Biodiversity conservation is critical for the continued supply of ecosystem services to
secure the sustainability of livelihoods, especially for poor rural people. Therefore,
current rates of biodiversity loss, which threaten human survival, need to be curbed
using effective interventions. Implementation and decision-making on interventions
require timely information. Undertaking a Sustainability Assessment (SA) and structuring
this information within a SA framework of components and objectives is one effective
way to aid decision-makers. An effective SA framework addresses key sustainability
issues and priorities that are aligned with the regulatory policy and legal framework, as
well as stakeholder aspirations.
Sustainability Assessment development and application is evolving and is more
widespread in developed countries than developing countries. Hence, this study sought
to investigate how to apply SA in a participatory manner within rural areas in a
developing country. Key objectives of the study focused on: i) identification of key
aspects that make a SA framework effective; ii) mechanisms of effectively
incorporating participation into SA processes; iii) investigations of the perceptions of
stakeholders regarding the ecosystem and human conditions required for the
sustainability of biodiversity conservation; and iv) determination of stakeholder
perceptions on progress towards sustainability.
The study was conducted in Lesotho within a trans-boundary project area. The project
is known as the MDTP and is a collaborative initiative between Lesotho and South Africa
to conserve globally significant biodiversity. A qualitative case study approach was
employed through a combination of techniques including a literature review, field
observations, key informant interviews, group discussions and workshops to collect data.
Study participants consisted of MDTP partners at the national, district and local levels,
and some members of the general community. Two SA tools were applied in a
complementary manner during the study, namely the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) SA approach and the Community Sustainability
Assessment (CSA) approach, developed by the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN). Experiences of applying sustainability assessment in both developed and developing
countries revealed that an overall generic SA tool is not practical. There is a need for a
context-specific framework consisting of principles, criteria, generic steps, objectives,
indicators, a toolkit and other context-specific components. The SA framework
employed in this study had to fit biodiversity conservation conditions in rural areas. The
SA process revealed that the MDTP partners were knowledgeable about the conditions of
sustainability and threats to biodiversity, while members of the general community
were unaware of these threats. Regarding progress towards the sustainability of
biodiversity in the study area, the results indicated that current practices are
unsustainable, more from the point of view of the socio-ecological components than the
socio-cultural and spiritual or the socio-economic components. Consequently, there is a
need to raise awareness at the community level and implement action plans to realize
changes that support the sustainability of biodiversity in the long-term.
Key components for a participatory SA framework depend on whether a SA is a partial
assessment or a full one. The components of a partial SA framework also depend on
whether the focus is on reflection and learning or data handling. Hence, the main
components of a participatory sustainability assessment framework comprise: a
comprehensive vision of sustainable development; goals towards attaining the vision; a
participatory process engaging various stakeholders; a toolkit of appropriate SA tools
used for various tasks; relevant principles of sustainability assessment; and
sustainability-led decision criteria.
There is no blueprint on how to undertake a SA process and no rigid way of integrating
participation within the SA processes. The application of a SA requires adaptability and
flexibility in specific circumstances. Therefore, the study presents guidelines, key
components of a participatory SA process, and highlights the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats for applying a SA for biodiversity conservation in rural areas.
Key words: sustainability assessment, stakeholder participation, environmental
assessment, biodiversity conservation, rural areas, sustainability assessment framework.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-04082009-153558 |
| Date | 08 April 2009 |
| Creators | Letsela, Limpho Malerato Senior |
| Contributors | Prof MT Seaman, Prof AJ Pelser |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-04082009-153558/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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