Perspectives of stakeholders on engagement around benefits and use of the Wilderness and Swartvlei lakes
- Authors: Roos, Aneri
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Lake ecology -- South Africa , Environmental management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6588 , vital:21121
- Description: The objective of this research was to determine how stakeholder engagement impacts on the use and sharing of ecosystem service benefits derived from large lake systems. The Wilderness and Swartvlei lake systems, which form an integral part of the Wilderness Section of the Garden Route National Park (GRNP), were chosen as the study area. The park is juxtaposed with urban and other land uses making it one of the most integrated urban conservation areas in South Africa. The park is an open-access park with only enclosed areas being the camping and chalet areas that borders onto the Touw River Estuary. A major contribution of this research was that it classified stakeholder groups into ten meta-identities (associations, businesses, charity organisations, conservancies, government departments, informal groupings, learning/educational institutions, multiple stakeholder projects, spiritual groupings and sports clubs) and that through an iterative research approach it stimulated dialogue between individuals across the various meta-identities. Engagement is a way of allowing stakeholders to develop a sense of ownership through the decision-making process. This could also lead to a higher level of trust and cooperation. The main insights drawn from this research were that, history is important; engagement is characterised by an on-going blame-game (at least in part as a result of this particular history); meta-identities share some values, but differ in how they see the world; there is a concern over social issues (widespread concern, but few mechanisms to address the issue); management agencies are stewards of the feedbacks between social and ecological systems (responsible for regulating flows of benefits), but in open-access systems cannot do so on their own; all meta-identities are keen to contribute and this can, with appropriate facilitation, be harnessed towards collective action. Stakeholders associated with all ten meta-identities identified provisioning and cultural services as a benefit derived from the lakes. No regulating or supporting services were identified as benefits. This could indicate a gap in awareness of the importance of these services. A category that emerged from this study is the importance of employment opportunities linked to the management of natural resources. The study showed that engagement does not occur around the benefits that can be derived from the lakes, but rather around the issues that have a direct or indirect influence on the ecosystem services and therefore the suite of benefits that would be available for sharing. The issues could be divided into two broad themes; social issues and developmental pressures. The social issues pose an indirect threat to the lakes while the developmental pressures pose a direct threat. As the mandates across agencies differ, with the municipalities concerned with the social issues and SANParks with the pressures, the importance of communication and cooperative governance was highlighted.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Roos, Aneri
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Lake ecology -- South Africa , Environmental management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6588 , vital:21121
- Description: The objective of this research was to determine how stakeholder engagement impacts on the use and sharing of ecosystem service benefits derived from large lake systems. The Wilderness and Swartvlei lake systems, which form an integral part of the Wilderness Section of the Garden Route National Park (GRNP), were chosen as the study area. The park is juxtaposed with urban and other land uses making it one of the most integrated urban conservation areas in South Africa. The park is an open-access park with only enclosed areas being the camping and chalet areas that borders onto the Touw River Estuary. A major contribution of this research was that it classified stakeholder groups into ten meta-identities (associations, businesses, charity organisations, conservancies, government departments, informal groupings, learning/educational institutions, multiple stakeholder projects, spiritual groupings and sports clubs) and that through an iterative research approach it stimulated dialogue between individuals across the various meta-identities. Engagement is a way of allowing stakeholders to develop a sense of ownership through the decision-making process. This could also lead to a higher level of trust and cooperation. The main insights drawn from this research were that, history is important; engagement is characterised by an on-going blame-game (at least in part as a result of this particular history); meta-identities share some values, but differ in how they see the world; there is a concern over social issues (widespread concern, but few mechanisms to address the issue); management agencies are stewards of the feedbacks between social and ecological systems (responsible for regulating flows of benefits), but in open-access systems cannot do so on their own; all meta-identities are keen to contribute and this can, with appropriate facilitation, be harnessed towards collective action. Stakeholders associated with all ten meta-identities identified provisioning and cultural services as a benefit derived from the lakes. No regulating or supporting services were identified as benefits. This could indicate a gap in awareness of the importance of these services. A category that emerged from this study is the importance of employment opportunities linked to the management of natural resources. The study showed that engagement does not occur around the benefits that can be derived from the lakes, but rather around the issues that have a direct or indirect influence on the ecosystem services and therefore the suite of benefits that would be available for sharing. The issues could be divided into two broad themes; social issues and developmental pressures. The social issues pose an indirect threat to the lakes while the developmental pressures pose a direct threat. As the mandates across agencies differ, with the municipalities concerned with the social issues and SANParks with the pressures, the importance of communication and cooperative governance was highlighted.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Resilience in children raised by grandparents: a systemic review
