Browsing by Author "Mbatha, Philile"

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    An analysis of the perceptions surrounding the re-zoning of the Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area
    (2019) Muhl, Ella-Kari; Sowman, Merle; Mbatha, Philile
    Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are an increasingly important tool for sustainable marine governance. However, their effectiveness is improved if designed to consider how people value and interact with coasts and marine resources designated for protection. This research critically examines the different perceptions of stakeholders towards the rezoning of Africa’s oldest MPA, the Tsitsikamma National Park (TNP) MPA. In South Africa, MPAs created prior to 1994 under the Apartheid regime disregarded local communities’ rights to the coast and in some cases removed or restricted access, with no consultation. In December 2016 the TNP MPA was rezoned from a 'no-take’ MPA to a partially open protected area with the aim of readdressing historical exclusion and to provide managed access and benefits to adjacent communities. This thesis explores the perceptions of different stakeholders to the rezoning process and the underlying values, worldviews and beliefs that influence these perceptions. The research also examines the nature of participation in the rezoning process, including issues of representation, trust and legitimacy. Data collection is based primarily on 55 semi structured key informant interviews from the nine different communities adjacent to the Tsitsikamma MPA, scientists, NGO and government officials, as well as a focus group with eight representatives from South African National Parks. Data sources are supplemented with census and mapping information, field observations and a participatory film project. Findings from this research identified and examined the diverse perceptions of stakeholders about the re-zoning and highlighted how different groups have very different perceptions about the benefits of the rezoning for either marine conservation objectives or community economic, livelihood and wellbeing aspirations. What emerged clearly was that perceptions are influenced by values, worldviews and beliefs and that failure to recognize and incorporate these perceptions in planning, discussions and decision-making leads to ongoing contestation and conflict. The research thus highlights the challenge of balancing community rights and needs with conservation goals in a rapidly changing marine context, and highlights that understanding different perceptions and values that underlie these perceptions and providing the space to allow these different views to be shared is important for collaborative governance of MPAs in South Africa. Based on an enhanced understanding of perceptions, recommendations are made regarding the importance of recognizing and incorporating perceptions in planning and decision-making and promoting greater participation in governance.
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    Holding the line: assembling and mapping local and traditional knowledge of historic injustice and environmental change held by handline fishers in the Cape Agulhas region
    (2023) Palmer, Brian; Mbatha, Philile
    Small-scale fishers in the Cape Agulhas region of South Africa hold valuable local and traditional knowledge that is insufficiently incorporated in fishery governance. Several meta-level global directives including the Convention for Biodiversity (CBD), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) call for the incorporation of local knowledge into environmental governance for the sake of achieving more equitable and ecologically sound outcomes. At the national level, the Small-Scale Fisheries Policy (SSFP) calls for stakeholder engagement and the inclusion of local perspectives in management. Additionally, the national Marine Spatial Planning Act (MSPA) addresses the challenges of managing complex social ecological systems by calling for the amalgamation of diverse environmental and human resource usage data through GIS mapping. To date, however, there remains insufficient policy and scholarship dedicated toward outlining methodology for how local and traditional knowledge should be meaningfully and equitably infused into evolving environmental governance toolkits. This research seeks to investigate the ways small-scale fishing knowledge has been historically excluded from fishery governance through lack of consultation and the undervaluing of local perspectives in favor of scientific assessments. By collating historical injustices in the sector this study seeks to identify ways of empowering historically marginalized knowledge holders. Supported by meta-level directives and national policy, this research employs a dual case study in the communities of Struisbaai and Buffeljagsbaai of the Cape Agulhas region. The research is aimed at documenting local and traditional knowledge of small-scale fishers using focus groups, key informant interviews, and mapping surveys. Results of the study demonstrate a wealth of local knowledge held by small-scale fishing communities that remains underutilized in fishery governance. The study results illustrate the need for more widespread ethnographic research and the refinement of methodology so that cultural data can achieve parity with ecological and economic knowledge.
