Maria Hauck

Coastal and fisheries co-management in South Africa: an overview and analysis

The newly elected democratic government of South Africa, has promulgated new policies and legislation which advocate alternative approaches to resource management which involve user groups. Co-management has been identified as one such strategy. An overview and analysis of selected coastal and fisheries co-management case studies in South Africa is given and key lessons are highlighted. Research findings indicate that co-management in South Africa is still in its infancy, making it difficult to provide conclusive statements about its success or failure. Nevertheless, the paper highlights some of the key conditions that are required for co-management to operate effectively in South Africa and some of the existing obstacles to practical implementation.

Turning strategy into action: implementing a conservation action plan in the Cape Floristic Region

This paper describes the history of conservation in the Cape Floristic Region, and the development of a conservation action plan for the region, arising from the Cape Action Plan for the Environment (CAPE). The plan turns the long-term strategy, which identified priorities for conservation action, into a practical 5-year action plan. The tension between protection and the use of natural resources is addressed within the context of institutional frameworks. CAPE has succeeded in bringing together previously fragmented institutions, and has ensured that they work together more effectively. It has also strategically realigned existing resources earmarked for conservation. The factors that contributed to this success include a long history of research-based management; the existence of a body of understanding and knowledge that made it possible to rapidly assess conservation priorities; a small but viable number of scientists to carry out the planning phase of the project and institutions willing to take it forward.

Identification of subsistence fishers, fishing areas, resource use and activities along the South African coast

A description is given of the research undertaken to provide a broad overview of the distribution and numbers of people who are subsistence or artisanal fishers and their activities along the coast of South Africa, to assist in the formulation of management protocols and to refine the existing definition of subsistence fishing. In total, 200 people were interviewed during the study, resulting in the identification of about 147 fishing communities, an estimated 28 338 fisher households and 29 233 people who potentially could be considered as subsistence fishers. Most of these fishers were found on the East Coast, more than 75% in southern KwaZulu-Natal and the former Transkei. They live in both rural and urban settings and harvest a variety of different species from intertidal, shallow subtidal and nearshore environments. Intertidal harvesting was the dominant activity along most of the East Coast, followed closely by subtidal harvesting. Harvesting nearshore resources that require the use of a boat was relatively unimportant there. By contrast, harvesting of nearshore resources was the most important activity on the West Coast, intertidal and subtidal resources being of lesser, but equal importance. Fish, rocky intertidal invertebrates and sandy beach invertebrates are harvested by subsistence fishers around the entire coast, whereas estuarine invertebrates feature prominently on the southern and northern regions of the East Coast. Certain high-value resources such as oysters (mainly Striostrea margaritacea), rock lobsters Jasus lalandii and Palinurus homarus and abalone Haliotis midae are also taken. These are not usually consumed by the fishers themselves, but are rather sold to generate income, and the people undertaking these activities should more accurately be considered as small-scale commercial fishers than subsistence fishers. A high proportion of the fishers in the South-Western Cape make use of motorized vessels. Fishers there also range over longer distances than those in other parts of the country. In general, however, subsistence fishers tend to live close to their point of harvest, mostly within 10 km. These results are discussed in the light of existing perceptions about what constitutes a subsistence fisher, and some of the difficulties in identifying criteria to define subsistence fishers and in developing appropriate management strategies are highlighted.

Marine protected area management in South Africa: new policies, old paradigms.

A historical perspective on MPA identification and governance in South Africa reflects the continued influence of a top-down and natural science-based paradigm, that has hardly changed over the past half century, despite the wealth of literature, and a growing consensus, that advocates the need to adopt a more integrated and human-centered approach. Based on extensive research in two coastal fishing communities, the paper highlights impacts and conflicts arising from this conventional approach to MPA identification, planning and management. It argues that failure to understand the particular fishery system in all its complexity, in particular the human dimensions, and involve resource users in planning and decision-making processes, undermines efforts to achieve conservation and fisheries management objectives. The customary rights of local resource users, and their food and livelihood needs in relation to marine resources, need to be acknowledged, prioritized and integrated into planning and decision-making processes. Convincing ecologists, fisheries scientists and managers, that MPA success depends on addressing the root causes of resource decline and incorporating social factors into MPA identification, planning and management, remains a huge challenge in South Africa.

The process of developing a management system for subsistence fisheries in South Africa: recognizing and formalizing a marginalized fishing sector in South Africa

Subsistence fishers were first recognized as a formal fishing sector in South Africa when new fishing legislation, aimed at redressing past inequalities, was enacted in 1998. Little information was available about these fishers, their activities, and the resources upon which they rely. Recognizing the imperative to gain an understanding of the fishers and to consult broadly, the national agency responsible for the management of marine living resources, Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, appointed a Subsistence Fisheries Task Group (SFTG) in December 1998 to provide advice on the implementation of appropriate management systems for subsistence fisheries. This paper describes the process followed to formulate recommendations that were presented by the SFTG to MCM in February 2000. The activities of the SFTG fell into two categories: research aimed at identifying subsistence fishers and gaining an understanding of their activities and socio-economic profiles; and consultation aimed at ensuring that the needs and aspirations of fishers and the experience of local managers were incorporated. Research included both field-based studies and synthesis of information about comparative fisheries elsewhere. Consultation took the form of local interviews and focus-group discussions, meetings with fishers and a national workshop. A pivotal activity was the development of a clear definition and qualifying criteria for subsistence fishers. A significant outcome was the identification of a separate small-scale commercial sector, previously erroneously lumped with subsistence fishers. Needs of fishers and problems identified during the process provided the basis for recommendations in the following areas: definitions, assessment and categorization of resources, management systems, communication mechanisms, application and allocation procedures, capacity building, compliance, research and monitoring, and funding and staff required for the management of this new sector. An evaluation is made of the opportunities presented by the SFTG process, constraints experienced and lessons learnt, giving important insights that are applicable to other similar processes, yet seldom documented in formal literature.

Crises in the South African abalone and Chilean loco fisheries: shared challenges and prospects

Worldwide there is an increasing realisation that there is an inextricable link between the natural and human systems, and there is a need to integrate these into the governance of small-scale fisheries. The critical importance of adopting such an approach is argued in this paper by exploring the challenge of resource over-exploitation in the abalone fishery in South Africa and the loco fishery in Chile, both of which faced unsuccessful fishery closures and the implementation of Territorial Use Rights in Fisheries (TURFs). By exploring similarities and differences in fisheries context and approaches, these case studies highlight that although management strategies have been progressive on paper, they are compromised, to different degrees, by a lack of understanding of the socio-economic and political factors that are influencing the fisheries system. We argue that unless a more integrated approach is adopted to understand the social-ecological system as a whole, few long-term benefits will be secured for both the resources and the livelihoods of fishers.

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.