The status of coastal zone management in South Africa
Abstract In this article, an overview of the status of coastal zone management (CZM) in South Africa is presented. Firstly, it provides background to the development of various initiatives to promote sustainable use of coastal resources within the context of sociopolitical changes in South Africa. Thereafter, it examines the progress made with respect to key attributes underpinning most CZM programs. Finally, it identifies obstacles to achieving effective CZM in South Africa and makes recommendations to address these shortcomings. The review reveals that whilst considerable progress has been made in certain areas of program development, such as resource conservation and pollution control, there are several gaps and inadequacies within existing efforts. These include the absence of a clear policy to guide efforts, lack of coordination amongst government departments involved in CZM, as well as inadequacies in our legal and administrative system. The promulgation of a Coastal Zone Management Act and the esta...
Environmental evaluation procedure for coastal developments in South Africa
Abstract The South African coastline represents an area of intense development pressure. Rapid population growth as well as changing political and socio-economic conditions have resulted in increased demands on coastal land, especially for the development of holiday housing and recreation resorts. Until recently, developers and authorities have encouraged and satisfied these demands without rigorous environmental or developmental constraints. Inevitably, this haphazard and unrestrained approach has led to degradation of coastal resources. The root cause of this is the lack of a formal, structured approach for evaluating the environmental implications of development applications. In response to these problems, a systematic procedure for evaluating the environmental suitability and social desirability of development proposals in coastal areas has been developed. The main features of this procedure are outlined in this paper.
Warm Hands in Cold Age – On the Need of a New World Order of Care
The world is aging as fertility and mortality are both decreasing. This article focuses on practical care work for the elderly. Such work is done primarily by women even though a larger portion than previously is paid rather than unpaid. All over the world, most elderly care work is organized within the family, most often unpaid. Men receive more care from partners than women, while women receive more care from female relatives. When care work is paid, the payment is generally low. A comparison between Germany, Spain, and Sweden demonstrates similar gender patterns, even though the role of the state in supporting care differs considerably as do care workers' conditions. The sustainability of today's distribution and organization of care work is questioned as the need for care increases, and the possibility of more equal sharing of care work between women and men is explored.