Attaining sustainable use on private game ranching lands in South Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. 176-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth F. Pienaar ◽  
Elena C. Rubino ◽  
Melville Saayman ◽  
Petrus van der Merwe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Game Ranching

scholarly journals Veld management with specific reference to game ranching in the grassland and savanna areas of South Africa

Koedoe ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
W.S.W. Trollope
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Nature Conservation ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Specific Reference ◽  
Game Ranching ◽  
Over Time

Veld management refers to the management of natural vegetation for specific objectives related to different forms of land use. In the wildlife context a wide spectrum of different forms of land use are practised ranging from pure nature conservation in large national parks through to smaller areas used for game farming. Consequently the products useable to society emanating from these areas vary greatly, and therefore the management of veld stocked with wildlife is extremely complex and must be adapted to the particular form of land use that is being practised. A generally accepted principle is that the smaller the area being used for wildlife the more intensively it must be managed, particularly game ranches. A prerequisite for the development of an effective veld management program is a comprehensive assessment of the condition of the veld upon which realistic veld management practices can be formulated. These practices will include stocking the veld with the appropriate species and numbers of animals, grazing and browsing management, veld burning and the provision of watering points. Finally a programme for monitoring veld condition over time is a prerequisite for sound veld management.

scholarly journals Systematic conservation planning: a review of perceived limitations and an illustration of the benefits, using a case study from Maputaland, South Africa

Oryx ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Smith ◽  
Peter S. Goodman ◽  
Wayne S. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Systematic Conservation Planning ◽  
Conservation Assessment ◽  
Game Ranching ◽  
Setting Process

Systematic conservation planning is widely considered the most effective approach for designing protected area and other ecological networks. However, many conservation practitioners still ignore these methods and we suggest that five perceived limitations of this process are affecting its uptake. These perceptions are that (1) systematic conservation planning software is difficult to use, (2) the process requires extensive biodiversity distribution data, (3) setting targets for representing conservation features is not possible, (4) the advantages of systematic conservation planning do not outweigh the costs, and (5) the resulting plans often identify unsuitable areas. Here we review these perceived limitations and argue they are all misplaced, although we recognize difficulties in the target setting process. We then illustrate the value of systematic conservation planning to practitioners using a case study that describes a low-cost exercise from Maputaland, South Africa. This preliminary conservation assessment measured the effectiveness of the existing reserve system and identified a number of candidate areas that could be the focus of community- or privately-run ecotourism or game ranching ventures. Our results also emphasize both the importance of producing planning outputs that are specifically targeted for stakeholders, and the role of systematic conservation planning in providing a framework for integrating different provincial, national and transnational conservation initiatives.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Plea and Sentence Agreements in Environmental Enforcement in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 1-41
Author(s):  
Tumai Murombo ◽  
Isaac Munyuki
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
South African ◽  
Environmental Law ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Due Diligence ◽  
Environmental Enforcement ◽  
Criminal Sanctions ◽  
Institutional Strengthening

A recent development in South African environmental law is the use of plea and sentencing agreements. The main objective of environmental law is to promote the sustainable use of natural resources while preventing pollution and ecological degradation. Grand environmental due diligence processes could achieve sustainable development; the use of criminal sanctions with sentencing agreements could be more effective. This paper answers the question whether the plea and sentencing agreements in reality achieve the objectives of environmental regulation? This study analyses this recent development by looking at selected recent cases in South Africa. The study found that plea and sentence agreements are potentially effective, subject to the effective monitoring of compliance and enforcement against non-compliance with the undertakings made by the accused person. Without institutional strengthening and effective monitoring, the plea and sentence agreement procedure remains ineffective.

scholarly journals Tsetse flies should remain in protected areas in KwaZulu-Natal

Koedoe ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian J. Armstrong ◽  
Andy Blackmore
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
South African ◽  
Environmental Governance ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Tsetse Flies ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Environment Friendly ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Negative Impacts

The proposal to eradicate tsetse flies from South Africa, including its protected areas, via the sequential aerosol technique combined with the sterile insect technique to reduce trypanosomiasis in cattle did not present an appropriate analysis of the impacts that implementation of the proposal would have on biodiversity. Not only would the implementation of the proposal be contrary to South African laws protecting and conserving biodiversity, but it would also have negative consequences for the conservation of biodiversity. Some of the negative consequences are reviewed, including extirpations and negative impacts on ecological and ecosystem processes and services. Alternative strategies to control trypanosomiasis in cattle effectively in a more environment-friendly manner are presently available and others will almost certainly become available in the not-too-distant future.Conservation implications: Environmental protection, promotion of conservation and sustainable use of the environment are all deeply seated in South Africa’s law. Rural livestock husbandry considerations and biodiversity conservation are not mutually exclusive and the importance of one cannot supersede the other. The eradication proposal is seen to be environmentally damaging and therefore it is concluded that the purpose of this proposed eradication exercise is unconstitutional, contrary to various multilateral agreements South Africa has entered into and contrary to good environmental governance.

