- Title
- Costs and consequences at the population-environment-development interface in St Francis Bay: exploring the linkages of a complex system
- Creator
- Pringle, Geena
- Subject
- Population -- Environmental aspects
- Subject
- Population --Statistics
- Subject
- Loliginidae -- South Africa -- st francis bay
- Date Issued
- 2023-04
- Date
- 2023-04
- Type
- Master's theses
- Type
- text
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/61294
- Identifier
- vital:70065
- Description
- Coastal zones the world over are particularly attractive for the development of human settlements. Naturally, this trend frequently results in human induced disturbances of sensitive ecosystems, often resulting in dramatic and unintended consequences. The South African coastline is no stranger to this phenomenon. Dynamics at the population-environment-development interface in the coastal zone often presents affected communities and institutions with complex challenges. An infamous case along the South African coastline is the settlement of St Francis Bay, the focus of this dissertation. St Francis Bay was established as a holiday village around sixty years ago and its economy is today firmly dependent on the fragile bond and reciprocal relationship between the tourist trade and the integrity of sandy beaches. The dissertation, against this background and drawing from complex systems theory, explores the links between human activity and the biophysical environment and the ominous costs and consequences that are produced at the local population-environment-development interface. Domains that are considered within the nexus of relevant aspects include the wind-driven sediment bypass system across the local headland; climate change; the local economy; social wellbeing, inequality and social justice; as well urban planning and political governance. The desktop study applied to St Francis Bay made use of Geographic Information Systems and statistical information to form the basis of the methodological approach in this dissertation. The Population-Environment-Development nexus was formed as a result. The results illustrate how critical levels of beach erosion are connected amidst an intricate reciprocal nexus to these and other aspects. It demonstrates that the sustainability of the settlement hinges on the understanding of such linkages and underscores the relevance of the methodological approach that is applied. The sustainability of the environment and the resulting impact on the quality of life of the human population remains a challenge for future generations as well as governance systems. By acknowledging and understanding the complexity that exists in coastal zones allows for future research on the topic to be explored and enable key role players to proactively intervene to benefit the population and the environment.
- Description
- Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2023
- Format
- computer
- Format
- online resource
- Format
- application/pdf
- Format
- 1 online resource (118 pages)
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Science
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
- Rights
- All Rights Reserved
- Rights
- Open Access
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NMU School of Environmental Sciences
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Pringle, G.pdf | 2 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |