CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
2.9. INTEGRATED COASTAL MANAGEMENT
2.9.4. Implications for South African Coastal Management
The South African coastline has a growing population inhabiting the urban coast. Broadly South Africa faces the legacy of segregation, “The most obvious features of the South Africa context are the history of apartheid, and, from 1994, the transformation of the country‘s spatial,
45 institutional and political environment. Apartheid resulted in severe racial inequalities coupled with a highly fragmented and unequal administrative system and associated spatial apartheid. In this context, planning and environmental management emerged as separate spheres, both overlaid by administrative fragmentation on racial line,‖ (Todes, et. al., 2009:417); Data management is another challenge: “data management and availability have increased the demand from government for integrated planning initiatives. More detailed mapping is required but the use of GIS is thematic, creating homogenous islands in space that reflect administrative boundaries regardless of the intricacies of a particular area. This promotes ill derived planning outcomes that blur the cross sector effects as well as the internal dynamics of an area,” (Van Huyssteen, et. al., 2009). There are numerous developmental and environmental data that has accumulated in a fragmented system, making access and storage challenging. A national database for coastal management is necessary as there is a need for information and decision support system for coastal management practitioners (DEAT, 2000).
The challenges that South Africa face are reflected in the local coastal zones. Development has occurred sporadically and there are various studies and sector plans which do not integrate across borders. There has been advancement in legislation and policy about coastal management practices. However the role of coastal management is less focused on conservation and ecosystems than on sustainable development (Glavovic, 2006). The argument for environmental integrity becomes more obscure when competing against developmental challenges of the socio-economic nature. Policies and guidelines have been developed, such as the Admiralty reserve, to facilitate better coastal management.
Changes in perspective from technocratic to democratic procedures are highlighted by legislation for coastal management; beginning with the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Management and the advent of The Integrated Coastal Management Act (Act No. 24 of 2008).
The ICMA (2008) intends for all spheres of government to develop Coastal Management Programmes (CMP) which accommodate the natural, social and economic differences along the coastline of South Africa (Breetzke, et. al., 2009). The Act provides legal mechanisms for the proactive planning of coastal areas. Supporting legislation are tools which are the plans and programmes that facilitate management, for example; IDPs are management tools which have to be prepared in terms of NEMA and therefore be aligned to both National and Provincial CMPs (Celliers, et. al., 2009; Breetzke, et. al., 2009).
46 KZN has protected its natural asset (the coastline) by using a policy of vague origin: the Admiralty Reserve (AR). The origin of the AR is vague, but the value it has provided can be seen in the conservation of South African coastal dunes (Gunn, 2009). The Admiralty reserve refers to a buffer strip of land setback from the high water mark, that is generally 45-60m wide (PPDC, 2008). The updated document of the AR in KwaZulu-Natal (2008) stated that the function of the reserve has environmental, geomorphologic, legal and public access consequences. The existence of the AR is legally determined by title deeds (further referred to in chapter 3). Nevertheless the management of land is based in approaches to spatial planning, land use management and sustainable development and this was evident in the literature.
Fabos (1985) discussed the continuum of land use issues from local to global scales. The significance of a land use depends on the threshold of the population that is impacted (Fabos, 1985: 5). Therefore the coast is governed by national bodies but the impacts have to be managed at a local level. Significant advances in spatial analysis technology has provided improved „granularity of analysis‟ and „relational spatial analysis‟ (Van Huyssteen, et. al., 2009:
196). The advances in technology provide the means for better understanding of the coastal zones over different areas, ―With the institution of the LUMS which extends planning controls beyond the former town planning scheme areas into rural areas, there is the potential for greater control of development in the Admiralty Reserve in the Ingonyama Trust areas adjacent to the coast. This local level planning did not exist prior to the new municipal demarcation which extended local government control into rural areas... For many years they controlled development on the seaward side of the railway line, thus preserving the Admiralty Reserve.
However, the pressures for development became too great resulting in unplanned and uncontrolled development with houses being built virtually on the beach,‖ (PPDC, 2008: 60).
Celliers, et. al. (2009) suggested that in compliance with the ICM Act, a coastal planning scheme is tool for coastal zone management.
Boundary differentiation impacts on the management of coastal resources because different authorities are guided by different priorities. Building a coastal information system requires knowledge of the anticipated needs of the systems. The use of planning support technologies to strategically monitor and control coastal development through provision of data, models and plans to contest the differing analysis units and scales used by various sectors (Naude, et. al., 2008: 4).
47