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    The Elephant in The Room: Human-Elephant Conflict in Central District, Botswana
    (2022) Munamati, Kakale; Mbatha, Philile
    Human-Elephant Conflict is a topic of conservation and socio-economic concern in light of its impacts on elephants and humans alike. The phenomenon has been occurring since the 19th century in Asia and Africa. Land use changes and human expansion into previous wildlife strongholds has exacerbated and increased Human-Elephant Conflict notwithstanding the impacts of an increase in the human population worldwide. Human-Elephant Conflict usually occurs in areas adjacent to protected areas with little know of the nature of Human-Elephant Conflict in areas which are not located near protected areas. Mmashoro Village and surrounding farms are an example of an area that is not located adjacent to a protected area but that is still exposed to Human-Elephant Conflict. The nature of Human-Elephant Conflict in Mmashoro village and surrounding farms consists of damage to fences, JoJo tanks and private gardens. Human-Elephant Conflict in Mmashoro village and surrounding areas has also been increasing over time. Human-Elephant Conflict in Mmashoro village and surrounding farms has varying (in degree and extent) impacts on the financial and emotional livelihoods of farm owners, farm workers, and local residents. This study found that the management strategies employed by the Government of Botswana to mitigate impacts of Human-Elephant Conflict were found to be inhibiting and restricting the livelihoods of all stakeholders. The interventions pursued by the government were, therefore, not enabling the present and future potential livelihoods of all stakeholders while also disadvantaging and prejudicing other stakeholders such as Local Residents and Farm Workers. The results of this study therefore indicate that Mmashoro village and surrounding farms present as an interesting case study as the site is not located next to protected areas as is the case with various conflict regions. As such, this study found that more nuanced and adapted management strategies were needed to ensure that government interventions were effective in areas such as Mmashoro Village and surrounding farms. Further studies are needed in sites which are not located next to protected areas but where Human-Elephant Conflict still occurs albeit haphazardly. Such studies will help to highlight the varied approaches often needed in the different geographical and social regions even though such approaches are often disregarded.
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    The role of institutions in supporting coastal communities at risk from climate change: A case study of Buffeljagsbaai, South Africa
    (2022) Ismail, Alveena Aziz; Mbatha, Philile; Sowman, Merle
    Coastal communities are dependent on marine resources which provide their households with food and income. Fishing communities are considered the poorest of the poor and face many challenges that render them vulnerable. Climate change further exacerbates these challenges making fishing communities amongst the most vulnerable groups to coastalrelated risks including sea-level rise and extreme weather events. Often, these fishing communities are neglected and excluded from policies and decisions concerning coastal and fisheries management as well as climate change adaptation. Management is often fragmented across institutions that are mandated to govern coastal resources and coastal areas. The study uses Buffeljagsbaai as a case study lens to understand the nature of coastal risks faced by marginalized coastal communities on the south west coast of the Western Cape Province in South Africa. It investigates how coastal risks related to climatic, social and economic factors affect livelihoods and examines the roles of various institutions in responding to, engaging with, and supporting the Buffeljagsbaai community as they confront coastal risks. Qualitative data collection methods were used to address the objectives of this study and included semi-structured interviews with community members and officials in relevant government institutions, as well as facilitated a community focus group discussions and participant observation. The analysis revealed coastal- related risks have a major impact on the livelihoods of coastal communities. However, over time, the community has diversified their livelihoods in order to adapt to these risks. Findings reveal that women in the case study site have developed more diverse livelihoods making them more resilient to climate change than the fishermen, who are largely dependent on fishing and are consequently more vulnerable to coastal- related risks. In addition, the community has not been given access to coastal resources and where permits have been issued, these have many restrictions. As a result, the community has resorted to “poaching” to provide food and an income for their households. The government institutions that are responsible for various aspects of resource management, disaster risk reduction, poverty alleviation and socio-economic development, are largely absent in the community. The lack of government presence in and support to this community, also referred to as limited statehood, has led to distrust and the reliance on non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to fill this gap.
