Sustainable development
Research and implementation of sustainable development initiatives and practices is a focus of the programme. Developmental activities that improve residents access to services and infrastructure, and that increase the food security and incomes the many poor people in the catchment, are sorely needed. Such initiatives should seek to build and sustain the human, social, ecological and economic resources for present and future generations.
Featured Project: Indicators: Sustainability Indicators in Communal Wetlands and their Catchments
This newly-launched project is designed to develop and test of a coherent, integrated and practicable set of indicators for the sustainable use and management of communal wetlands and their catchments, with a strong focus on rehabilitation. It uses the Craigieburn wetlands as an area of focus.
Latest & Featured Documents
Featured Project: The Sand River Catchment as a socio-ecological system (SES)
Restoring the ecological integrity and livelihoods of a catchment and its people is a challenge that calls for an innovative approach. Promising initiatives in the Sand River Catchment (SRC) will flounder without understanding the relationships between economic, social and biophysical influences that underlie the view that the SRC is severely degraded. The project has been examining how vulnerable water security and livelihoods are in the SRC in order to steer it to a more resilient future.
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Featured Project: Governance of Wetlands Natural Resources (Craigieburn Village)
The overarching research question informing this work is: In recognising complexity, how do we strengthen governance and facilitate adaptive management of wetlands in Craigieburn? The project seeks to facilitate strengthening of governance for wetlands management in Craigieburn. To achieve this project has Reviewed policies related to land tenure, land and natural resources management Explored governance in Craigieburn through understanding the current tenure and land administration arrangements and needs for land and natural resource management. Facilitated learning and planning processes to share and discuss research findings, with local people and wetland practitioners, for planning future activities. Drawn learning from the brick mine experience in relation to governance of commonage - to inform changes in practices of this mine and regarding governance of commercial enterprises on communal lands. Documented the process and outcomes - developing learning materials and written reports and papers for sharing with local people (translated with them into Sotho) and practitioners. This work is funded by the International Research Development Centre (IDRC) from June 2006 June 2009,with an extension until March 2010.
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Featured Project: Wetlands and Livelihoods Phase I and Phase II [2003 - ongoing]
This project focuses on the vulnerable wetlands of the Sand River Catchment (SRC) along with the vulnerable livelihoods of the people who farm in these wetlands. The project is based in the village of Craigieburn as a pilot, and is now in Phase II. A number of issues were highlighted by Phase 1 which have important bearing on wetland rehabilitation and management and these form the basis for various interrelated projects of Phase II, including (a) the need for structural rehabilitation, (b) the need for a farmer support programme for raising awareness and capacity, (C) the link between the wetlands and the poor state of the surrounding micro catchment and (d) the need for improved governance of land and natural resources.
Latest & Featured Articles
| Achievements (2006) |
| Phase II: Building capacity for changed practices |
| An action-research project for wise use of wetlands as a contribution to an integrated rehabilitation and management plan for wetlands in the communal areas of the Sand River Catchment |
| Phase 1: Rehabilitation of wetlands in the communal lands of the Sand River catchment |
Latest & Featured Documents
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Water and livelihoods for the poor and vulnerable [File Size: 507.01 KB] |
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Pollard. S. et al. 2005-2. 'The Development of an Integrated Wetland Rehabilitation Plan' WRC report 1512/1/7 [File Size: 5.03 MB] |