After an extended period of apartheid and its inherent ills, the first democratic elections were finally held in 1994 in South Africa. Major changes in governance issues had to be effected in order to improve the well-being of millions of South Africans living in abject poverty. One of the major structural changes made by the democratic government with regards to governance was to introduce a threesphere governmental structure comprised of national, provincial and local spheres. Through the system of intergovernmental relations and cooperative governance, powers and functions of the three spheres are defined as well as the inter-relationship between them. Local government has been identified as the sphere closest to the people and therefore critical to service delivery. Over the last five years, local governance issues have been receiving increasing attention as it has been realized that in order for the government to improve human well-being, local governments have to be efficient and competent. However, there is an impasse within the sphere of local government which is posing a serious challenge to service delivery, especially in rural areas. This impasse is related to roles and responsibilities of traditional leadership vis-a-vis municipal councillors. This problem is more noticeable in the former homeland areas where considerable power used to be in the hands of traditional leaders during the apartheid era. This study used case study evidence from the Department of Social Welfare and Population Development led poverty alleviation project, the Imbothimuni Flagship Programme, to investigate the role of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as a catalyst for improving the state of intergovernmental relations and cooperative environmental governance. The project was implemented in the rural village of Imbothimuni at Mid-Illovo in KwaZulu-Natal. The findings of the study showed that there remains a lack of cooperation between traditional leadership and municipal councillors. The democratic government's initiatives to strengthen local government and enhance service delivery are not realized where there are conflicts and ambivalence over who should exercise the leading role in rural development. A myriad of legislative provisions have been drafted to legitimize the institution of traditional leadership, but they still fail to provide a legislative framework within which traditional leaders and municipal officials can cooperate. As a result of this lack of cooperation, developmental imperatives continue to be compromised and environmental degradation persists. The in-depth analysis of the legislative provisions relevant to traditional leadership shows that the government has resolved to legitimize the institution, in spite of the controversial debate on this notion. What is needed as a matter of urgency is a succinct legislative framework within which traditional leaders and municipal councillors can operate without conflict. The study revealed that the role of EIA in bringing together stakeholders, including traditional leaders and municipal councillors, is invaluable. The study also revealed that there is an urgent need for environmental awareness campaigns aimed at municipal officials, grass roots communities and most importantly, the traditional leaders. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Rapid growth of cities is a global phenomenon exerting much pressure on land resources and causing associated environmental and social problems. Sustainability of land resources has become a central issue since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. A better understanding of the processes and patterns of land cover change will aid urban planners and decision makers in guiding more environmentally conscious development. The objective of this study was firstly, to determine the location and extent of land use and land cover changes in the uMhlathuze municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between 1992 and 2002, and secondly, to predict the likely expansion of urban areas for the year 2012. The uMhlathuze municipality has experienced rapid urban growth since 1976 when the South African Ports and Railways Administration built a deep water harbour at Richards Bay, a town within the municipality. Three Landsat satellite images were obtained for the years, 1992, 1997 and 2002. These images were classified into six classes representing the dominant land covers in the area. A post classification change detection technique was used to determine the extent and location of the changes taking place during the study period. Following this, a GIS-based land cover change suitability model, GEOMOD2, was used to determine the likely distribution of urban land cover in the year 2012. The model was validated using the 2002 image. Sugarcane was found to expand by 129% between 1992 and 1997. Urban land covers increased by an average of 24%, while forestry and woodlands decreased by 29% between 1992 and 1997. Variation in rainfall on the study years and diversity in sugarcane growth states had an impact on the classification accuracy. Overall accuracy in the study was 74% and the techniques gave a good indication of the location and extent of changes taking place in the study site, and show much promise in becoming a useful tool for regional planners and policy makers. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

