The colonial attitude to traditional hunting practice was harsh and exclusivist and traditional hunting with dogs was therefore outlawed through legislation. This was the case throughout British African colonies and the former Natal colony was no exception. In some state game reserves, game rangers destroyed African dogs and on private farms, farmers shot dogs found there, yet traditional hunting had great cultural significance for African men. The destruction of dogs was a source of conflict and bitterness for rural people in KwaZulu-Natal. Due to the failures of colonial conservation practices to address environmental challenges of the past and present, there has been a shift of conservation philosophy. Unlike in the past, the current conservation practice has sought to address environmental problems by integrating conservation, culture and development. This has given rise to a broader discussion about linking conservation to the process of rural development and the survival of agrarian societies living adjacent to protected areas. In view of these complexities and challenges, this thesis uses the cases of iNhluzani farm and Mpembeni Community game reserve to determine and ascertain whether or not traditional hunting is still significant to rural people, and to explore the effects that either allowing or not allowing such an activity might have on attitudes towards natural resources. The thesis further explores the possibility that recognising culture, and bringing it explicitly into conservation practices, might help to reverse a history of exclusion and bring about greater sustainability. For this reason, the study draws on relevant theories of environmental and social justice, sustainable development as well as Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs. The study also assesses the nature and extent of public participation in natural resource management in the two cases. The findings of the study suggest that the majority of stakeholders agree that cultural practices could be linked to natural resource management under controlled circumstances. In the case of iNhluzani for instance, where the local people are guaranteed equitable access to wildlife resources within the farm, the people have developed a clear desire to protect wildlife within and outside the farm, even though they do not own the land. Contrary to this, in the case of Mpembeni community game reserve, incidents of poaching and illegal hunting are escalating and conflict and tension is still prevalent between the conservation authority and the surrounding community. This study therefore suggests that recognising local indigenous knowledge and cultural practice is essential for creating meaningful stakeholders in Natural Resource Management. The integration of culture should ease the tension between conservation authorities and local communities. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

Transportation costs of commercial forestry farms in South Africa are generally very high, causing great economic concern. The current roads of the majority of commercial farms, used to transport timber from the compartments to the market (mill), form part of a 'cob-web', high density network. In order to optimise transportation, it is beneficial to eradicate such a high density of road, achieved by adopting the most effective methods and technology. Such methods include that of Route Network Analysis (RNA) which designs a minimalist, yet cost-effective road pattern of a forestry farm. The aim of the study was to determine what data are required to optimise economic and timber transportation, based on the commercial forestry farm of Ntonjaneni, located in Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal. Route Network Analysis, which incorporates Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in addition to the current information pertaining to a network, was applied to the Ntonjaneni Farm. The existing data consisted of cadastral shapefile data containing relative attribute data, as well as Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), which were manipulated in order to create a realistic spatial representation of the farm's current transportation network. In addition, the development of project management guidelines to assist the efficient implementation and completion of the analysis was undertaken. The most ideal route from the plantations to the mill was created, avoiding the environmentally buffered rivers and those slopes which were too steep. As a result, the network was greatly improved. The irrelevant roads were removed, and replaced with a less dense route for timber transportation. The results of the RNA reveal that RNA, completed by the project management guidelines, is an effective and environmentally sound means of optimising commercial forestry transportation. However, data relating to the rivers and road slope need to be updated in order for RNA to be effectively performed during future studies. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

South Africa officially emerged from apartheid in 1994. Almost a decade later we are still confronting the persisting legacies of apartheid. One of them is the separate spaces that were designed to foster delineated ethnic and racial identities. In the past, enforced separation encouraged the perpetuation of different cultural spheres. Now spaces have been made more permeable, but the ' officially' sanctioned identities still persist. At state level, the discourses of ' non-racialism ' and ' Rainbow Nation' are dominant, but at the local level, the old categories of Indian, Coloured, White and Black are often aggressively asserted. It is suggested that, although apartheid has ended, there exists in contemporary South Africa a heightened sense of ethnic identification. Indians in contemporary South Africa grapple with questions of their identity, their ' place' in the new South Africa, and (like other minority groups) express anxiety about being part of the majority of South African society. This disssertation examines a broadly defined Indian cultural sphere in Durban, in particular a public sphere related to media and religion, where old Indian identities retain currency and, at the same time, new articulations of identity are constantly being made. The role of public discourses in shaping such identities is examined in detail using data collected through interviews with Indian cultural leaders and media communications between 1999 and 2001. An interrogation of discourses prevalent in the public sphere exposes the inherent contradictions and complexities of attempts to (re)create such "essentialised" identities. This paper demonstrates that Indian-ness is a highly contested and hybrid identification. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