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    Transboundary landscapes and rural livelihoods: a case study from the northern Kwazulu-Natal and Mozambique border
    (2021) Mahlaba, Simlindile; Mbatha, Philile
    Transboundary landscapes were introduced to southern Africa through colonialism and persist in the present day. These transboundary landscapes are constructed through political boundaries separating states as well as through the linkage of nature reserves and game parks located in adjacent countries. These landscapes have caused shifts in the livelihoods of the rural communities existing near them. This is the case for the Mbangweni rural area in northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. This rural area, located in a transboundary landscape formed by the national border that separates Mozambique and South Africa, sits in between Ndumo Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Park. The proposed linkage of these two nature reserves to each other and to the Maputo Special Reserve in Mozambique seeks to create a transboundary landscape that has negative consequences for the livelihoods of the Mbangweni community. Through the analysis of this rural community and the nature reserves on either side of it, this research sought to enhance understanding about how rural communities interact with transboundary landscapes, as well as the perceptions held by these rural communities and other actors (especially within the conservation sector) about how these landscapes influence rural livelihoods as well as the consequences of these landscapes on rural livelihoods. The study sought to also understand the level of institutional fit and interplay that exists between the institutions that govern over this landscape as well as between the institutions and the lived realities of the Mbangweni community by documenting the historical and current transboundary livelihood practices of the people of Mbangweni, determining the manner in which government actors and conservation authorities perceive and conceive of the transboundary landscape, determining whether or not (and to what extent) local and government perceptions about the transboundary landscape in Mbangweni are similar, and if not, how that affects livelihood activities on the ground and visually mapping out the different perceptions of the landscape held by the Mbangweni community and associated governing institutions. Qualitative data collection methods were used. These included 10 oral history interviews, 2 focus groups and 3 key informant interviews. The findings of this study reveal that the initial establishment of the transboundary landscape in this region led to the separation of the population of the Maputaland. The communities in northern KwaZulu-Natal and those in southern Mozambique once lived as a single population group. The national border separating South Africa from Mozambique was introduced and forced some of the population to settle on one side of the border and the rest on the other side. Although initially very rigid, the border's laws now allow for the informal movement of people and trade of goods between the southern Mozambique and northern KwaZulu-Natal areas. The study, therefore, found that the border's porous nature had a positive impact on the livelihoods of the people of Mbangweni. The findings also revealed that in addition to the national border, other institutions and entities were considered important for the livelihoods of the community. These institutions and entities include the traditional authority, the local municipality and the nature reserves adjacent to the Mbangweni community. These key role players each contributed to and impacted the rural livelihoods with the traditional authority having the biggest influence and most positive impact, the local municipality having the smallest influence and not much of an impact and the nature reserves having relatively minimal influence on the daily conduction of livelihoods but the most negative impact on how these livelihoods are conducted and sustained. Furthermore, the study showed that the key role players hold differing perceptions of the landscape and that these perceptions also differ from those held by the Mbangweni community. The study showed that the disconnect in perceptions of the landscapes results in isolated and fragmented land use by the entities and institutions occupying the same space. Conflict then arises due to the entities understanding and viewing the landscape as a space for different priorities. The nature reserves and their governing institution prioritise natural resource conservation and the Mbangweni community and the traditional authority, as its governing institution, prioritise their livelihoods and access to natural resources. These differing perceptions of the landscape perpetuate the institutional misfit and lack of interplay between the entities and governing institutions. The study found that even with different understandings of the landscape they occupy, each entity and relevant governing institution have the potential to facilitate institutional bricolage which would require adjustments of and changes to their mandates and goals to accommodate the mandates and goals of other institutions, other entities as well as the lived realities of the Mbangweni community. By fostering this bricolage, a transboundary landscape that adequately serves the needs and purposes of all its entities, whilst minimising opportunities for conflict between them, would be created.
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    Understanding philanthrocapitalism and its impact on private nature reserves: A case study of Gorongosa, Mozambique
    (2022) Ochs, Tobias; Mbatha, Philile
    An increasing body of literature reveals that powerful businesspeople have a long history of using their wealth for the benefit of the greater common good. With philanthrocapitalism, a new generation of hands-on donors that have made incredible fortunes within business sectors like information technology or finance, are taking on the world's most pressuring social and environmental problem, willing to change the way of giving and enhancing traditional philanthropy. The rich entrepreneurs turned philanthropists are applying their skills and talents that have made them successful in business and infusing the charity sector with corporate tools and strategies and are getting personally engaged and using political and social networks to leverage their efforts. Driven to find solutions to the world's most severe problems, philanthrocapitalists tend to target problems that cut across national boundaries, such as AIDS, Malaria, illiteracy, and population growth. Next to these familiar fields such as health and education, philanthropists are also increasingly engaging in nature conservation. By establishing private nature reserves or taking over failed state-run nature reserves, elite donors are increasingly featuring neoliberal conservation and intervene in political ecology particularly in biodiversity hotspots in the global South. Notwithstanding philanthrocapitalism growing prominence and significance, broader public debates and academic literature is just emerging in recent years and the impact on nature conservation has received little scholarly attention. By examining the case of the Gorongosa Project (GP), a transnational nature conservation project that was established by U.S. multimillionaire Greg Carr in Mozambique, this thesis seeks to illustrate: a) how philanthrocapitalism influences nature conservation, b) how philanthrocapitalistic conservation projects work in practice and, c) enhance understanding about the implications of philanthrocapitalism in conservation governance, recognising its advantages and limitations. The thesis further seeks to contribute to the academic discourse as the far-reaching ventures of Western philanthrocapitalists have provoked a controversial debate. Advocates such as economists, journalists and political organisations argue that the financial power, unique business skills, resources and networks enable philanthrocapitalists to contribute to solving global issues more efficiently than other stakeholders. In contrast, critics from political or social sciences or conservation point out the increasing influence that wealthy philanthropists have on global policymaking as well as social and political agendas and have raised concerns about democratic values and power and wealth inequalities.