11 research outputs found
Decision analysis to inform invasive alien plant management in the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve
No full textInvasive alien plants (IAP) pose significant threats to global economies and biodiversity and are often considered as wicked problems. With an increasing number of IAP and limited resources, their management and decision-making processes are becoming difficult because of uncertainty, multiple and conflicting objectives, and diverse stakeholder views, facts and values. This is particularly challenging given the complex interactions between economic, ecological, and social elements that exist in invaded areas. Consequently, it is important to incorporate new ways of thinking and novel methodologies to improve our understanding of IAP management and the decision-making processes around them, which are currently inadequate. Decision analysis can help with dealing with these challenges and support decision-making under uncertainty. Drawing on the systems thinking approach and the concepts of leverage points, transition management and transformational change, the aim of this thesis was to explore the effectiveness of IAP management and the decision-making process in the Garden Route Biosphere Reserve (GRBR). This was achieved using a mixed methods approach involving: social-ecological inventory (identifying relevant stakeholders); review of literature on the available decision support tools; key informant interviews (stakeholder perspectives on the current decision-making process); and stakeholder workshop and expert consultation (casual loop modelling). The results of this thesis provide evidence that application of the proposed principles of robust decision-making has the potential to overcome the weaknesses of the current decision-making process and as such, enables decision-makers to efficiently allocate resources towards IAS management. A novel causal loop diagram (CLD) was developed to highlight the interconnections between key variables in IAP management and decision-making. This revealed that to transcend ‘policy resistance’ and ‘quickfixes that fail’ archetypes, and improve IAP management, the stakeholders need to consider deep leverage points, for example, fostering trust and shared understanding among different stakeholder groups. These can be realistically maintained over the long-term and can cause a fundamental change in IAP management, rather than focusing on shallow leverage points that are relatively easy to implement but do not result in significant systemic change. The findings of this thesis are flexible and could guide various stakeholder groups at local, national, and international scales in improving the effectiveness of IAP management and decision-making
Local community benefits from elephants: Can willingness to support anti‐poaching efforts be strengthened?
No full textPoaching of Africa's elephants has led to substantial population declines over the last decade. Local communities coexisting with elephants can play an important role in strengthening protection measures against poaching. Our paper empirically examined how the spread of costs and benefits associated with elephants, and associated ownership rights, influenced community attitudes to support anti‐poaching activities. Based on surveys of 90 community members in the Zimbabwean part of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, our results show that 92% of the respondents were unwilling to engage in conservation activities due to lack of financial gain from elephants. Local communities identified numerous benefits and costs associated with elephants. The majority (54%) of community members identified meat from the elephant as an essential benefit to their livelihoods. The most significant cost identified by the majority (60%) of respondents was crop destruction. The reported costs influenced villagers' perceptions of elephants with 71% of respondents stating that continued incurred costs has reduced their willingness to participate in conservation activities. More so, the majority (88%) of respondents indicated that these costs have led to locals supporting actions to reduce elephant numbers. Furthermore, 82% of respondents indicated a lack of remorse when an elephant was killed after destroying their crops, and 95% of community members identified that feelings of bitterness toward elephants increased as they encountered costs. Our results suggest that gaining local support for elephant conservation to be more sustainable in low income regions, the overall benefits from elephants should outweigh the costs they impose.Full Tex
Linking livelihood and ecosystem change in two dryland sites in Southern Africa over a period of 30 years
No full textThe ongoing and rapid change (from global to local level) in climate, populations, governments, cultures, environment, land use and economies are critical issues, especially for poor rural communities found in the dryland parts of southern Africa. The manifestations of change can combine to increase rural livelihood vulnerability, through the erosion of assets and insecurity, but can at the same time create new opportunities. Studies that consider the complex nature of change across scales and how it affects changes in livelihoods, ecosystems and responses at local level, are increasingly needed. This study, carried out in two purposefully selected study sites in the communal drylands of south-eastern Zimbabwe (Marwendo village) and Limpopo province in South Africa (Tshivhulani village), examined the complex nature of change across scales by assessing the way in which change at the global scale results in localised trends, shocks and stressors, and its impacts on