The interest in environment and environmental management in South Africa is growing rapidly. Although the sector is still developing, South Africa has achieved commendable progress compared to global trends and standards. As the natural resources are becoming increasingly vulnerable by over-utilization and environmental degradation, the development and implementation of effective decision support tools is becoming increasingly important. For these reasons, it is likely that environmental management tools will continue to develop in South Africa and it is therefore vital that these tools are developed to ensure that development is conducted in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner. Environmental Management Frameworks (EMFs), as one of the decision support tools within the Integrated Environmental Management system, were officially proclaimed under National Environmental Management Act, Act 107 of 1998, Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations (NEMA EIA Regulations) of 2006, which have since been amended to NEMA EMF Regulations. The Department of Environmental Affairs, as a leading agent in addressing environmental issues, is tasked with ensuring that Environmental Management Frameworks become efficient and effective in South Africa. In spite of existing Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) tools such as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental Management Plan (EMP), and Environmental Management Systems (EMS), there has been a strong debate by stakeholders around the development of Environmental Management Frameworks as decision support tools in spite of other existing planning tools at national, provincial and local levels. Debates are around, for example, the actual need for EMFs, their application, context and scope, and around the outcomes from applying Environmental Management Frameworks in South Africa. The lack of knowledge around Environmental Management Frameworks and their potential impacts, both within Government and in the general public, makes research and development of Environmental Management Frameworks essential to provide a clear pathway towards understanding the potential impacts. Therefore, this research has been conducted to evaluate perceptions and expectations of stakeholders involved in the development process of Environmental Management Frameworks. By understanding stakeholders’ perceptions and expectations, it is hoped that the research findings will be utilized to devise possible strategies to make Environmental Management Frameworks efficient and effective in South Africa. The results of the research lead to the formulation of a number of recommendations that will hopefully lead to their adoption, as suggested above. It is also the intention that the research will be absorbed by a wider audience, so that the challenges in the potentially successful implementation of EMFs in the future are more fully understood. Recommendations include the need for legal enforcement of EMFs with the Department of Environmental Affairs setting in place succinct EMF regulations and guidelines as a matter of urgency; that the Department of Environmental Affairs establish viable partnerships with key stakeholders to benefit from their collective wisdom; and that government should enhance such publicprivate partnerships in the development of EMFs by ensuring realistic budgetary allocations to achieve desired outcomes. This dissertation acknowledges the new EMF Regulations of 2010 but adheres to the NEMA EIA Regulations of 2006. The research was already finalized when the new EMF Regulations came into effect.

Generally, rural women have lesser access to technologies that are vital in progressing with their tasks due to gender dimensions linked to patriarchy that were perpetuated by apartheid, which promoted male migration and created female subordination. This created invisibility of women's major role as food producers. Although South Africa is democratic, rural households are still far behind in terms of development. Norms and values in most traditional societies sideline women and increase the burden of work that they normally have. Duties performed by rural women demand physical energy and is generally time consuming Access to appropriate technologies might assist in reducing energy and lime spent unwisely. Traditional norms encourage male superiority and sociocultural barriers give women limited access to certain assets such as livestock, land, credit and their decision making power is very little compared to male counterparts. This has serious implications on women's lives because these aspects are most important in meeting life challenges they face on a daily basis. Women's involvement in both productive and reproductive tasks shows that they are concerned about the lives of their families together with the community in which they live. They modify used objects in order to produce subsistence. Surplus obtained from their yields plays a vital role in generating income to sustain their livelihoods. Access to technologies might reduce time spent on reproductive tasks and diverted to produce more. This study is intended to contribute to a greater understanding and the recognition of the linkages between women's roles, responsibilities, knowledge and their participation in rural economic development, particularly looking at their use of technology. A critical concern raised in this study is whether women's knowledge of and experience with technology are adequately incorporated in development debates and initiatives, especially in an environment where the decision-makers tend to he male. The main findings of the study are that rural women utilize a range of technologies, they are involved in innovating and adapting technologies and they experience a variety of problems in relation to accessing, maintaining and using technologies at the household and community levels. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