An Analysis of ‘Operation Phakisa’ to Unlock the Potential of Ocean Resources in South Africa

2020 ◽  
pp. 002190962092188
Author(s):  
Kola Sola Odeku
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Contemporary Literature ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
The People ◽  
Economic Goods ◽  
Sustainable Economic Growth

South Africa is endowed with vast ocean resources and wealth which have the potential to provide enormous socio-economic goods and services to the people and create massive economic growth and wealth if vigorously explored and tapped. This assertion is made against the backdrop of the recent government strategical initiative, under the auspices of ‘Operation Phakisa’, to unlock and explore the full potential of the ocean’s wealth to drive economic growth, create jobs and alleviate poverty. This paper seeks to accentuate that the Operation Phakisa initiative has the potential to strategically unlock underexplored ocean resources for purposes of creating sustainable economic growth, development, and alleviation of hunger and poverty. It concludes that effective and sustainable use of the ocean’s wealth depends on good, efficient governance policies, practices and management. Methodically, a qualitative non-empirical research approach was adopted and utilized in this study by sourcing, drawing upon and using information and insights from contemporary literature to address identified problems.

Human-modified landscapes: patterns of fine-scale woody vegetation structure in communal savannah rangelands

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. FISHER ◽  
E.T.F. WITKOWSKI ◽  
B.F.N. ERASMUS ◽  
J. VAN AARDT ◽  
G. P. ASNER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Vegetation Structure ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Biosphere Reserve ◽  
Size Class ◽  
Woody Vegetation ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Cascading Effects

SUMMARYDespite electrification, over 90% of rural households in certain areas of South Africa continue to depend on fuelwood, and this affects woody vegetation structure, with associated cascading effects on biodiversity within adjacent lands. To promote sustainable use, the interactions between anthropogenic and environmental factors affecting vegetation structure in savannahs need to be understood. Airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data collected over 4758 ha were used to examine woody vegetation structure in five communal rangelands around 12 settlements in Bushbuckridge, a municipality in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve (South Africa). The importance of underlying abiotic factors was evaluated by measuring size class distributions across catenas and using canonical correspondence analysis. Landscape position was significant in determining structure, indicating the importance of underlying biophysical factors. Differences in structure were settlement-specific, related to mean annual precipitation at one site, and human population density and intensity of use at the other four sites. Size class distributions of woody vegetation revealed human disturbance gradients around settlements. Intensity of use affected the amplitude, not the shape, of the size class distribution, suggesting the same height classes were being harvested across settlements, but amount harvested varied between settlements. Highly used rangelands result in a disappearance of disturbance gradients, leading to homogeneous patches of low woody cover around settlements with limited rehabilitation options. Reductions in disturbance gradients can serve as early warning indicators of woodland degradation, a useful tool in planning for conservation and sustainable development.

User perceptions of conservation and participatory management of iGxalingenwa forest, South Africa

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN ROBERTSON ◽  
MICHAEL J. LAWES
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Resource Use ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Participatory Forest Management ◽  
Traditional Leadership ◽  
Management And Conservation

New forest policies in South Africa seek to reconcile conservation and development objectives by devolving some responsibility for forest management from the state to local communities. Community participation in forest management aims to protect forest-based subsistence livelihoods by incorporating the interests of resource users, while simultaneously diffusing threats to biodiversity by managing resource use. To date, participatory forest management (PFM) has had mixed success in South Africa because the transfer of rights to users has not accompanied changes in policy. A questionnaire survey of 60 households (43%) revealed the attitudes of users toward current management and conservation options for iGxalingenwa forest. Users chose participatory forest management (52%) over community (25%) or state-dominated forest management (2%) structures. User choice was motivated by the desire to secure rights of access to, and ensure equitable benefit from, a dwindling resource base, rather than the conservation of these resources to sustain future yields. Users were unwilling to reduce resource use and compromise usufruct rights to achieve conservation goals, even to improve the availability of the resource stock. Current user needs compromise biodiversity conservation goals, and users regard state conservation practices as protectionist and obstructing their rights of access to resources. While the National Forests Act of 1998 seeks to conserve resources by limiting access to them and is based on principles of sustainable use, it is nevertheless perceived to offer few incentives to users to participate in forest management and conservation. Ideally, an institutional and legal framework that allocates user rights and managerial responsibilities to households is required, but clearly suitable alternatives to forest products are also vital for successful management. Greater trust between the provincial parks authority and users is needed, but is complicated by weak traditional leadership and poor community representation. Ultimately, users preferred PFM because, while recognizing that harvest rates are unsustainable, user dependence upon forest resources and weak traditional leadership means they can protect usufruct rights only by participation. Changes to any of these factors may create demands for a new management system. PFM allows the greatest flexibility for responding to changes in demands as well as the environment.

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