The role of permaculture in promoting sustainable livelihoods and ecological conservation: a study of ISimangaliso Wetland Park in Umhlabuyalingana, KwaZulu-Natal

Abstract

This study investigated how permaculture as an agricultural activity can be used or can promote food security while ensuring environmental and ecological conservation and restoration of wetlands using iSimangaliso Wetland Park as a case study. It has been argued that agriculture, which is one of the activities taking place at iSimangaliso Wetland Park wetlands causes wetland disintegration, eutrophication, contamination, ecological deterioration and totally dry out of the ecosystem. Permaculture is a system that is designed to be a solution to such problems as it works with nature in a way that sustainable agricultural systems and human habitats imitate the relationships and patterns found in natural ecologies. Using a qualitative research approach, this study engaged with various respondents and considered theories and case studies to get a better understanding of permaculture and its principles in relation to food security and wetland conservation. A series of interviews, open-ended questionnaires, and field observations were used to collect data. Research findings suggest that permaculture is an agricultural approach that can align agricultural productivity and wetland conservation in a way that the two can have a harmonious relationship. The findings show that the methods of permaculture used in this study reduces the pressure of natural resource consumption and allows iSimangaliso Wetland Park wetlands to restore itself and at the same time, it ensures that the needs of Umhlabuyalina people are taken care of. This is because permaculture principles care for people, care for the environment and care for the distribution of resource surplus in order to sustain livelihoods.