1,720,995 research outputs found
PROTECTING ECOSYSTEMS BY WAY OF BIOLOGICAL CONTROL: CURSORY REFLECTIONS ON THE MAIN REGULATORY INSTRUMENTS FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENTS, PRESENT AND FUTURE
Get PDFAlthough there are numerous threats to ecosystems and the resultant ecosystem services, alien and invasive plants (AIP) have been identified as being one of the major causes of ecosystem destruction. In addressing the threat of alien and invasive plants through the use of various mechanisms, the regulatory framework imposed by legislation is key in ensuring that that controlling AIPs does in fact not do more harm than good. One such control mechanism, which has the potential to do wonders or wreak havoc if not adroitly implemented, is that of using biological control agents. This contribution provides a brief overview on the three main regulatory instruments used to control biological control agents in South Africa, namely the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act 43 of 1983, the Agricultural Pests Act 36 of 1983 and the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004. It also considers possible future developments on the regulation of biological control agents
An administrative justice perspective on improving EIA effectiveness
Get PDFThe aim of this letter is to provide an administrative justice perspective on EIA effectiveness. EIA is described as essentially an administrative instrument, reflecting a number of principles that revolve around an assessment process which should reflect administrative justice. This includes lawfulness, procedural fairness and reasonableness. Consciously and explicitly incorporating these principles into EIA decision-making has significant potential to strengthen EIA effectiveness and making it fit for the twenty-first century
Regulators’ perceptions of environmental impact assessment (EIA) benefits in a sustainable development context
Get PDFThe costs of conducting Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are well known. Yet the benefits of EIA are much more intangible, leading to a situation where some question its value as the tool of choice for informing decision makers of the sustainability consequences of their actions. Exponents of EIA have thus called for more research on the benefits of EIA in order to provide better evidence on its costs versus benefits, and therefore its value as a decision-making tool. This paper contributes to this evidence by exploring the perceived potential benefits and perceived realised benefits of EIA from a regulators’ perspective in the context of sustainable development. Using South Africa as a case study, one third of all the officials responsible for EIA review and decision-making (referred to in this paper as the “regulator”) were surveyed to identify their perceptions of the benefits of EIA, and their ideas on how to bridge the gap between potential benefits and realised benefits. The paper contributes suggestions for the analysis of benefits in a sustainable development context, and identifies some additional benefits currently missing from the literature. In a South African context, the key potential and realised benefits as perceived by regulators are the protection of biodiversity, public participation, access to information, mitigation of environmental impacts, and legal compliance and enforcement
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Die beskikking van dierkarkasse as afval
Get PDFLLM (Environmental Law and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014The disposal of animal carcasses can pose a significant danger to the health and well being of the environment, people and animals. If waste is not disposed of in a proper manner, it may lead to a serious risk of disease transmission, the attracting of pests and vermin, as well as public health hazards like air and water pollution. There are several methods for the proper disposal of animal carcasses including burial/landfill, incineration, rendering, and composting.
Section 4(d) of the National Environmental Management: Waste Act 59 of 2008 (NEMWA) currently states that the disposal of animal carcasses is regulated by the Animal Health Act 7 of 2002 (AHA). Due to the proposed amendment to section 4(d) in the National Environmental Management: Waste Amendment Bill, 2013, animal carcasses will in future be regulated by NEMWA. A number of acts are applicable to the regulation of animal carcasses in South Africa which include the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA); the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act 39 of 2004 (NEMAQA); the National Water Act 36 of 1998 (NWA); Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 (OHSA); Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002 (DMA); Hazardous Substances Act 15 of 1973 (HSA); National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 (NRTA); and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
The purpose of this study is to investigate and discuss the regulation of the disposal of animal carcasses in South Africa to find a solution for its fragmented regulation or non-regulation. A literature study is used as a research method. The comparative method is used to a certain extent fill any deficiencies that currently exist in the South African legal system relating to the disposal of animal carcasses. The position in South-Africa is discussed according to the disposal methods of burial/landfill, incineration, rendering and composting. The position in certain states in the USA is also discussed in accordance with these disposal methods as they have legislation dedicated specifically thereto. The disposal of animal carcasses by way of landfill is fairly well regulated in terms of South African legislation (NEMWA, NEMA, AHA, NWA and the NRTA). Burial is not regulated and it is proposed that the procedures of Missouri be followed.
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Animal carcasses may be incinerated. Incineration is regulated by NEMA, NEMWA, NEMAQA and the NRTA. There is no specific act dealing with incineration. The state of Texas is a good example of how incineration can be regulated. Composting is regulated to a certain extent by NEMA, NEMWA, NWA, NRTA and NEMAQA, but Minnesota provides an example of good practice. Animal carcasses are rendered to new products. The carcasses are still considered waste until the rendering process is completed. Rendering is regulated by NEMA, NEMWA, NRTA and NEMAQA. The unused parts of the animal remain waste and have to be dealt with in terms of applicable legislation. The legal requirements regarding rendering are well dealt with in Illinois legislation. The transportation of animal carcasses needs to be regulated properly. The NRTA regulates transportation in South Africa. As a result of the abovementioned states in the USA having legislation directly regulating animal carcasses, the transportation of these carcasses are also regulated.