With documented declines in the biophysical state of the planet, there is an increasing need to develop good environmental management tools to measure sustainability. Some of the traditional environmental management tools that are currently in use, such as Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) do not adequately quantify sustainability for large events such as conferences, rock concerts and sporting events. In this research, Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA) is considered as a tool for assessing the sustainability of a large event, viz. the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The WSSD, a follow-up to the 1992 United Nations' Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), was held from 26 August to 4 September 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the largest event of its kind in the world, with 80 635 registered' (mostly international) delegates attending. EFA can be considered as a tool to measure sustainability that converts consumption and waste production into units of equivalent land area. Based on the reality of biophysical limits to growth, and presenting. data in an aggregated, quantifiable, yet easily comprehensible form, EFA is also a . useful tool for environmental policy and management. EFA has typically been applied at national and regional levels,as well. as in the assessment of technology. The application of the ecological footprint (EF) concept to a conference is the first of its kind undertaken. The case study shows conferences to be net importers of consumption items and thus dependent on a vast external environment. The EFA highlights those areas of consumption which constitute the largest part of the footprint and thus provides an opportunity for targeting those areas for proactive management. EFA for a conference clearly identifies that a reduced ecological footprint would mean a movement towards strong sustainability. Due to the vast resources consumed during a conference over a short period of time, initial observations and results show that conferences are ecologically unsustainable. In estimating the EF of the WSSD, data were obtained on the following items: carbon emissions from electricity usage for the WSSD by conference venues and accommodation; carbon emissions from air and road transport used by delegates; total water consumed during the WSSD; catchment size required to cater for the volumes of water consumed; carbon emissions from the waste generated; and carbon emissions from volumes of paper used during the WSSD. Data were sourced from various reports and service providers in the Johannesburg area. The total partial EF of the WSSD was the sum of the sub-component footprints of electricity, transport, water, waste and paper. The EF of the WSSD was 2 522.08 ha, comprising an electricity EF of 93.03 ha, transport EF of 1002.86 ha, water EF of 1 406.l4ha, waste EF of 0.45 ha and a paper EF of 19.60 ha. The footprint is 1.72% of the area of Johannesburg and 0.15% of Gauteng, but less than 0.01% the area of South Africa. The per capita EF of the WSSD was 0.03 ha, compared with South Africa's per capita EF of 4.02ha. A number of recommendations are made for the reduction of the EF of large events such as the WSSD, and hence reducing their contribution to environmental degradation. Recommendations include the wider use and application of the EF concept, at the institutional and govemmental level. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu- Natal, Durban, 2004.

Part A of this dissertation, represents the literature review and project outline for this study, and includes the definition of the research problem, aims, objectives and the proposed methodology. The literature review considers the emergence of environmental accounting and reporting in the context of the escalating environmental crisis. It reviews the role of accounting prior to the development of the concept of sustainable development, and subsequently focuses specifically on the rise to prominence of environmental reporting and accounting thereafter. It reviews major academic works in this field as well as major international guidelines, standards, protocols and charters on environmental reporting. In addition, the study also reviews the limitations and problems associated with traditional and environmental accounting, and environmental reporting. It proposes a framework that considers the forces influencing environmental reporting, and briefly examines the previous evidence of the contrasting attitudes and perceptions of both preparers and users of such environmental reports. Arising out of this literature review, a study was developed that would measure and compare the expectations of three key stakeholder groups with regard to environmental accounting and reporting, namely: • The companies responsible for preparation • Environmental professionals, who assist in the preparation of these reports or attest as to their validity, and • Environmental activists, pressure groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that rely on such reporting to assess the impact of a company's activities. The study would look at the perceived importance of environmental reports, the areas that are reported on, and the levels of disclosure. It would then contrast the expectations of the above three groups and compare these to the minimum reporting levels required by the only officially endorsed international reporting guideline in South Africa, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The second part of this dissertation (Part B), is presented in the form of a research paper, and is presented in the specific format required by the academic journal Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, a Wiley InterScience publication, to which it will be submitted for publication, (after final editing to reduce its overall length). This second part includes a brief review of key literature, the aims, objectives and hypothesis of the study. It then details the methodology and the findings, which are discussed in depth. These findings include significant differences that were found between the expectations of the three groups, and differences between these expectations and the reporting specifications of the GRI. The environmental activists and pressure groups were found to expect greater levels of disclosure than professional environmental consultants, who in turn expected higher levels of disclosure than companies and their representatives. There were also significant differences between the responses of the three groups with regards to the importance of specific areas of environmental disclosure. The responses were more skewed towards considering most specific areas of disclosure as very important or extremely important, by the environmental activists and pressure groups. This was more so than for the environmental professionals or company respondents who also considered most of these areas as important or very important. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