In the postmodern era, the industrial sector faces a number of pressures. These pressures include keeping within the new and stricter laws, avoiding the stricter penalties in terms of finances and legal penalties, avoiding bad publicity that occurs through bad environmental action and responding to pressure groups and public concern, including industry's own work force (Stapleton, 1996). Industry can respond to these pressures to become involved in efforts to 'green' their activities, for example. introducing waste minimisation practices into production. To this end, the Pollution Research Group of the University of Natal, Durban was instrumental in developing the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club early in 1999. Since its inauguration, this Club has been active in two primary spheres, namely, the implementation of waste minimisation into the industrial processes of member companies and the building of capacity of a range of employees of member companies. This thesis provides a case study of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club in an attempt to assess the role of voluntary participatory organisations in sustainable development. This study of the role of voluntary participatory organisations in sustainable development has taken place within the context of waste minimisation, waste minimisation clubs, and the specific characteristics of the Hammarsdale Industrial Complex and the regulatory context of South Africa. A combination of geographical and social theory has been used to study the characteristics of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club. Four bodies of literature have been drawn together to form a conceptual framework through which the case study can be analysed and understood. These bodies of literature cover the characteristics of postmodernism, the paradigm of sustainable development, social theory regarding civil society and social movements (including the environmental movement) and the impact of locality on activities. Primary data for this study has been gathered through the use of participant observation and semi-structured interviewing techniques. The theoretical framework has played an important role in a process of qualitative data analysis and interpretation that aimed to establish answers to the research questions generated in this study. Analysis of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club as a voluntary participatory organisation has revealed that these organisations do play a role in the achievement of sustainable development in two ways. Firstly, through the way in which they are organised and secondly, through the activities in which members of the organisation engage. The case of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club, the Club has been organised in such a way as to promote the implementation of waste minimisation and to provide capacity building as extensively as possible. One important characteristic of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club is the strong sense of mutual support and community that has developed. These relationships enable the organisation to contribute to sustainable development as they facilitate the participation and procedural equity necessary to the achievement of sustainable development. Despite this, the organisational structure of the Club can be seen to have some weaknesses. For example, the failure to develop a constitution and the high level of dependency on the groups of professionals in the Club which has lead to the need for motivation and leadership. It is possible that these weaknesses may lead to the decline of activities in the organisation or demise of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club in the long-term, thus inhibiting the role of the Club in sustainable development. By comparison, the waste minimisation implementation and capacity building activities of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club enable the Club to make a direct contribution to sustainable development. The implementation of waste minimisation enables industry to become more efficient thus reducing its impact on the environment. Furthermore, capacity building has created a greater awareness of environmental matters while equipping employees of member companies with the skills to carry out waste minimisation for the benefit or the environment. Thus these activities can contribute to sustainable development through the increased care of local ecosystems and a reduction of the impact of industry on this natural environment. Through these findings, this study proposes that if voluntary participatory organisations can be organised to provide a long-term motivational and facilitative framework through which activities that contribute to sustainable development can take place, then these organisations have an important role to play in bringing about on-the-ground changes which can lead ultimately to the achievement of sustainable development. Contrary to this, if care is not taken to create a voluntary participatory organisation that will be sustainable itself, the potential role of the organisation in sustainable development is reduced. Notably, these findings are reliant on the investigation of one case study. It is suggested that further examinations of a wide range of voluntary participatory organisations would enhance these findings by creating a more general picture. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.

