scholarly journals Carbon stocks and biodiversity of coastal lowland forests in South Africa: implications for aligning sustainable development and carbon mitigation initiatives

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica A.H. Smithwick
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Carbon Mitigation ◽  
Coastal Lowland ◽  
Lowland Forests

Social Design for Services Framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie SARANTOU ◽  
Satu MIETTINEN
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Research Group ◽  
Design Research ◽  
Service Design ◽  
Social Design ◽  
Practical Action ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World

This paper addresses the fields of social and service design in development contexts, practice-based and constructive design research. A framework for social design for services will be explored through the survey of existing literature, specifically by drawing on eight doctoral theses that were produced by the World Design research group. The work of World Design researcher-designers was guided by a strong ethos of social and service design for development in marginalised communities. The paper also draws on a case study in Namibia and South Africa titled ‘My Dream World’. This case study presents a good example of how the social design for services framework functions in practice during experimentation and research in the field. The social design for services framework transfers the World Design group’s research results into practical action, providing a tool for the facilitation of design and research processes for sustainable development in marginal contexts.

scholarly journals Carbon Dioxide Fluxes and Carbon Stocks under Conservation Agricultural Practices in South Africa

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Nyambo ◽  
Chiduza Cornelius ◽  
Tesfay Araya
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Carbon Stock ◽  
Crop Residue ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Carbon Stocks ◽  
Residue Management ◽  
Co2 Fluxes ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Fluxes

Understanding the impacts of agricultural practices on carbon stocks and CO2 emission is imperative in order to recommend low emission strategies. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of tillage, crop rotation, and residue management on soil CO2 fluxes, carbon stock, soil temperature, and moisture in the semi-arid conditions in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The field trial was laid out as a split-split-plot design replicated three times. The main plots were tillage viz conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT). The sub-plots were allocated to crop rotations viz maize–fallow–maize (MFM), maize–oat–maize (MOM), and maize–vetch–maize (MVM). Crop residue management was in the sub-sub plots, viz retention (R+), removal (R−), and biochar (B). There were no significant interactions (p > 0.05) with respect to the cumulative CO2 fluxes, soil moisture, and soil temperature. Crop residue retention significantly increased the soil moisture content relative to residue removal, but was not different to biochar application. Soil tilling increased the CO2 fluxes by approximately 26.3% relative to the NT. The carbon dioxide fluxes were significantly lower in R− (2.04 µmoL m−2 s−1) relative to the R+ (2.32 µmoL m−2 s−1) and B treatments (2.36 µmoL m−2 s−1). The carbon dioxide fluxes were higher in the summer (October–February) months compared to the winter period (May–July), irrespective of treatment factors. No tillage had a significantly higher carbon stock at the 0-5 cm depth relative to CT. Amending the soils with biochar resulted in significantly lower total carbon stock relative to both R+ and R−. The results of the study show that NT can potentially reduce CO2 fluxes. In the short term, amending soils with biochar did not reduce the CO2 fluxes compared to R+, however the soil moisture increases were comparable.

scholarly journals The protection of environmental interests through corporate governance: A South African company law perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-20
Author(s):  
Anthony O. Nwafor
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Corporate Governance ◽  
South African ◽  
Common Law ◽  
Company Law ◽  
The Common ◽  
Corporate Administrators ◽  
Environmental Interests

The quest to maximize profits by corporate administrators usually leaves behind an unhealthy environment. This trend impacts negatively on long term interests of the company and retards societal sustainable development. While there are in South Africa pieces of legislation which are geared at protecting the environment, the Companies Act which is the principal legislation that regulates the operations of the company is silent on this matter. The paper argues that the common law responsibility of the directors to protect the interests of the company as presently codified by the Companies Act should be developed by the courts in South Africa, in the exercise of their powers under the Constitution, to include the interests of the environment. This would guarantee the enforcement of the environmental interests within the confines of the Companies Act as an issue of corporate governance.

scholarly journals Pruning the Money-Tree to Ensure Sustainable Growth: Facilitating Sustainable Development Through Market-Based Instruments

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 87
Author(s):  
AR Paterson
Keyword(s):  
Waste Water ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Market Failure ◽  
Water Discharge ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Policy Paper ◽  
Environmental Objectives