Part A of this dissertation, represents the literature review and project outline for this study, and includes the definition of the research problem, aims, objectives and the proposed methodology. The literature review considers the emergence of environmental accounting and reporting in the context of the escalating environmental crisis. It reviews the role of accounting prior to the development of the concept of sustainable development, and subsequently focuses specifically on the rise to prominence of environmental reporting and accounting thereafter. It reviews major academic works in this field as well as major international guidelines, standards, protocols and charters on environmental reporting. In addition, the study also reviews the limitations and problems associated with traditional and environmental accounting, and environmental reporting. It proposes a framework that considers the forces influencing environmental reporting, and briefly examines the previous evidence of the contrasting attitudes and perceptions of both preparers and users of such environmental reports. Arising out of this literature review, a study was developed that would measure and compare the expectations of three key stakeholder groups with regard to environmental accounting and reporting, namely: • The companies responsible for preparation • Environmental professionals, who assist in the preparation of these reports or attest as to their validity, and • Environmental activists, pressure groups and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that rely on such reporting to assess the impact of a company's activities. The study would look at the perceived importance of environmental reports, the areas that are reported on, and the levels of disclosure. It would then contrast the expectations of the above three groups and compare these to the minimum reporting levels required by the only officially endorsed international reporting guideline in South Africa, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). The second part of this dissertation (Part B), is presented in the form of a research paper, and is presented in the specific format required by the academic journal Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, a Wiley InterScience publication, to which it will be submitted for publication, (after final editing to reduce its overall length). This second part includes a brief review of key literature, the aims, objectives and hypothesis of the study. It then details the methodology and the findings, which are discussed in depth. These findings include significant differences that were found between the expectations of the three groups, and differences between these expectations and the reporting specifications of the GRI. The environmental activists and pressure groups were found to expect greater levels of disclosure than professional environmental consultants, who in turn expected higher levels of disclosure than companies and their representatives. There were also significant differences between the responses of the three groups with regards to the importance of specific areas of environmental disclosure. The responses were more skewed towards considering most specific areas of disclosure as very important or extremely important, by the environmental activists and pressure groups. This was more so than for the environmental professionals or company respondents who also considered most of these areas as important or very important. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

South Africa's industrialisation gave rise to the establishment of many small towns in the vicinity of mineral deposits. Today many of these small towns face economic decline as these resources become exhausted. These small towns, however, can play an important role in the new South Africa. With the delivery of services in urban areas coming under more pressure, the lack of infrastructure and services has consequently led to many people being without services. Development in small towns can help reduce the pressure placed on big cities. This has resulted in environmental degradation occurring in urban areas. At the same time one should not run the risk of creating environmental degradation through development initiatives in these small towns. A procedure needs to be put in place that ensures environmental considerations are taken into account in development proposals. Many of these small mining towns have existing facilities that can be utilised for development. These existing facilities should be used instead of using development funds to build such facilities. This case study focuses on the town of Utrecht in north western Kwazulu-Natal, where the town is heavily dependent on Welgedacht Exploration, a coal mine that is the chief employer in the town. Welgedacht faces closure within the next few years and this study attempts to make suggestions on a way forward for this town after closure of the mine. The study explores the possibility of using the Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) procedure as a means to initiate development proposals. The study found that IEM can be an effective tool with regard to small town development, since through this process, appropriate sustainable development initiatives can be identified. IEM is appropriate as it makes provision for:- • Environmental considerations, • Ensures community participation, and • Enforces legal compliance thus making it an effective tool in development. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

The relative autonomy of the State is a long historical debate. In the current South African context, national policy documents reflect the State as working in the interests of the common good. The complex process of policy implementation, however, would suggest that the relationship between policy goals and policy outcomes is neither linear nor certain. Rather it is determined by a range of factors particularly at the implementation level. Moreover, the success of projects which employ participatory processes are dependent on how participation is conceived. The Hill Street West case study is an attempt to address the question of whether local government acts in the interests of the common or public good or on behalf of vested interests. The use of key informant interviews, documentary data and a short attitudinal survey have shown that the local state chose to act on behalf of a vested interest, arguing that it would also serve the common good. The findings would suggest that this was not the outcome and that ultimately, neither sectoral nor the general interest were adequately served. The outcome is attributable in large measure to underlying interests within the local state agenda with implications for the usefulness of participation. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

