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This review paper on groundwater protection measures in South Africa focuses on the actual implementation of groundwater protection measures, in particular, the resource-directed measures (RDM) as described in Chapter 3 of the National Water Act (NWA). Significant catchment-wide implementation of RDM has taken place in a phased manner throughout various catchments since 2012. By 2015, approximately R380 million had been expended on the catchment-wide implementation of the water resource protection measures over a period of 15 years. Considerable effort went into refining the RDM methodology, taking into account the groundwater component of the overall resource. In this paper, we contend that RDM, in its present form, will not make a significant contribution to groundwater resource protection and security in the country. This is a major concern because the Groundwater Strategy of the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation (DHSWS) had declared the protection of groundwater as a national priority. This paper also examines institutional and governance arrangements (or lack thereof) as well as providing recommendations to support the effective implementation of groundwater protection provisions as prescribed by South Africa's water legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water resources in South Africa are threatened by current and past mining practices such as abandoned and closed mines. While mining is considered valuable for its contribution to this country’s gross domestic product, its polluting effects on water and land resources have been criticised as unsustainable. Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one specific public health and ecological issue that has stirred debates in political and social circles in this country. This paper examines the scalar politics and other related dimensions of water and AMD governance, thereby revealing evidence of deep-rooted challenges regarding the governance of water and mineral resources. The specific focus is on the socio-political context of labour laws and Black Economic Empowerment and the decision-making processes adopted by government. Thus, this paper has implications for the improvement of environmental governance and decision-making strategies and the adoption of a national strategy for adequately addressing AMD and related policy issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the challenges for the emergence of science/society partnerships in a young democracy in the context of access to, and use of, natural resources. As resource issues and related decision-making gain in complexity and urgency, science is increasingly expected to develop solutions in partnership with the public. Challenges to these partnerships are discussed and supported by observations from a South African case example in water resources management. Within the current governance system for natural resources, there are both an expectation and an opportunity to promote democracy via the civic science process. Key to achieving this is the process of collaborative knowledge generation in which science and the public are knowledge partners. The opportunity is supported by various factors: the resource "supply and demand" dialogue around access to, and use of, resources reinforces democratic processes through the explicit recognition of diverse knowledge systems; the research process makes provision for rigour in the co-creation of knowledge: and the overall expectation of democratic relationships in society creates a milieu favourable for promoting democracy through science. Within the context of a developing country, challenges include low levels of social capital such as trust, empowerment and connectedness. The case study also indicates that there are significant delays in attempts to address differentials in empowerment and trust in the science/society partnership, and that this is a significant barrier for the ability of civic science to be an effective vehicle for deepening democracy. In addition, the civic science endeavour is currently only weakly supported by policy. Unless the imperative for civic science to support democratic governance is institutionalised through policy and strategy, it is unlikely that there will be sufficient human and financial investment in civic science as a means to promote democratic governance. This is especially true for developing countries, whose policies and strategies should support the use of civic science as a means of bridging inequities and meeting urgent development goals together with more medium- and long-term imperatives through the co-creation of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) focuses on the collective management of ecosystems to promote human well-being and aims to devolve authority for ecosystem management to the local (community) level. CBNRM therefore requires strong investments in capacity development of local institutions and governance structures. CBNRM has come under strong criticism for its failures to deliver real benefits to communities. In this paper we explore the reasons for the frequent failure of CBNRM. We postulate that good governance buffers CBNRM against unexpected change, notably conflicts, especially in the early stages when income generation, infrastructure development and capacity development have not yet taken place. We assess the key characteristics of CBNRM governance systems that could perform this buffering function, using case study examples from Macubeni, Nqabara, Makuleke and Richtersveld to support our propositions. In our case studies, 11 strategies have been used to increase the incidence of success of CBNRM: understand and describe the social-ecological system; establish and communicate a clear vision; build on local organizations: plan ahead: create rules for resource use and enforce them: communicate the vision, plan and rules; develop management capacity: finance the initial stages of the initiative: work within available legal frameworks: monitor and learn all the time: and create lasting incentives. Despite these strategies there are, however, a number of obstinate implementation challenges, related to governance shortcomings and external factors which management cannot control. We therefore propose seven additional strategies to promote good governance in CBNRM: 1. Develop knowledge networks that draw on the experience and wisdom of a wide range of key individuals. 2. Establish formulised decision-making structures (e.g. multi-level project steering committees) with clear constitutions and codes of conduct. 3. Clearly define and legitimise conflict resolution procedures. 4. Ensure acceptance of the governance structure by community members. 5. Obtain formal commitment to well-defined roles and responsibilities by key individuals. 6. Establish tangible incentives to key individuals for meeting their commitments. 7. Develop the capacity for facilitation to promote communication. Local communities, government and scientists have important roles to play in maintaining these knowledge and governance networks through adaptive co-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]