Documenting indigenous knowledge systems' role within the governance of marine and coastal conservation in South Africa - a Sokhulu case study
| dc.contributor.advisor | Mbatha, Philile | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Kozanayi, Witness | |
| dc.contributor.author | Lebeko, Tlotlo Bridgette | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-06-26T10:08:10Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-06-26T10:08:10Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2026 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2026-06-26T09:55:08Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | A vast body of literature provides historical accounts of the establishment of nature conservation interventions and their manifestations in post-colonial Africa. These studies highlight the impact of Western conservation ideals on the relationship between African Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLCs) and nature and how natural resource governance was constituted. Narratives of disenfranchisement, dispossession, and marginalisation emerge centrally. Local people were stripped from their ancestral lands, disconnected from historical rights and access to natural resources, and subjected to the systematic erasure of Indigenous and local ecological knowledge. This paves the way for a Western-constructed ideal of ‘pristine', ‘wilderness', and ‘biodiversity' protection. This has placed significant focus on managing marine and coastal environments and resources. Building on these historical dynamics of nature conservation in practice and its impact on IPLCs, this research project uses the rural coastal community of Sokhulu in northern Kwa- Zulu Natal, South Africa, as a lens to enhance an in-depth understanding of what local ecological knowledge of IPLCs constitutes, with the view to contributing to how it can be incorporated into conservation planning, processes, and practices where the inclusion of IPLCs is increasingly being encouraged. Documenting oral histories of this community underscores how Afrocentric Indigenous Knowledge systems (AIKS), guided by the principle of respect, continue to function as a local approach to ecological governance in post-apartheid South Africa. It responds to global sustainable development policy calls (i.e Agenda 21, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IBPES), and Kunming-Montreal Framework (K-M GBF) and illustrates the rich knowledge present in this community by demonstrating the importance of effectively integrating IPLCs into natural resource governance. | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Lebeko, T. B. (2026). <i>Documenting indigenous knowledge systems' role within the governance of marine and coastal conservation in South Africa - a Sokhulu case study</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43404 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Lebeko, Tlotlo Bridgette. <i>"Documenting indigenous knowledge systems' role within the governance of marine and coastal conservation in South Africa - a Sokhulu case study."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities, 2026. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43404 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Lebeko, T.B. 2026. Documenting indigenous knowledge systems' role within the governance of marine and coastal conservation in South Africa - a Sokhulu case study. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43404 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Lebeko, Tlotlo Bridgette AB - A vast body of literature provides historical accounts of the establishment of nature conservation interventions and their manifestations in post-colonial Africa. These studies highlight the impact of Western conservation ideals on the relationship between African Indigenous People and Local Communities (IPLCs) and nature and how natural resource governance was constituted. Narratives of disenfranchisement, dispossession, and marginalisation emerge centrally. Local people were stripped from their ancestral lands, disconnected from historical rights and access to natural resources, and subjected to the systematic erasure of Indigenous and local ecological knowledge. This paves the way for a Western-constructed ideal of ‘pristine', ‘wilderness', and ‘biodiversity' protection. This has placed significant focus on managing marine and coastal environments and resources. Building on these historical dynamics of nature conservation in practice and its impact on IPLCs, this research project uses the rural coastal community of Sokhulu in northern Kwa- Zulu Natal, South Africa, as a lens to enhance an in-depth understanding of what local ecological knowledge of IPLCs constitutes, with the view to contributing to how it can be incorporated into conservation planning, processes, and practices where the inclusion of IPLCs is increasingly being encouraged. Documenting oral histories of this community underscores how Afrocentric Indigenous Knowledge systems (AIKS), guided by the principle of respect, continue to function as a local approach to ecological governance in post-apartheid South Africa. It responds to global sustainable development policy calls (i.e Agenda 21, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IBPES), and Kunming-Montreal Framework (K-M GBF) and illustrates the rich knowledge present in this community by demonstrating the importance of effectively integrating IPLCs into natural resource governance. DA - 2026 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - governance KW - coastal conservation KW - South Africa LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2026 T1 - Documenting indigenous knowledge systems' role within the governance of marine and coastal conservation in South Africa - a Sokhulu case study TI - Documenting indigenous knowledge systems' role within the governance of marine and coastal conservation in South Africa - a Sokhulu case study UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43404 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43404 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Lebeko TB. Documenting indigenous knowledge systems' role within the governance of marine and coastal conservation in South Africa - a Sokhulu case study. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities, 2026 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43404 | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.language.rfc3066 | eng | |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Humanities | |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.subject | governance | |
| dc.subject | coastal conservation | |
| dc.subject | South Africa | |
| dc.title | Documenting indigenous knowledge systems' role within the governance of marine and coastal conservation in South Africa - a Sokhulu case study | |
| dc.type | Thesis / Dissertation | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | Masters | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | Masters |