The participation of the public has become widely accepted through legislation as a critical component of managing water resources in South Africa. However, achieving meaningful participation continues to be a challenge especially for the previously disadvantaged communities. Participants from these communities, through legislative requirements have the opportunity to participate and make contribution in water management arena with little emphasis of their level of knowledge in understanding the information presented in the participation processes. The level of knowledge and understanding of participants has been found by Anderson (2005) and Faysse (2005) to affect meaningful participation in the water management arena. There have been, however, few empirical studies (Anderson, 2005; Faysse, 2005) to find out whether the disadvantaged community participants feel their participation in water management institutions such as the catchment management forum (CMF) is meaningful. Meaningful public participation has increasingly been used in public participation literature to describe the quality of participation process Solitare, (2005), Canadian Association of Petroleum Produces (CAPP) (2004) and Videira et al. (2003). Authors have generally avoided strictly defining the adjective ‘meaningful’ in relation to public participation. Authors have however, concentrated on attributes of the concept which includes: the ability of the participation process to meet the expectation of the participants, inclusiveness of stakeholder, trust among participants in a participation process, participation process contribution to learning of participants and opportunity for participants to improve quality of decision. The purpose of this research was to find out whether the disadvantaged community participants find their participation in the Msunduzi Catchment Management Forum (MCMF) to be meaningful. To achieve this aim, the specific objectives of the study were: • firstly, to determine whether the participation processes meet the expectations of the participants; • secondly, to determine whether the MCMF is inclusive of those having an interest in catchment management issues; • thirdly, to determine whether there is trust among participants in the participation processes; • fourthly, to determine whether participants have access to and understand appropriate and relevant information given at the forum; and • lastly, to determine whether participants are notified about the forum early and adequate time given for sharing of information in the process. A review of relevant literature on this research issues was conducted. A qualitative research approach was used to address the goals of the research, including a semistructured interview of stakeholders of the MCMF. The semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from the disadvantaged community, industry, municipality, DWAF and members of other non-governmental organizations that are not from the disadvantaged community. The other stakeholders who are not from the disadvantaged communities were included in the studies to find out whether they are aware of the perspectives of the disadvantaged community participants on the meaningfulness of the MCMF. Another objective for including these stakeholder groups was to find out whether they share the same views as those from the disadvantaged community on the meaningfulness of the MCMF. The results from the interviews were used to determine whether participants from the disadvantaged communities find their participation in the MCMF to be meaningful. The results established five key finding from the research. Firstly, the disadvantaged community participants do not see their involvement in the MCMF to be meaningful. Secondly, the disadvantage community participants have expectations that have not yet been met. Thirdly, there is a degree of differences in relationship among stakeholders based on educational background which is affecting networking and trust building. Fourthly, the lack of understanding of the information presented at the forum by the disadvantaged community participants, and lastly improper medium and timing of notification by DWAF. These were found to be the major factors affecting disadvantaged community participants’ meaningful participation in the MCMF. This research has recommended five key means through which the MCMF public participation process can be improved which are based on the conclusions of this research. It is recommended that: 1. Expectations of participants especially those from the disadvantaged community on the functions of a catchment management forum should be addressed urgently. 2. Degree of differences that exist among some participants especially those from the disadvantaged community that educational background influence views presented by a participant should be dealt with through measures such as field trips. 3. Technical information is presented in a medium that disadvantaged community participants can understand. 4. The medium of notification used to ensure effective public participation at the MCMF be addressed. 5. DWAF evaluates the MCMF participations process to find out the level of satisfaction among participants. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

The provision of a basic water supply and sanitation service to the 12 million South Africans without an adequate water supply and the 21 million without basic sanitation is a mammoth task that is currently being undertaken by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry. Billions of rands have been spent on, and committed to, water and sanitation projects that involve national, provincial and local spheres of government, as well as parastatals, non-government organisations and private developers. It is acknowledged that important successes have been achieved in the water and sanitation sector. However, despite the provisions provided in national and local legislation, internationally lauded policy directives, the numerous studies undertaken and recommendations made by institutions such as the Water Research Commission, problems have continued to emerge in the sustainable delivery of water and sanitation projects, particularly in the peri-urban and rural areas. It is clear that the installation of physical structures such as pipes, taps and ventilated improved pit latrines in these areas have created a sense of 'delivery' however, little thought seems to have gone into how these projects are to be sustained. International experience has shown that the concept of 'community ownership' is very important in providing sustainable water and sanitation services. The most important principles in achieving sustainability are community participation and community decision-making throughout both the development of the project as well as the further operation and maintenance of the system. International experience has also shown that financial contributions towards the scheme from the community (in cash, labour or materials), also assists in obtaining community ownership. Over the past decade emphasis in South Africa has shifted towards community participation and the empowerment of previously disadvantaged