livelihoods and ecosystems and responses over the past 30 years. The study applies social-ecological system thinking in understanding human-environment change. Particular emphasis was put on the role of social protection and natural resources in responding to change, shocks and stressors. The study employed a mixed method approach to gather data which included a household survey, life history interviews, transect walks, focus group discussions as well as secondary sources of information. The results of the study illustrate that shocks and stressors are common in both villages and are likely to increase in severity and frequency with ongoing and rapid human-environmental change, especially climate change. The local responses to change, shocks and stressors are primarily reactive and mainly intensify exploitation of existing natural resources and social protection as safety-nets. In Marwendo village, the villagers relied more on the use and sale of natural resource products readily available to them, whereas in Tshivhulani village they mainly tend to rely on social grants. Thus, in the future, households’ vulnerability might increase, and may be worse in Marwendo village, since important components of current livelihoods remain natural resource-based and climate sensitive. In Tshivhulani village, livelihoods characterised by high dependence on social grants can have severe consequences for households as children get older or elderly members die and grants cease to be available. Social grants therefore only really offer a temporary relief. This coupled with environmentally destructive practices such as brick-moulding in Marwendo village and uncontrolled settlements in Tshivhulani village may reinforce the negative impacts of change and thus undermine sustainable adaptation. The study concludes that multiple lenses for understanding the links between livelihood and ecosystem vulnerability in the context of the ongoing and rapid change are essential, and these provide insights into how different policy options for livelihood improvement and social protection might be appropriate for reducing household and ecosystem vulnerabilities in the future
Integrating local indigenous knowledge to enhance risk reduction and adaptation strategies to drought and climate variability : The plight of smallholder farmers in Chirumhanzu district, Zimbabwe
No full textThis article focuses on drought risk reduction and climate change adaptation strategies
adopted by rural households to sustain their livelihood activities. The overall objective was
to understand the local household’s responses to the changing climate especially drought.
The study was carried out in Chirumhanzu district in Zimbabwe and used a mixed methods
approach combining 217 household surveys, targeted focus group discussions, participatory
learning actions methods, key informant interviews and a document review. Household
data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences and thematic content analysis
was used for the qualitative data. We found that the majority of households showed
awareness of several risk reduction and adaptation strategies to implement during and/or
when drought was predicted, with 56% of the respondents stating stocking of grain as initial
strategy. Other strategies adopted at household level included early planting (at first rains),
conservation farming, planting small grains and dry planting. Indigenous and traditional
knowledge systems and practices, including local people’s holistic view of the community
and environment, were a major resource for adapting to climate change and drought risks.
However, these indigenous knowledge systems and practices had not been consistently used
in the existing adaptation and risk-reduction efforts. Indigenous knowledge was not
sufficiently acknowledged and integrated into formal risk reduction and adaptation
strategies, which resulted in limited success for external interventions. There is need for
integration of local and indigenous knowledge systems and external interventions to build
household livelihoods that are resilient to climate risks
Exploring Long-Term Livelihood and Landscape Change in Two Semi-Arid Sites in Southern Africa: Drivers and Consequences for Social–Ecological Vulnerability
No full textThis paper investigates the drivers and dynamics of livelihood and landscape change over a 30-year period in two sites in the communal drylands of Zimbabwe (Marwendo) and South Africa (Tshivuhulani). Of particular interest to us was how access to social protection and a wider range of options may mitigate increased vulnerability under a changing climate. A mixed methods approach (using household surveys, focus group discussions, life history interviews, transect walks and secondary sources of data) was applied to develop human–environment timelines for each study site. Findings indicate that prolonged periods of droughts, unreliable rainfall, changing socioeconomic policies and development-related projects were among the major drivers of both positive and negative change in both villages. Marwendo, in particular, experienced a suite of negative drivers in the last 10 years that increased vulnerability and forced households to diversify into potentially maladaptive activities. In contrast, the expansion in social grants in Tshivhulani provided an important safety net that reduced vulnerability, but also led to a decline in farming and a narrowing of livelihood activities for some households. We demonstrate that rural development initiatives such as electrification and road construction can strengthen local people’s capacity to respond to drivers of change, while new methods of farming and diversification of the livelihood portfolio can make them more climate-resilient. However, long-term changes in landscapes and ecosystem services and feedbacks on livelihoods could reverse some of the benefits of development by eroding the natural capital many households still depend on