There is a growing body of literature that outlines a contemporary view of the role of forests and forestry in rural development. The most common argument highlighted by the contemporary literature indicates that forests provide a wide variety of important products, both for subsistence purposes and as sources of income. This study is based on the premise that an understanding of the issues that relate to access and utilization of forest resources and their management cannot be neglected in the field of rural development, more especially in the African context wherein much of the population is still defined as rural dwellers. Furthermore, given the paradigm shifts that have been witnessed in both the approaches to rural development and natural resource management over the years, it is necessary to examine how forestry has responded to new demands, particularly in relation to its contribution to rural livelihoods. This study intended to examine the conservation and management of forest resources and their impact on sustaining rural livelihoods by using the case study of the Saint Bernard community in the Nhlazuka village in Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal province. In Saint Bernard, a communal system of managing community resources such as trees and forests forms an integral part of decision-making. The study looked at the management of both the natural and plantation forests and their impact on the livelihoods of rural communities, especially in communally owned areas. Given the nature of this study, both qualitative and quantitative methods of social science research were employed to generate data relating to the research objectives and questions. Qualitative participatory techniques used include the ranking exercise, mental mapping and venn diagram. Quantitative data was mainly obtained through a questionnaire survey. The primary data was supplemented with the secondary data relating to the focus of this study. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a formal process, which provides valuable information concerning the potential environmental consequences or impacts of proposed development plans and actions. EIA, therefore plays an important role in aiding the decision making process and has been adopted worldwide as a predictive evaluation tool. Once the ElA has been conducted and the possible environmental impacts established, thorough recommendations for mitigation are usually made. However, there is often no ElA follow-up (monitoring, post-auditing, evaluation and communication) to ensure that the mitigation measures or the recommendations revealed by the EIA are put into practice. EIA follow-up is a vital procedure, which if effectively conducted, ensures that negative environmental impacts are kept to a minimum and facilitates sustainable development. The main objectives of this research were to assess the status of ElA follow-up in KwaZuluNatal (KZN), to establish possible reasons for shortcomings in the area of ElA follow-up in KZN and to develop and discuss a number of potential models of ElA follow-up, in order to make recommendations for future practice. This dissertation includes a theoretical review of the concepts of sustainable development and Integrated Environmental Management (IEM), together with a comprehensive assessment of the role of ElA follow-up. Fifteen environmental consultants from KZN, together with five consultants from the remainder of South Africa. and a number of other leading ElA practitioners were formally interviewed in order to ascertain a greater understanding of the current status of EIA follow-up in KZN. The results from these interviews revealed that ElA follow-up is a neglected component of ElA and IEM. There are, at present, a number of barriers or constraints to effective EIA follow-up practice in KZN. which were thoroughly examined in this dissertation. There is also an apparent confusion as to who is responsible for conducting and policing EIA follow-up in KZN. The KZN regulatory authority and leading conservation body were also interviewed in order to gauge their understanding of ElA follow-up and its status in KZN. From the research four potential models of EIA follow-up were presented, each highlighting a different way in which ElA follow-up may be conducted, especially in the different sectors of development. This dissertation recommends that although there is no one comprehensive model or way in which EIA follow-up should be undertaken, the partnership approach to EIA follow-up is the most effective way of ensuring follow-up and facilitating sustainable development in KZN. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

A suitable methodology for mapping wetlands in South Africa has not been agreed upon. This investigation aimed at developing a methodology for the accurate and efficient delineation of wetland areas using satellite imagery and other relevant spatial datasets. Both summer and winter LANDSAT ETM+ satellite imagery covering the study area of the Midmar sub-catchment were processed using various image classification techniques. These included the supervised, unsupervised and level slicing classifications. The accuracy of each technique was tested against the only existing verified wetland dataset that covers the study area. A ground truthing exercise was also undertaken. The different classification techniques resulted in different classification accuracies when compared to the verified wetland dataset. Accuracies for the different classification techniques were as follows: unsupervised 20 class classification (summer) 55%, (winter) 39%, unsupervised 255 