CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
7.1. Introduction
7.2.3. History of poor (or Lack) of Planning in remote areas
It is accepted by the municipal officials that the rural community are at risk of disasters due to poor planning (i.e. no schemes) guiding their land uses activities which results in the disrespect of the environmentally sensitive areas. This is a problem as the IDP review 2015/2016 clearly stated “…
cognisance is taken of the fact that there is no formal structure or mechanism of consultation between the municipality and traditional leaders” (ELLM, 2015: 333). The researcher also recommends that there be an improvement in this regard. For example, Nkosi Nodada/Mthembu leading the Abathembu including Emachibini (Ward 7), Mcitsheni, and other areas was not mentioned in the IDP”. From the interviews conducted, it was not stated whether the traditional authorities are trained in order to have the meaningful input in decision-making and also influence compliance in their areas.
The improvement of the department of the traditional authorities may be in a form of development of a common framework to deal with the land allocation processes in the areas outside the urban areas [former homelands] especially those under traditional authority and the Ingonyama Trust. This process could be
120 | P a g e supervised by the professionals and, the traditional leaders should receive training to improve their capacity to deal with the land allocation (if at all, they receive powers to continue with the responsibility to allocate land). This is important as a tool to assist the municipalities in complying with the PDA and SPLUMA legislative frameworks in terms of the Wall-to-Wall scheme requirements. It is suggested that by educating the ward councillors and traditional leaders, who then can educate the public there will be much greater acceptance and buy in of the municipal schemes.
In her suggestion and vision about the importance of disseminating the information regarding flood risks and environmental changes (including climate adaptation), Respondent 4: LG Stakeholder-Town Planning Unit (2015) stated that,
Communities and developers must be encouraged to be aware of the importance of aligning their developments with our SDF- Spatial Development Framework and in this way, we avoid urban sprawl and make an effort to avoid the encroachment of the flood lines. As we are well aware of the macro-scale problems such as climate change and the implication this will have to our municipality, the environmentally sensitive areas are mapped and taken into account in our SDF.
Respondent 4: LG Stakeholder-Town Planning Unit, (2015) also expressed her concerns about the dongas in the municipality (i.e. Roosbom) which eats up land for housing. Her recommendation was that there be a plantation of trees and other indigenous vegetation types by the communities and the Department of Parks because this will prevent soil erosion. This proved that some of the officials are aware of the ecosystems services to regulate erosion but little knowledge exists about how the important natural features are disturbed due to the lack of investment in the soil conservation strategies to boost the value of the EI.
It may be recommended that the planners must be educated about other ecosystems benefits or functions. For example, the provisioning, cultural, and supporting services. These are very important as they form part of climate change adaptation and planning and public policy is affected by these factors. They must also be encouraged that there are lands that must be zoned for ‘no use’ as they will serve the purpose of protecting their citizens from the disasters and serve the needs of future generations. The researcher argues that spatial planning is not only about always using land. The focus must also be oriented to the measures aiming to restrict the use of land.
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7.3. Value of Ecological Infrastructure
As highlighted in Chapter 2, the theories about advocacy for the integration of ecological aspects in design and land use development are not new in the planning profession as evident from the work of Ebenezer Howard (Garden City: To tomorro, 1898) and work of Ian McHarg (Design with Nature, 1969) (Yu et al, 2008; Youzhen and Longlong, 2012; Augastine and Methew, 2013). Similarly, the broad concepts such as the hinterlands, greenbelt and buffers are very common and they were used mostly to distinguish the sensitive natural features that should not be under stress of urban development. In terms of urban planning, the concept such as smart growth16 and Eco city design incorporate the EI at least in theory.
The research has shown that significant EI responsible for flood attenuation are intact wetlands and vegetated riparian corridors, also known as buffer zones. Vegetated riparian corridors play a critical role in upholding channel morphology through bank stabilization, flood attenuation, and providing the space necessary for the expression of meander geometry and the maintenance of channel slope (Agency of Natural Resources, 2005: 24). These riparian corridors also decrease the effects of storm events on river channels and speed, and retain sediment transport (Kotze, 2000; and DWAF, 2013).
During the flooding events in rivers, the riparian areas allow floodwaters to spread out horizontally over the land, thereby reducing the force and velocity with which the floodwaters move down the stream (Kotze, 2000). This reduction in stream power is important for not only the hydrological patterns of the channel/stream flow but also it is also useful in the protection of human investments in and around the floodplain. Besides the flood attenuation function of the EI concerned, there are many other benefits that EI brings to the people to contribute to their economic, social, cultural, and other benefits.
Since the publication of the MEA (2005), research in ecosystem functions in terms of cultural, regulatory, provisional, and supporting services have increased significantly (De Groot et al, 2010;
TEEB, 2011, Gómez-Baggethun and Barton, 2013; Costanza et al, 2014, among others). Until recently, there are many critiques levelled against the market led and commodification of EI as an infinite resource. In this way, this called for the alternative financial institutions to manage EI benefits for common or public benefits (i.e. Payment of the Ecosystems Services) (Costanza et al, 2014). This dissertation has also highlighted how EI can be integrated in the planning processes as evident in the several precedent cases discussed in chapter 2.
122 | P a g e Even though the primary focus of this research is based on flood risks, the literature also reveals that there are also flood opportunities brought inter alia by flooding events. This is to say that what can be seen as a risk for one person, is in fact an opportunity to another. Similarly, this also applies to the stakeholder’s perceptions of the Klip River ecosystem services onsite (Ladysmith town) and adjacent areas. For example, the role of urban vegetation along the river may be seen as a strategy to reduce the speed of flood waters, avoid soil erosion, increase biodiversity, store more water, and reduce heat, to name but a few. However, the un-cleared urban vegetation along the river may be perceived as a cause of urban insecurity resulting in more vulnerability to snakes, breaking of the storm water pipes, causing leakages to the dam infrastructure, provide a hiding place for criminals and snakes, and the provide suitable place for throwing of waste or pollutants. These are examples of ecosystems disservices.
Given the perceived threats caused by the ecosystems disservices in Ladysmith town, the following solutions are suggested; environmental officers responsible for environmental by-law enforcement for the municipality, river watch community or civil groups may be formed in order to safe-guard and report illegal dumping to the authorities. There should be more environmental awareness or campaigns may be formed with the local music artists, and the message can be transferred with music and storytelling, to name but a few. From the literature reviewed, it has been shown that it is possible to create water (river, wetlands, among others) stewards through high sense of activism, political buy- in, partnership, and strong sense of volunteerism.Though it is no easy task, the success of EI projects in the local and international case studies reviewed (i.e. Oslo and Seattle) discussed in this research are proof that ecological design not only benefits humans and nature, but the expenditures are not as much to implement and sustain are less