communities where communities play an active role in determining the level of service provided and the manner in which these services are delivered. However, current government policy advocates that water must be treated as an economic resource to achieve sustainability and this does not always lie comfortably with the policy of delivering free basic water. As a result of these two often-juxtaposed concepts, the delivery of sustainable water and sanitation services, a function performed by local government, is thus made more difficult. This study assesses the importance of delivering a potable water supply and adequate sanitation service to enhance the quality of lives of people. It also considers the key issues that contribute towards sustainable water and sanitation service delivery, with particular reference to the concept of 'community ownership'. The complex nature of the policy, legislative and institutional framework for water supply and sanitation is considered along with an analysis of the Msunduzi Municipality's water supply and sanitation policy and objectives. The study then focuses on the delivery of water and sanitation services to one such project, Edendale Unit RR (commonly known as Newtown), as an in-situ upgrade case study. A Provincial Housing Board funded project has, over the last five years, provided housing units, roads, stormwater drains, and water and sanitation infrastructure to this community. This initial research is undertaken with the intention of providing an evaluation of the installation of the water supply and sanitation service to the in-situ upgrade of Newtown. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

Leasing of state land under control of the Department of Land Affairs takes place, due to historical reasons, in a manner that is unconformable with the cadastre. The Department (and the State) is obliged to manage its assets efficiently and promote land reform. How can such leases be described spatially, and captured on a land information system? The author argues that it is indeed possible to develop a method, system or convention of spatial description for leased areas unconformable with the cadastre by relating it to the cadastre and capture and maintain data on such areas on a spatially and text-based database. In order to identify relevant best practices, available technology, a review was carried out on methodologies from other countries within the fields of land administration and land information systems, focussing on parcel-based cadastral systems. Fieldwork consisted firstly of interviews with officials and specialists in these fields for more information on the management of leases in the Department and available technology. A full set of active leases (52) from a District Office was acquired for analysis on current spatial descriptions. In a second visit some of these leased areas were surveyed by GPS to construct maps to aid with the development of a convention. Based on this work, the author developed a methodology/convention for indexing and spatial description of unconformable leases, with the current South African cadastre and embedded 21-character land parcel identifier as basis. It was demonstrated that basic technology could be used in the field, supported by an advanced land information system. The value of the convention lies in the fact that it relates the unconformable leases back to the formal cadastre within a land information system Administration of leases will be more effective. Also that it could be applied to other spheres of land reform and non-parcel based geocoding of centroids indicating occupational or communal rights on land. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

The Albert Falls Area had witnessed severe competition over land use between agriculture, recreation, conservation and other land uses. The area also has been the scene for inefficient land management that led to degradation of land resources. For proper land use planning and environmental management, information on land use/cover change is vital. This study has developed a spatial and descriptive historical land use/cover databases for the years 1944, 1967, 1989, and 2000 to provide an understanding of land use/cover patterns in Albert Falls Area. The databases were created by interpreting historical aerial photographs and using Geographic Information Systems. The data was subsequently analyzed to detect relevant trends in land use/cover patterns in the study area. Generally land use/cover pattern of Albert Falls Area during the period 1944 to 2000 may be described as being mainly agricultural. The results showed a marginal increase of indigenous forests attributed to the continuous efforts by different governmental departments and policies that focused on the protection of the remaining patches of indigenous forests. Grassland not only decreased by more than half but it also deteriorated in quality during 1944 to 2000. Commercial Forestry predominates the study area and showed an increasing trend from 1944 to 1967. Cultivated Land was observed to decrease at the expense of Commercial Forestry plantations and Waterbodies. Although sugarcane plantations increased after 1967, total Cultivated Land showed a decreasing trend. The construction of Albert Falls Dam and other small Farm Ponds within the agricultural farms increased the land areas covered by Waterbodies. Residential Area coverage generally decreased irrespective of the encroachment of informal settlements, while that outside Non-Residential Area and Transportation Routes generally increased with the development of commercial agriculture in the area. Barren Land decreased continuously due to higher land demand in the study area. The study showed that land use/cover changes in Albert Falls Area. have resulted in habitat fragmentation, development of monoculture land use, flourishing of Farm Ponds in agricultural farms, and expansion of agricultural activities on marginal lands. Creation of corridors/linkages between the fragmented forest patches; commencement and implementation of the already well drafted land and land resource policies and regulations; commencement of the holistic management plans in the area were recommended for a sustainable land use. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.