This dissertation discusses the main regulatory challenges that face the regulation of animal carcasses in South Africa, and some recommendations are made on possible amendments to existing legislation.Master
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Barriers and opportunities to the implementation of a zero waste to landfill goal – a platinum mining case study
Get PDFMSc (Environmental Management with Waste Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusAccording to Kaza et al (2018:18), the global amount of waste generated on an annual basis has reached 2.01 billion tonnes, with only 30% being diverted away from landfill through re-use, recycling, composting or incineration. This low percentage of diversion from landfill coupled with the global waste generation figure predicted to increase to 3.4 billion tons by the year 2050, indicates the urgent need for better management of waste by identifying and implementing reduction, re-use and recycling opportunities. From a South African perspective, clear similarities can be drawn with these global waste management trends with about 93 million tons (77%) of the 121 million tons of waste generated per annum being disposed off at landfill (DEA, 2018:20&31).
Landfills have several negative environmental impacts, of which the severity and likelihood will increase as more landfills are established. Some of the main negative environmental impacts associated with landfills include air pollution from waste burning and methane gas release, soil and water pollution caused by seepage from the landfill cells, leachate collection systems, uncontrolled spillages and discharges.
The research aim is built around the following question: What barriers and opportunities may influence the implementation of the zero waste to landfill goal in the platinum mining industry?
The three main objectives are summarised as:
• Identify barriers to zero waste to landfill implementation
• Identify opportunities from the zero waste to landfill implementation
• Identify measures required to bridge the gaps to overcome barriers
The research methodology was based on a case study approach with mixed research methods which included document analysis and semi-structured interviews. The specific case study of a platinum mining company was chosen, as the company in question is leading the current Zero Waste to Landfill (ZW2L) implementation for mining companies in South Africa. The research included all underground and opencast mines, concentrators, smelters and refineries, ensuring that the case study’s barriers and opportunities related to its ZW2L approach covered a broad spectrum of individual waste streams. The applicability of the research outcome will therefore not be limited to Anglo American Platinum (AAP) or other mining companies only, but will also be representative of metallurgical related activities.
From the case study it is clear that human related factors was identified as one of the biggest barriers in the ZW2L drive, which was centred around lack of awareness, compliance, responsibility and management support. Financial barriers, mainly due to increased treatment
cost to achieve ZW2L was identified as an important barrier but was ultimately outweighed by the financial opportunities and establishing a positive business case.
The stand-out opportunity identified during this case study was the environmental benefits associated with the ZW2L drive through the elimination of the need for landfill establishment and associated environmental impacts. These positive environmental opportunities coupled with the human factor opportunities, namely positive social impacts were also considered in the overall business case and not limited to the financial business case only. These are all key elements in considering the sustainability of a project like the ZW2L drive.
A positive observation from the case study is that actions to bridge the gaps were identified and successfully implemented to address majority of the barriers identified in driving ZW2L.Master
Exploring the future of the circular economy in the South African waste sector
Get PDFMSc (Waste Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom CampusThe traditional linear economy where products are made, used and discarded has been prominently the easiest way of managing waste. This has evidently proven to cause problems such as accumulation of waste, depletion of natural resources and deterioration of the environment. Against this background, there is a need to move away from this linear way of thinking to a circular economy system where products are circulated into a loop after they have reached their lifespan. The aim of the study was to explore the future of the circular economy in the South African waste sector. The aim was achieved by interviewing 14 participants using semi structured face to face interviews. The sample size of 14 was sufficient considering the depth of the interviews. Participants included academics, government officials and representatives from the waste management companies. The futures thinking 7 question method which is published was adopted in order to explore the views of the participants with regards to the future of the circular economy in the South African waste sector. The strongest dependencies for future transition to circular economy in the South African waste sector was policy change and legislation implementation followed by the integration of the informal waste sector into the formal system. Awareness education and cultural change coupled with availability of infrastructure was also emphasised. Furthermore, participants also indicated keeping materials in a circular loop, improving economic growth, implementation of waste hierarchy, research and development as part of the factors that will support the future transition to circular economy in the South African waste sector. Regarding future directions, the study provided recommendations to policy makers, municipalities and waste management companies. The recommendations range from reviewing and changing policy followed by implementation, reintroduce separation at source to reduce landfill waste disposal coupled with awareness and education, lastly, introduction of new business models such as repairing, reusing, sharing economy models and also embracing new digital technologies that will allows participation and collaboration across the value chain.Master
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