Is Awareness on Plastic Pollution Being Raised in Schools? Understanding Perceptions of Primary and Secondary School Educators
No full textPlastic pollution is a major global issue and its impacts on ecosystems and socioeconomic sectors lack comprehensive understanding. The integration of plastics issues into the educational system of both primary and secondary schools has often been overlooked, especially in Africa, presenting a major challenge to environmental awareness. Owing to the importance of early age awareness, this study aims to investigate whether plastic pollution issues are being integrated into South African primary and secondary education school curriculums. Using face-to-face interviews with senior educators, we address this research problem by investigating (i) the extent to which teachers cover components of plastic pollution, and (ii) educator understandings of plastic pollution within terrestrial and aquatic environments. The results indicate that plastic pollution has been integrated into the school curriculum in technology, natural science, geography, life science, life skills and life orientation subjects. However, there was a lack of integration of management practices for plastics littering, especially in secondary schools, and understanding of dangers among different habitat types. This highlights the need for better educational awareness on the plastic pollution problem at both primary and secondary school level, with increased environmental programs needed to educate schools on management practices and impact
Reconceptualising education support services in South Africa
No full textInclusive education has been phased in in South Africa since 2001, but relies heavily upon adequate support services to support learners and teachers experiencing barriers to learning and development. This book focuses on the different levels of support provided in South African education – from School-based Support Teams to District-based Support Teams through to special and full-service schools, and how these could be reconceptualised to provide improved support to learners and teachers. Current research indicates that inclusive education is being implemented in varied and fragmented forms across the country, and the point of departure of this work is that education support services need to be improved and reconceptualised to ensure better support for inclusive education
Reconceptualising education support services in South Africa
No full textInclusive education has been phased in in South Africa since 2001, but relies heavily upon adequate support services to support learners and teachers experiencing barriers to learning and development. This book focuses on the different levels of support provided in South African education – from School-based Support Teams to District-based Support Teams through to special and full-service schools, and how these could be reconceptualised to provide improved support to learners and teachers. Current research indicates that inclusive education is being implemented in varied and fragmented forms across the country, and the point of departure of this work is that education support services need to be improved and reconceptualised to ensure better support for inclusive education
'Reparation and Inequality Through Different Diasporas: The Case of the Zimbabwean Diaspora in Leeds, United Kingdom and Limpopo Province, South Africa'
No full textThis thesis focuses on the unprecedented exodus of Zimbabweans from the country of their birth to South Africa and the UK and their subsequent experiences of life in the diaspora. Since the late 1990’s, Zimbabwe has lost a significant percentage of her population. This loss accelerated towards the dawn of and into the new millennium in a series of migration episodes that were spawned by both economic and political catastrophes.
These migration episodes to South Africa and the UK comprised of mixed flows i.e. both skilled and unskilled migrants; economic and political refugees etc. Leeds and Limpopo were chosen as the main loci of this study because of the contrasting stock of migrants found there. Given that this thesis explores the differences in human and social capital and migration strategies between the two countries, these two areas were selected because of their contrasting population of migrants. These differences are evident in terms of educational and professional qualifications, levels of financial capital and histories of transnational circulation.
This thesis uses a mixed method approach consisting of both quantitative and qualitative methods. This was informed by the dearth of credible statistical data on the Zimbabwean diaspora resident in Leeds and Limpopo. The thesis therefore, draws on a questionnaire survey, semi structured interviews and ethnographic data that was gathered in Leeds and Limpopo with members of the Zimbabwean diaspora.
Data gathered from the survey enabled a detailed profile of migrants to be constructed which disentangled the different constituents of this nascent diaspora. Migrants’ transnational activities were investigated given the public interest currently surrounding diasporic activities such as remittances. Migrants’ diasporic experiences are shaped by complex and intertwined factors e.g. immigration status. These factors have a bearing on migrants’ ability to meet their transnational obligations. Furthermore, migrants’ transnational linkages and transactions have an impact on their return intentions
