The relationship between rapid densification of peri-urban areas and land degradation: a case study of Nadi/Henley dam area, Msunduzi Municipality.
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Date
2020
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Abstract
Land degradation is a process that is associated with the misuse and mismanagement of land through activities such as agriculture, livestock raising and deforestation. Land degradation is not often attributed to the risks that arise from rapid unplanned development in peri-urban areas. This study focuses on the rapid densification of peri-urban areas taking place on traditional authority land, or Ingonyama Trust land in KwaZulu-Natal, and its associated impacts on land degradation. The research identifies why people are moving, when the rapid densification began and how the natural vegetation and landscape have been altered. The study also considers the physical characteristics that make areas prone to land degradation. The socio-ecological context was also considered to determine if it plays a role in determining the extent of land degradation. The case study approach was instrumental in obtaining the findings, as it allowed for an interdisciplinary research approach to be applied in one particular area. The results concluded that there is a relationship between land degradation and rapid densification, which is intensified by the increasing demand for land in the areas of Nadi and Henley Dam. Factors such as accessibility to land and freedom of ‘construction’, with no controls through planning and building regulations, are some of the pull factors that influence the rapid densification in these areas.
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Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.