Masters Degrees (The Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST))

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Browsing Masters Degrees (The Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST)) by browse.metadata.advisor "Hamann, Maike"

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    Applying the safe and just operating space (SJOS) framework to sustainable development in Zimbabwe
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03) Ngadze, Fiona; Selomane, Odirilwe; Sitas, Nadia; Hamann, Maike; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Centre for Sustainability Transition.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: Global population growth coupled with technological advancements and unsustainable consumption patterns have increased environmental degradation. People and the environment are interconnected, influencing each other in both positive and negative ways. As people rely on the environment for numerous dimensions of wellbeing, it is important to track both social and environmental changes to ensure that human interactions with the environment are sustainable. Previous indicators and frameworks to measure sustainable development such as the planetary boundaries framework, the ecological footprint, the gross domestic product, and the human development index have treated the environment as separate from people. Approaches like the Safe and Just Operating Space (SJOS) advance on these frameworks by incorporating human wellbeing needs with environmental conservation. The SJOS framework is being increasingly used around the world to address conflicts between socio-economic demands and environmental sustainability. Zimbabwe, like many other countries in the global South, faces interconnected environmental challenges and social deprivation issues, which require a holistic approach to address. Therefore, this study adopted a social-ecological systems approach, applying the SJOS framework to better comprehend ways of achieving balance between human well-being needs, economic development, and environmental conservation. The objectives of this study were: (1) to understand the different research contexts applying the SJOS framework; (2) to identify key environmental and social dimensions relevant to sustainability in Zimbabwe; and (3) to understand the provincial spatial variability in social dimension trends. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining a systematic mapping literature review and thematic analysis with a desktop empirical study (focusing on social and environmental dimensions available for Zimbabwe). The literature review uncovered that aerosol loading, land-use change, and biodiversity loss were the most studied environmental dimensions, while employment, social equity, gender equality and health were the most studied social dimensions. These insights informed the empirical component of this study. The methods involved collecting data for the environmental and social dimensions, at national and provincial scales, from international research databases and Zimbabwe government reports, to explore the country’s status within the SJOS framework. The indicator for each dimension was compared against a pre-determined threshold and this provided the results on the underperforming social dimensions and transgressed environmental dimensions. The provincial analysis reflected the patterns of social inequality across the provinces of Zimbabwe. The results of the national level analysis revealed that Zimbabwe’s transgressed environmental dimensions are freshwater use, aerosol loading and biogeochemical flows. Whereas the deprived social dimensions are access to energy, health, and education. From the sub-national analysis, Matabeleland North was the most socially deprived province while, Harare and Bulawayo were the best performing provinces. This study recommends that Zimbabwe decision-makers should review their policy frameworks to target the transgressed environmental dimensions as they are currently being neglected. The adoption of measures such as energy source alternatives to reduce the burning of fossil fuels which are contributing to rapid deforestation and increased aerosol loading in the country, are also recommended. This study shows that environmental conservation and sustainable development targets remain a dream, as long as social foundations are not fully addressed.
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    Facilitating the development of nature connectedness
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03) Geytenbeek, Michaela; Feront, Cecile; Hamann, Maike; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Centre for Sustainability Transition.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: Amidst mounting environmental crises, there is pressing need to understand how pro-environmental behaviour develops and transforms into action. Yet, there is confusion as to how to encourage a sense of connection with nature, a concept often referred to as nature connectedness. Drawing on existing research on nature connectedness and exploring what we know about how to encourage its development, my research aims to gain an understanding of nature connectedness as a process, in order to better understand how to facilitate its development with children. More specifically, this entails gaining an understanding of how the relationship between children and nature develops, which experiences promote its development, and what role(s) the nature experience facilitator can play to encourage this connection to develop. My investigation is designed as a qualitative inquiry, combining participatory action research and grounded theory methodologies to gather and analyse data. Adopting a relational paradigm, I engage for a period of six months with a group of 36 children, their parents, and five nature experience facilitators at the Kinship Programme in Durban North, South Africa. I identify five phases of nature connectedness – afraid, comfortable, engaged, caring(self) and caring(activist) – that children experience as they progress on their journey to a deeper sense of connection to nature. My study further identifies which phase-specific experiences encouraged children to progress on their journey of nature connectedness. Finally, my study reveals that children required different support from the nature experience facilitator depending on their phase of nature connectedness and so I identify the different roles that the nature experience facilitator plays – protector, initiator, observer and navigator - in alignment with the child‟s position on their nature connectedness journey. My study makes several contributions to our understanding of how to facilitate the development of nature connectedness. Firstly, focusing on nature connectedness as a process, it complements existing frameworks of nature connectedness and offers a dynamic view of how children move from one phase to another; secondly, it highlights the importance of designing phase-specific experiences to support each child‟s progress in their journey of nature connectedness; and thirdly, it reconciles prior literature by defining the different phase- and transition-specific roles of the nature experience facilitator. My findings provide guidance that can be practically applied in the daily facilitation of nature experiences, in the design of environmental education curricula, and in informing education policy. My findings show that it is possible to intentionally design experiences that promote the development of nature connectedness, and provide phase-based guidelines to facilitators on how to do so.