analysis, and determination of pH, organic carbon, phosphorus, exchangeable bases, iron and aluminium. Minimal modification of the sandy soils by the pine plantations was found to have occurred. That which did occur was shown to be short-term, and to be ameliorated by the establishment of an indigenous woody understorey, resembling pioneer dune forest. Soil under plantations was shown to have a lower pH and cation exchange capacity than under opposite indigenous vegetation but no other direct effects were observed. The direction of succession was determined by the nature of the indigenous vegetation adjacent to the plantation. Pine plantations were shown to facilitate succession towards dune forest by the exclusion of fire, provision of perches and refugia for forest-dwelling animals, and creation of a forest environment for the establishment of trees. However, the extent of re-establishment of indigenous dune forest under pine plantations was shown to be directly related to the nature of the adjacent indigenous vegetation, be it grassland, grassland with trees or dune forest. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

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