- Authors: Ellemdeen, Hameeda
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Children , Grandparents , Resilience (Personality trait) , Oraphans -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9868 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1007917 , Children , Grandparents , Resilience (Personality trait) , Oraphans -- South Africa
- Description: The placement of children in alternative care has become a critical challenge facing the nation. Established systems of care are unable to meet the increasing burden of caring for these children and to date extended family care is the most prevalent form of care for orphan and vulnerable children. Looking specifically at the prevalence of grandparent-headed households, this study focuses on the wellbeing and development of children who are placed in the care of their grandparents.The primary aim of the current study is to explore resilience in children raised by their grandparents. Central to the core of resilience in children is identifying elements that detract from their health and wellbeing (risk factors), while understanding those factors that moderate risk to their development (protective factors). A systematic review of existing literature was undertaken with the secondary aim of informing practice and policy regarding the care and placement of children in South Africa. Each primary study included in this review was appraised against best practice standards and salient themes and factors were extracted. The data was synthesized, integrated and applied to the context of child care policy in South Africa. Twelve themes emerged from the systematic review. With regards to protective processes, four broad themes emerged which were consistent with factors identified in literature in the development of resilience. These included a positive relationship with a caregiver, parenting style, providing a sense of continuity and belonging and the stability this placement offers. The remaining eights themes, related to risk factors were financial instability, relationship difficulties with their caregiver, intergenerational differences between grandparent and grandchild, poor caregiver health and wellbeing, ill-discipline and rigid parenting styles, educational difficulties,adverse past experiences of children and emotional difficulties. Based on these emergent themes, policy and intervention-focused recommendations were put forth with the aim of strengthening the capacity of grandparent-headed families to protect and care for orphans and vulnerable children.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Ellemdeen, Hameeda
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Children , Grandparents , Resilience (Personality trait) , Oraphans -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9868 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1007917 , Children , Grandparents , Resilience (Personality trait) , Oraphans -- South Africa
- Description: The placement of children in alternative care has become a critical challenge facing the nation. Established systems of care are unable to meet the increasing burden of caring for these children and to date extended family care is the most prevalent form of care for orphan and vulnerable children. Looking specifically at the prevalence of grandparent-headed households, this study focuses on the wellbeing and development of children who are placed in the care of their grandparents.The primary aim of the current study is to explore resilience in children raised by their grandparents. Central to the core of resilience in children is identifying elements that detract from their health and wellbeing (risk factors), while understanding those factors that moderate risk to their development (protective factors). A systematic review of existing literature was undertaken with the secondary aim of informing practice and policy regarding the care and placement of children in South Africa. Each primary study included in this review was appraised against best practice standards and salient themes and factors were extracted. The data was synthesized, integrated and applied to the context of child care policy in South Africa. Twelve themes emerged from the systematic review. With regards to protective processes, four broad themes emerged which were consistent with factors identified in literature in the development of resilience. These included a positive relationship with a caregiver, parenting style, providing a sense of continuity and belonging and the stability this placement offers. The remaining eights themes, related to risk factors were financial instability, relationship difficulties with their caregiver, intergenerational differences between grandparent and grandchild, poor caregiver health and wellbeing, ill-discipline and rigid parenting styles, educational difficulties,adverse past experiences of children and emotional difficulties. Based on these emergent themes, policy and intervention-focused recommendations were put forth with the aim of strengthening the capacity of grandparent-headed families to protect and care for orphans and vulnerable children.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
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