This dissertation focussed on the Mvoti River system in KwaZulu-Natal, an important resource for the numerous towns and villages along its course. Catchment activities are varied with agriculture being the predominant activity, and industrial activities common in the lower catchment. The Mvoti River is intensively utilized, especially in its lower reaches, to the extent that it is referred to as a ‘working river’. Modifications of the chemical and physical characteristics of the system, and consequently the biological characteristics, have led to degradation of the system such that the functioning of the lower river has deteriorated in comparison to that of its pre-disturbance condition. There are three main aspects of the Mvoti system around which this dissertation is based, namely, water quality, geochemistry, and conservation of the system. The results of the water quality survey of the estuary revealed that the system is presently experiencing water which is of an inferior quality. Compared against the South African water quality standards, a majority of the parameters exceed acceptable limits and are likely to present negative impacts on aquatic health and potentially human health. Comparison of current results, and water quality data for the system dating back to 1964, revealed that this degradation is not new to the system, and the Mvoti Estuary has in fact been experiencing continued deterioration over the years. The second part of this study investigated heavy metal presence in the sediments of the lower system and elemental presence and distribution in the surface sediments of the middle and lower River respectively. Results indicated that even though selected heavy metals are present, they are of concentrations lower than those of two other South African and two other international systems they were compared with. Enrichment and contamination assessments reveal that contaminants are in all probability present as a result of anthropogenic sources. However, distribution patterns which show highest levels just after effluent disposal sites suggest that the contamination is presumably human-induced and, the predominance of larger grained sediments that do not have high adsorption capacities, suggest that contaminants are readily remobilized into the water column. The final part of this research investigates other environmental problems, and causes, both natural and anthropogenic, experienced by the estuary system. These stresses include poor water quality, reduced water quantity, sedimentation, alien vegetation invasions and loss of biodiversity. Strategies to address these issues are proposed, with the intention of improving the condition of the estuary. This is an attempt at ecological restoration, to restore the estuary to a condition as close to as possible, to its pre-disturbance condition. These strategies include controlling abstraction and discharge, eradicating alien vegetation, controlling sandmining, and improving the overall quality of the system. Also proposed is an estuary management plan (EMP) for the Mvoti system, as there is currently no plan of such a nature in place. The EMP will aid restoration attempts, increase public awareness, and via post-project monitoring and evaluation ensure the success and sustainability of any future projects. Significantly, the adoption of an EMP will be a major step towards the rehabilitation, conservation and protection of this already degraded system. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

Cities are considered to be a major cause of climate change, as a result of city functions, which require energy and emit large quantities of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). Therefore, cities are being targeted globally as key areas for climate change mitigation. In order to mitigate the impacts of climate change, it is important for policy makers to be able to understand the implications of possible future policy decisions and development plans on emissions. One possible way of developing forecasts is through emissions scenarios, which allow for the development of a series of forecasts based on changes in the drivers of emissions. The city of Durban is a developing city, which aims to promote economic development; however, this development would increase the demand for energy and therefore impact on the GHG emissions in the city. The aim of this study is to develop a number of GHG emissions scenarios that illustrate the implications of various development paths for the city. The methodology applied involved first identifying the gaps in existing GHG inventories for Durban and the data required to close these gaps. The data was input into the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) tool, which is a physical accounting and simulation tool that allows for the creation of scenarios. Five scenarios were created to illustrate different ways in which the city might develop which are the Growth without Constraints (GWC) Scenario, the Business as Usual (BAU) Scenario, the Natural Transition City, the Slow Go City and the Low Carbon City. Lastly, a sixth scenario, the Required by Science (RBS), was not modelled but created to illustrate what would be required if Durban followed the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stabilisation guideline of a reduction of 60% - 80% of 1990 levels by 2100. Thereafter the IPCC scenarios were downscaled from a national level to a local level using a linear downscaling methodology, in order to illustrate the implications of global development paths on the city. The different development paths had a range of impacts on emissions. Rapid economic growth, with no climate change mitigation in the GWC Scenario, results in a 6.3 times increase in emissions from the base year to 2050. If the city continues with its current policies and strategies as in the BAU Scenario, emissions will increase 3.5 times from the base year. If there is a transition to a post-industrial society, with no climate change mitigation, emissions will increase 3 fold from 2005 to 2050. The National Transition Scenario illustrated that if Durban moves towards a service sector economy, which are predominantly low carbon sector, with no climate change mitigation, emissions will still increase 3.15 times the 2005 levels. If the city is slow to respond to climate change as in the Slow Go City, emissions will increase 2.5 times from the base year. A shift in the structure of the economy and an increase in the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency (i.e. a Low Carbon City) results in reduction in emissions of 1% from 2005. These were compared to the IPCC downscaled scenarios, which followed a similar pattern. The scenarios are comparable to developing city scenarios, but illustrate that the city is lagging behind developed cities. In order to make an impact in the reduction of emissions, it is essential for the city to target the commercial and industrial sector, which is the sector that emits the highest GHG emissions. However all these scenarios are still insufficient for achieving the RBS emissions target of a 60-80% reduction from 1990 levels. Achieving this reduction would require more than a 50% improvement in energy efficiency, structural change in the economy to low energy intensive sectors and a 20% contribution of renewable energy to total energy supply. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.