Enhancing integrated coastal management decision making in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa through knowledge transfer and information sharing.
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Date
2019
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Abstract
Coastal environments are complex systems being sought-after for a myriad of environmental, socioeconomic
and cultural activities, supporting an estimated 44% of the world’s population. The demand
for coastal space and resources has created extreme pressure in coastal areas, leading to reduced
coastal functionality and amplified risk of natural hazards. These stresses and changes require
proactive management, in particular through policies and legislation that ensure protection and longterm
sustainability, thus the emergence of Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) as a ‘holistic’
approach. South Africa, being a country of high marine and coastal biodiversity, recognised the need
for better coastal management in the 1970s; however, it was only in 2009 that an Integrated Coastal
Management Act (ICM Act) was promulgated. The Act attempts to tackle the interlinked problems
of coastal development and conservation; however to date implementation has been frustratingly
slow, with capacity constraints and knowledge gaps being the primary limitations. If ICM is to be
effective, coastal managers require a broad range of scientific and social information, modelled data
and environmental indicators, meaning that the scope and complexity of coastal management is
strongly dependent upon capacity. However, in South Africa, these functions do not rest with such
experts, but are assigned to various government departments at the local municipality level. Thus
ICM initiatives, that integrate natural and social sciences and empower managers with best available
knowledge, are required.
This research focused on the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, one of four coastal provinces in South
Africa grappling with ICM implementation. Consequently, the KZN provincial government
committed financial resources to improving knowledge transfer, information sharing and capacity
building. KZN-specific barriers to ICM implementation were identified through a series of interviews
and surveys, from which requirements for an information support tool were determined. The tool,
devised from a coastal management perspective, enables continued knowledge acquisition and
retention, thereby acting as an ‘institutional knowledge bank’. Development followed a participatory
approach that ensured the needs of target users were met, however while such tools can improve
understanding and lead to improved decision-making, their effectiveness depends on continued use
by managers. Additionally, this research shows the value-add of such a tool in conjunction with
traditional capacity building sessions and how these complementary approaches assisted ICM
implementation. Lessons learned from KZN can be up-scaled to inform Government on the value of
the information support tool by incorporating national data and information sharing for ICM capacity
building.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Pietermaritzburg.