Impacts of Climate Change in Determining the Ecological Reserve
- Authors: Tanner, Jane L , Griffin, Neil J , Slaughter, Andrew R , Mantel, Sukhmani K , Dabula, Pumza , Hughes, Denis A , Wolff, Margaret G
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , report
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/438128 , vital:73437 , ISBN 978-0-6392-0124-5 , https://wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/2834 final.pdf
- Description: The intermediate and long-term impacts of climate change require evaluation of the adaptive capacity of the riverine ecosystems to pro-mote sustainability. The predicted climate change impacts are the moti-vation behind the current research which targets the knowledge gap of the impacts of climate change on the ecological Reserve (or Ecological Water Requirements [EWR]). In order for the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to meet their mandate to protect aquatic ecosystems, given the constraints of climate change, it is necessary to take cogni-sance of the implications of climate change and to make the necessary adjustments and changes to the ecological Reserve determination methodology. These adjustments will help ensure that sufficient water, at the right time, distributed in the right flow pattern and of adequate quality is provided, so that key ecological processes are sustained, and that biotic communities maintain their health and integrity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Exploring and expanding transdisciplinary research for sustainable and just natural resource management
- Authors: Finca, Andiswa , Wolff, Margaret G , Cockburn, Jessica J , de Wet, Christopher J , Bezerra, Joana C , Weaver, Matthew J T , de Vos, Alta , Ralekhetla, Mateboho M , Libala, Notiswa , Mkabile, Qawekazi B , Odume, Nelson O , Palmer, Carolyn G
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/416307 , vital:71337 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11077-240414"
- Description: Transdisciplinarity is gaining acceptance in sustainability science research as an approach to work across disparate types of knowledge and practices in order to tackle complex social-ecological problems. On paper, transdisciplinarity appears to be substantially helpful, but in practice, participants may remain voiceless and disadvantaged. In this paper, we retrospectively investigate four case studies using recent design principles for transdisciplinary research, to explore a deeper understanding of the practical successes and failures of transdisciplinary research engagement. We show that the transdisciplinary way of working is time consuming, challenging, and insists that researchers and participants contribute reflexively. Careful attention to research design and methodology is central. The acceptance that complexity renders knowledge provisional, and complete honesty about the purpose of the research are critical to building relationships between researchers and participants. Gaining an understanding of the values people hold influences the research process and the possible outcomes toward sustainable and just natural resource management. We suggest that in order to enable sustainable and just natural resource management, transdisciplinary research should include values and ethics in the design, implementation, and reporting of projects.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
How to engage with coal mines through Catchment Management Forums
- Authors: Munnik, Victor , Holleman, Helen , Wolff, Margaret G , Palmer, Carolyn G
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , report
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/437882 , vital:73419 , ISBN 978-1 4312-0990-3 , https://wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/SP 122-18 web.pdf
- Description: This book was written for the catchment management forum (CMF) in the Upper Komati Forum (UKF), and they share their experience in order to help other CMFs understand the damage coal mining does to our water resources. This booklet should be used with How to think and act in ways that make Adaptive IWRM practically possible and How to establish and run a Catchment Management Forum.
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- Date Issued: 2019
How to use Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM) and the Adaptive Planning Process (APP) to build a shared catchment future
- Authors: Palmer, Carolyn G , Rogers, Kevin H , Holleman, Helen , Wolff, Margaret G
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , report
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/437965 , vital:73425 , ISBN 978-1 4312-0991-0 , https://wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/SP 123-18 web.pdf
- Description: For members of Catchment Management Forums (CMFs) and Catchment Manage-ment Agencies (CMAs). CMFs are made up of people who represent all the stake-holders in a catchment. They are the people who know the catchment best, and therefore are in the best position to alert CMAs to local issues and to help develop the strategic plans for their local catchment. However, catchments are dynamic*, complex* systems that need a special planning approach – and that is what this handbook is about. If one part of a catchment is neglected and damaged, it affects the whole system and everyone living in it. We use and recommend a flexible, adap-tive approach in which everyone involved in the planning is both a teacher and a learner, and where everyone contributes their special wisdom to developing a sustainable plan for the catchment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
How to establish and run a catchment management forum
- Authors: Palmer, Carolyn G , Holleman, Helen , Wolff, Margaret G
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , report
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/437894 , vital:73420 , ISBN 978-1 4312-0986-6 , https://wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/SP 118-18 web.pdf
- Description: The user-friendly series of “How to….” handbooks are aimed at staff and stakehold-ers in catchment management forums (CMFs), catchment management agencies (CMAs) and municipalities. The handbooks are not all written at exactly the same level of “user-friendliness”, it depends on the topic, and target users.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018