There is growing global recognition that market-based instruments (MBI), such as environmentally-related taxes, levies and user-charges, are viable tools for facilitating environmental management and, ultimately, sustainable development. These instruments seek to correct market failure to value, or accurately value, environmental goods and services that consequently lead to environmental concerns being accorded insufficient consideration in everyday market activities.  South Africa has introduced various MBI, largely in the form of environmentally-related taxes pertaining to mining, agriculture, electricity supply, water supply, waste water discharge and various products such as fuel and plastic shopping bags. The primary rationale underlying the introduction of these instruments has been revenue generation. Government has, however, acknowledged that MBI have potential to achieve other objectives, namely to mould human behaviour, encourage more efficient resource use and improve actual environmental outcomes. In an effort to facilitate further debate on the issue, the National Treasury recently published a draft policy paper titled A Framework for Considering Market-Based Instruments to Support Environmental Fiscal Reform in South Africa. The Draft Policy Paper reflects a significant shift in fiscal policy and provides four broad tax reform options that could contribute towards meeting both fiscal and environmental objectives, namely: reforming existing environmentally-related taxes and charges in the transport and solid waste sectors; introducing new environmentally-related taxes in the electricity and waste water sectors; reforming legal aspects of non-environmentally-related taxes with perverse environmental incentives and creating incentives to improve environmental outcomes.  This article briefly considers each of the above options set out in the Draft Policy Paper by focusing on the following questions: Why has there been a shift toward the use of MBI to achieve environmental outcomes? To what extent are they used currently in South Africa? What are the options for extending their use in South Africa? What are the prerequisites for their successful implementation?

scholarly journals Independent board of directors and corporate sustainability: A South African and Nigerian perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-68
Author(s):  
Collins Ngwakwe ◽  
Fortune Ganda ◽  
Oladele John Akinyomi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
South African ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Independent Directors ◽  
Environmental Reporting ◽  
Sustainability Disclosure

This paper examined the stance of independent directors on corporate sustainable development initiative in South Africa and Nigeria. This has become apposite considering the role of independent directors in corporate strategic decisions and performance. It is believed that independent boards strive to direct corporate decisions to protect the investors and thus improve financial performance. Given that sustainability initiative is currently occupying a vital strategic position in protecting firms against inherent and imminent climate change and financial risks, the paper undertakes a survey of South African and Nigerian companies to ascertain the role of independent directors on corporate sustainable development initiatives. Using a mix method of primary and secondary data analysis, the paper finds that independent boards in both countries of study understand the importance of sustainability; however a pragmatic stance on sustainability is more visible in South Africa where independent boards are members of and/or participate in nominating corporate sustainability committees. The paper suggests the need for improved detailed disclosure on sustainability in the Nigerian corporate annual reports; the Nigerian Stock Exchange may boost this initiative by establishing a social and environmental reporting index supported by an annual survey of company sustainability disclosure. It also suggests the need to include sustainability awareness and interest in the metrics that are used in the appointment of independent boards in Nigerian companies

scholarly journals Determinants of the Sustainability and Growth of Construction Contractors

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abimbola Windapo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Civil Engineering ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Life Cycle Approach ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Founding Team ◽  
Organisational Factors

The focus of research has mainly been on the life cycle approach to project development, while limited attention has been given to the ageing construction companies that make all these activities/processes happen. This paper examines the organisational factors determining the sustainability and growth of building and civil engineering contractors in South Africa. The paper explores whether there are specific organisational factors that aid the sustainable development and growth of contractors in the South African construction industry. The paper analyses data gathered from face-to-face interviews conducted with four established and twelve upgraded and successful building and civil engineering contractors listed on the Construction Industry Development Board’s (cidb) Register of Contractors. The aim of the study is to identify the organisational factors critical for sustainable contractor development and growth in South Africa. The study found that organizational factors responsible for the sustainable development and growth of construction contractors include the size of the founding team members, management capabilities, strategic decisions made by founders/leaders and the ability of the company to constantly evolve, adapt and respond effectively to threats/challenges whenever they surface, amongst other findings. Capacity to generalise the results of the study to the large cidb registered contractor group is limited by the smallness of the sample size. Future research should make use of a larger sample size to obtain more general findings. The results of the study imply that the founding team size, experience, entrepreneurial and managerial capabilities, capacities and organisational structures that enable the efficient response of companies to external and internal challenges are key components of the definable arrangements that will support the sustainability and growth of construction organisations. The paper is of value to government departments and agencies such as the cidb and contracting firms in the construction industry.

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