class classification (summer) 71%, (winter) 47%; supervised classification (summer) 65%, (winter) 41%; level slicing classification (summer) 65%, (winter) 45%. The inaccuracies could mostly be attributed to a change in land cover as there seems to be an overall loss of wetland areas. However, the ground truthing exercise resulted in higher classification accuracies especially with unsupervised 255 class classification. This study concluded that LANDSAT ETM+ satellite imagery was useful for detecting wetlands areas during summer by using a fine classification technique (255 class). A finer classification technique is also suited for the detection of both large and small wetland areas. Major recommendations include: the use of summer imagery in a high rainfall period; the unsuitability of using winter imagery due to the spectral confusions created; the use of high resolution satellite sensors (SPOT) for monitoring purposes while lower resolution sensors (LANDSAT) should be used for mapping; the increased use of topographical modelling for wetland detection; the use of an appropriate scaled land cover database and the use of field verification exercises for comparing classifications. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

The study assessed the possible significance of Green Consumerism in South Africa. Different meanings of "green" are explained. Consumer preferences for some green products was examined. An analysis of the attitudes and actions of South African consumers to green products and services was completed in two suburbs, of Pietermaritzburg, as a case study. Though there was a significant difference in total household income between shoppers in the two suburbs there was no significant difference between their respective green expenditure. Consumers generally preferred cheaper conventional products to more expensive green products. Consumers considered price as the most important factor when making purchasing choices and the higher the price differential, the more likely consumers are to select cheaper conventional products rather than green alternatives. Public education, government intervention in the form of lower taxes or subsidies for green products and encouragement of green movements are required if Green Consumerism is to become a meaningful alternative in South Africa. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.

The field of development communication has up until recently enjoyed little academic appraisal in the light of emerging environmental discourses within the sociological tradition. No more prevalent is such neglect than on the level of enquiry into the possible roles for community radio, in contributing meaningfully towards environmental education. Proponents of environmental education have to this date been sceptic about transmission pedagogies inherent in the mass media, yet no attempts have been made to consider the position occupied by community radio as alternative to mass media education. This is a pressing concern, since the accelerated development and expansion of this sector in South Africa provides widespread potential for radio initiatives to take up environmental education (in terms of both information transmission and action programmes), especially at the level of isolated rural communities. This study examines the possible reasons for such neglect, by drawing both on qualitative and quantitative approaches to expose and appease the orientations exhibited from the fields of community radio and environmental education. By considering how both fields are inherently critically-inclined and by drawing on the views of an exploratory sample of 45 participants in the Wakkerstroom district, it argues that community radio, as development communication, could provide a meaningful context and multiple roles for the facilitation of environmental education in that locality . Broader calls for the use of such a medium are also reinforced by a discussion on the pressing environment and development challenges facing the study area . Throughout its theoretical discussion the study surfaces emerging themes. The most significant of these state that community radio 's local modus operandi, its valuing in principle of action , its call for specificity in broadcast approach, its inherent status quo-challenging temperament, its unique ability to harness interpersonal social interactions and its opportunity to build a sense of community and collaboration on environmental matters , provides for a meaningful context in which to house action and experientially-geared environmental education processes. All these arguments are seen to compliment existing views held on the media and environmental education, by the study's exploratory sample. By repeatedly positioning the two fields within a framework of socially-critical methodology, the study suggests that future initiatives in environmental education should be receptive to grassroots calls for using community radio as an alternative to generalized media broadcasting approaches, in which specific and local contexts could facilitate understandings on environment and development matters. It closes with a broad agenda for such further initiatives, by emphasizing the need to build network, organizational and research links between these two fields. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

