Barbara Paterson

Shallow waters: social science research in South Africa's marine environment

This paper provides an overview of social science research in the marine environment of South Africa for the period 1994–2012. A bibliography based on a review of relevant literature and social science projects funded under the SEAChange programme of the South African Network for Coastal and Oceanic Research (SANCOR) was used to identify nine main themes that capture the knowledge generated in the marine social science field. Within these themes, a wide diversity of topics has been explored, covering a wide geographic area. The review suggests that there has been a steady increase in social science research activities and outputs over the past 18 years, with a marked increase in postgraduate dissertations in this field. The SEAChange programme has contributed to enhancing understanding of certain issues and social interactions in the marine environment but this work is limited. Furthermore, there has been limited dissemination of these research results amongst the broader marine science community and incorporation of this information into policy and management decisions has also been limited. However, marine scientists are increasingly recognising the importance of taking a more holistic and integrated approach to management, and are encouraging further social science research, as well as interdisciplinary research across the natural and social sciences. Possible reasons for the lack of communication and coordination amongst natural and social scientists, as well as the limited uptake of research results in policy and management decisions, are discussed and recommendations are proposed.

A social–ecological study of stock structure and fleet dynamics in the Newfoundland herring fishery

A social–ecological study of stock structure and fleet dynamics in the Newfoundland herring fishery Barbara Paterson*, Barbara Neis, and Robert L. Stephenson School of the Environment, Department of Environmental Science, Saint Mary’s University, NS, Canada, B3H 3C3 Marine Research Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa Department of Sociology, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada A1C 5S7 Canadian Fisheries Research Network, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB E3B 5A3, Canada Fisheries and Oceans, St. Andrews Biological Station, St. Andrews NB E5B 2L9, Canada *Corresponding author: tel: þ 1 902 491 6406; fax: þ 1 902 491 6406; e-mail: barbara.paterson@smu.ca

A knowledge-based approach to wildlife management

We present a method for developing a knowledge base to give wildlife managers timely access to pertinent information. This knowledge-based approach to species management in Namibia focuses on anthologies and management strategies for high-value mammal species. To manage wildlife resources sustainably access to an appropriate knowledge base is essential. The strategic species management approach promotes planning on local, national, and international levels. A hypermedia Information System for Rare Species Management (IRAS) and a decision support system (Wildlife Introduction Advisor) are described. Unlike print media, which become dated, hypermedia is easily updated. The non-sequential nature of hypermedia allows information extraction according to the readers needs. Due to this flexibility hypermedia supports adaptive management and information sharing. Usability evaluation of the IRAS system disproved our assumption that established wildlife conservation categories such as habitat, distribution, and numbers are appropriate and sufficient to structure species information. This result led to a restructuring of the information according to management objectives. Evaluation of the Wildlife Introduction Advisor indicates that the model performs reliably and is robust towards input error. Human experts seem to be susceptible to bias. The economic benefits associated with wildlife translocations demand accountability through a well-defined, transparent distribution process. In Namibia this demand is achieved through the use of a knowledge-based decision support tool.