Browsing by Author "Dalziel, Alexandra-Belle"

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    Application of the DPSIR framework in the assessment of marine protected areas in South Africa: a study of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape Provinces
    (2019-11) Dalziel, Alexandra-Belle
    With increasing rates of fisheries consumption, pollution, development and tourism, coastal zones remain threatened. Consequently, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have fast become the preferable method of marine conservation worldwide, including in South Africa. MPAs entail the designation of a marine area and the placement of restrictions on activities to manage threats faced by the area. Their effectiveness in doing so however remains questionable. Drawing on field-based data collected from three MPAs in South Africa; Aliwal Shoal, Trafalgar and Pondoland, this dissertation will assess the effectiveness of the three MPAs through the application of the DPSIR framework. The aims of this study are to firstly, investigate the extent to which the DPSIR framework can be applied in the effective management of MPAs. Secondly, to investigate the ways in which current management approaches are effective in the management of marine resources. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with independent conservationists, divers, fishermen, researchers and MPA managers. The sites were visited four times where interviews were conducted, observations were made, and photographs were taken. Research findings suggest that two of the three MPAs were partly successful in managing the different threats they face. It is argued that part of this difference speaks to the deferring managerial design and strategies. It was also found that MPAs are plagued by land-based environmental threats that fall out of their jurisdiction and therefore their management. Furthermore, a lack of data centred on MPAs and their species numbers makes it difficult to determine if the MPA is effectively conserving certain fish species and marine resources. It is therefore argued that for MPAs to effectively respond to the pressures they face, managerial designs and strategies must be integrated and implemented.