The recent incorporation of Ximba into a metro boundary (the Outer West substructure of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal) has highlighted the imbalances between rural and urban communities and created the need to redress them. Currently, the main issues facing the AmaXimba are economic generation and job creation. Solutions are possible through development of the industrial, residential, agricultural and/or tourism sectors. Recourse to analysis of the physical environment, as well as stakeholders and their interactions, informs the study and provides the means ofdetermining the best practical developmental option for Ximba. The suggestion is made that none ofthe sectors by themselves are viable and all must be developed in conjunction with each other. As there is a greater inherent tourism potential, the focus ofthe study shifts to the tourism milieu in Ximba. Tourism issues revolve around what type of tourism Ximba should develop as well as the best developmental pathway to pursue. Options open to Ximba include independent development, or development in conjunction with neighbouring areas. Thus, the focus ofthe study broadens to explore the wider tourism milieu in the Outer West, in particular the RI03 (Botha's Hill to Cato Ridge) route. The current status oftourism in the two areas is assessed as is the potential impact from future development projects and commonalities between the two areas are determined. Stakeholder visions provide the means for determining possible constraints to, and considerations for, tourism development. These include attempts to determine the current economic climate prevailing along the RI03; analysis ofthe crime situation and the media's influences thereon; and physical constraints, particularly water quality. Results indicate that a variable economic climate prevails, crime is a problem within the area and factors aggravating the crime perception are considered. Water quality ofthe Msunduzi is not suitable for recreational tourism. Issues raised for consideration included determining developmental routes that could be imposed on the Outer West from a higher authority, the requirements for nature-based tourism incorporating cultural tourism, tour operators' requirements, community characteristics and factors surrounding the bed and breakfast industry. Ideas for the development of a combined and expanded tourism route are provided. An analysis ofthe strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and 11 threats (SWOT) of the tourism milieu highlights factors to be concentrated on and suggestions are made for driving tourism in the combined XimbaIRI03 milieu. The study concludes by considering key factors necessary for devising tourism policy in Ximba, as well as possible means of implementation. Consideration is also given to tourism as an agent of change. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

The Mgeni River is the major water resource for the eThekwini Metropolitan and Msunduzi Municipalities. At the end of 2002, the Mooi-Mgeni Transfer Scheme Phase 1, which transfers water from the Mooi River into the Mgeni catchment to augment the water supply to this region, was completed. The interbasin transfer of water resulted in the loss of habitat, erosion of the stream channel and transformation of the riparian zone in the receiving streams. Stream regulation resulting in an altered flow regime is considered the greatest threat to a riverine environment. An Environmental Management Plan (EMP), incorporating fluvial geomorphological monitoring procedures, was implemented to monitor the impact of the transfer on the receiving streams, the Mpofana and Lions Rivers, and to determine the rate and magnitude of erosion. A comparison of the geomorphological monitoring procedure of the EMP with best practice geomorphological monitoring derived from a review of the national and international stream geomorphological literature was conducted in this study. In addition, the implementation of the EMP geomorphological monitoring procedures was described and onsite observations of physical impacts on the receiving streams were completed. The geomorphological monitoring of the EMP included the use of erosion pins, survey of stream cross-sections and fixed-point photography. Photographs and data were collected from February 2003 to June 2006. The comparison of these monitoring methods against stream assessment best practices revealed the strengths and weaknesses of the geomorphological monitoring implemented in the receiving streams. Several key weaknesses were revealed. Firstly, an inadequate number of stream cross sections was included in the monitoring procedures. Secondly, although the erosion pins indicated some general trends in the erosion of the stream channel, they did not give a true impression of the rate and magnitude of change in slope and channel width of the stream, and the location of the erosion pins sites did not take into account the actual direction of flow during transfer as erosion pin sites were selected during low flow conditions. In addition, it was difficult to determine whether the erosion pins had been lost due to erosion or to turbulence. The results were difficult to assess and did not show whether the erosion was localised at the pins or the section of bank or stream profile. Thirdly, analysis of platform changes in the stream channel (e.g. through a comparison of aerial photograph sets) was lacking and no attempt was made to integrate the results from the different methods. Overall, the study concluded that the geomorphological monitoring of the EMP was limited, and it did not highlight the rate and magnitude of erosion in the receiving streams. Based on the findings of this study, recommendations are provided for geomorphological monitoring of the receiving streams of the Mooi Mgeni Transfer Scheme. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.