The legislative management of Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) on beaches has evolved over a period of time in response to a range of influences and changing circumstances within the various social, institutional, economic and biophysical systems. The impact of ORVs on beaches in South Africa is multifaceted and when viewed holistically incorporates the interaction between the biophysical, social, economic and institutional environments. This Study focuses only on the legislative and biophysical environments associated with the impact of ORVs on beaches. Sustainable coastal development draws attention to the "process" character of sustainable development that needs to be worked towards over time in an iterative manner. It highlights the need to take into account the current reality of prevailing circumstances, the uncertainty of the future, limited understanding of coastal ecosystems and communities, and the complex interactions between and within the human and non human components of the environment. An understanding of the ecological integrity and effective governance dimensions (being the focus of Study), although only two of the five dimensions of sustainable coastal development, contributes towards an understanding of the sustainability of the impact of ORVs on beaches within the South African context. The legislative environment is investigated from the management perspective of the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. This Study determines whether effective governance is being achieved through the ongoing management of the impact of ORVs on South African beaches. The institutional management at a national level has resulted in the conditional banning of ORVs from beaches, which has resulted in promoting the ecological integrity of beaches, therefore contributing towards sustainable coastal development. The physical system is investigated where appropriate in terms of the biophysical parameters within which ORVs are managed on beaches within the inter-tidal zone as per the ORV General Policy (1994). In order to understand the biophysical system within which ORVs are managed, the existing literature and research concerning the impact of ORVs on beaches is reviewed, including existing literature on beach geomorphology and beach biota. A Case Study Area was selected for an experimental investigation to determine the biophysical impact of ORVs on sandy beaches. The experiment was conducted at Leven Point, north of Cape Vidal situated on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast within the St Lucia Marine Reserve. The ORV General Policy (1994) has been superseded by the ORV Regulations (2001), which do not however, specify the biophysical delineation of the management of ORVs on beaches. This Study has included recommendations applicable to the management of ORVs on beaches in South Africa in terms of the ORV Regulations (2001). These recommendations advocate the conservation of the dynamic biophysical environment of the inter-tidal zone on beaches, and the need to take a sustainable coastal development approach to applications for Recreational Use Areas (RUAs) in terms of the ORV Regulations (dated 21 December 2001). / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Colonial conservation emerged as colonial conservationists perceived the threat of deforestation, climatic change and famine. The sense that there were limits to nature's capacity to meet human demands, led to colonial conservationism which portrayed nature as separated from human life. Protected areas (PA's), both forest and game reserves, were created that excluded local people in terms of both access and management. In South Africa the National Forests Act 84 of 1998 has created new conditions in which there is a greater opportunity for communities to benefit from indigenous forests, which apart from their other uses are a valuable resource from the point of view of ecotourism. This study thus seeks to assess moves from exclusivist to community based forms of environmental decision-making (EDM) at Dlinza Forest Nature Reserve. This study provides an example of an ecotourism project started during the democratic period in South Africa and at the height of the global move to community conservation. First however it traces the management history of the forest in order to assess change in the management style over time. The study investigates rural people's attitudes towards the forest and it was found that although the forest was preserved for many years, the rural people still feel much attached to it as a result of the beliefs they have about it. The study contrasts different visions of the forest in terms of competing use and non-use values, and demonstrates that each group exercised its will and attempted to display "ownership" of the forest through a number of activities undertaken at the forest. An analysis of the public participation followed in terms of the ecotourism project was undertaken to determine the extent to which the rural community was involved. Theoretical models of environmental decision-making were applied in order to identify the mode of decisionmaking used historically and in the present. The results of the study show that poor rural people are still marginalized in EDM despite the new philosophies of PA management and the democratising shifts taking place in the country. Resistance to the policies and regulations of the reserve has been observed and this may lead to severe degradation of the resources that the reserve is meant to protect. The study thus recommends strengthening locally based EDM via partnerships as partnerships do not only provide relief for the consequences of conflict, they also strive for a win-win situation. The study concluded that greater involvement of the rural community requires a change in the mindset of conservation authorities, in particular with regard to the issue of representivity in EDM. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2004.