Assessing the role of natural open spaces in ecosystem service provision for enhanced urban planning in the global south
| dc.contributor.advisor | Esler, Karen J. | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Sitas, Nadia | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.advisor | O'Farrell, Patrick | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Wessels, Nadia | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of AgriSciences. Dept. of Conservation Ecology and Entomology. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-02-16T10:10:18Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2022-04-29T09:19:05Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-02-16T10:10:18Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2022-04-29T09:19:05Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022-04 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (PhDConsEcol)--Stellenbosch University, 2022. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Natural open space plays an important role in maintaining biodiversity and providing essential ecosystem services, i.e. the contributions we get from nature. Yet, natural systems within urban areas continue to be exploited and encroached upon, and are often undervalued in urban planning and management decisions, particularly within the context of the Global South where institutional constraints, and complex socio-economic and political priorities prevail. In response to these challenges, this research assessed the role of natural open space in ecosystem service provision for enhanced urban planning in the Global South, by using a case study of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The research explored how understanding the benefits (ecosystem services) derived from natural open space can optimise and improve planning, which can, in turn, enable more people to benefit from the ecosystem services provided in cities. Urban natural open space systems form part of complex adaptive social-ecological systems. The realisation and optimisation of the ecosystem services provided by natural open space systems require an understanding of how land cover change affects ecosystem services, and consideration of implementation challenges and opportunities related to mainstreaming ecosystem services into urban planning, which include community and local government needs and priorities within the socio-economic and political context. Developing and implementing natural open space plans requires a transdisciplinary approach that moves beyond disciplines, such as the natural and social sciences only, to incorporate other ways of knowing and feedbacks between different knowledge systems, for example, linking practitioners’ and indigenous and local knowledge, where context-specific human needs, attitudes and values are recognised. The multidimensional outcomes of implementing urban conservation plans (or natural open space plans) are rarely critically evaluated. By providing a framework for monitoring and evaluating conservation outcomes and understanding the causal linkages and reasons for the success and failure of conservation outcomes, this research facilitates the institutionalisation of adaptive management approaches, enhancing urban planning and conservation and social outcomes. Through qualitative interviews with community members representing the city’s diverse socio- economic and ethnic variability (living near natural open space), the complex relational values with nature, and nuanced interpretations of how natural open space delivers ecosystem services were explored. Non-material services (relational benefits) were impacted by exploitative material uses, access concerns, and (mis)management. Management of natural open space also has significant implications for intra and inter-generational equity in respect of the benefits of ecosystem services, and the experience of ecosystem disservices, which require explicit consideration in municipal planning, budgeting and management. Innovative collaborative management and stewardship interventions with ecological and socio-economic benefits should be prioritised to protect the natural open space system. In the Global South the benefits of urban nature in terms of the supply and provision of ecosystem services are inequitably distributed and intertwined in complex socio-political processes. The degree to which the ecosystem services provided by natural open space are valued by local government officials, planned for, prioritised, and incorporated in decision- making, in terms of temporal and spatial implications, need to be understood. Institutional constraints of many local governments in the Global South, such as data and resource capacity, inhibit the appropriate consideration and incorporation of ecosystem services into urban planning. In such instances, expert (scientific) knowledge should be used to contribute to understanding the context-specific diverse ecosystem services provided by natural open space, and the implications of land cover changes on ecosystem service provision associated with rapid urbanisation. This expert understanding then needs to be incorporated with other knowledge systems. The research has emphasised the collective role of community members, civil society and the private sector; city officials and decision-makers; and scientists and researchers in the effective integration of ecosystem services into urban planning, in steering cities towards a sustainable trajectory. There is no panacea for effectively integrating ecosystem services into urban planning. Instead, advancing ecosystem services in urban planning requires various context-specific initiatives and approaches, which allow for collaborative governance and innovative nature-based solutions, and which give due consideration to intra and inter- generational equity. The research identifies opportunities for how to incorporate and catalyse stewardship for natural open space systems and contextually appropriate interventions that could be employed in other cities. It also highlights the need to understand the implications of trade-offs associated with the socio-economic drivers of land transformation over ecosystem service retention as cities in the Global South continue to grow and develop. The methodology followed in this research shows that an understanding of urban ecosystem services is possible without expensive and / or data-intensive decision-making tools, and similar approaches could be followed in other under-resourced cities in the Global South, which can then be used to enhance urban planning. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Natuurlike oop ruimte speel 'n belangrike rol in die handhawing van biodiversiteit en die verskaffing van noodsaaklike ekosisteemdienste, dit wil sê die bydraes wat ons van die natuur af kry. Tog word natuurlike stelsels binne stedelike gebiede steeds ontgin en aangetas, en word dit dikwels onderwaardeer in stedelike beplanning en bestuursbesluite, veral binne die konteks van die Globale Suide waar institusionele beperkings, en komplekse sosio- ekonomiese en politieke prioriteite heers. In reaksie op hierdie uitdagings, het hierdie navorsing die rol van natuurlike oop ruimte in ekosisteemdiensverskaffing vir verbeterde stedelike beplanning in die Globale Suide beoordeel deur gebruik te maak van 'n gevallestudie van die Nelson Mandelabaai- munisipaliteit, geleë in die Oos-Kaapprovinsie, Suid-Afrika. Die navorsing het ondersoek hoe die begrip van die voordele (ekosisteemdienste) wat uit natuurlike oop ruimte verkry word, beplanning kan optimaliseer en verbeter, wat op sy beurt meer mense in staat kan stel om voordeel te trek uit die ekosisteemdienste wat in stede verskaf word. Stedelike natuurlike oopruimtestelsels vorm deel van komplekse aanpasbare sosiaal- ekologiese stelsels. Die verwesenliking en optimalisering van die ekosisteemdienste wat deur natuurlike oopruimtestelsels verskaf word, vereis 'n begrip van hoe grondbedekkingsverandering ekosisteemdienste beïnvloed, en oorweging van implementeringsuitdagings en geleenthede wat verband hou met die hoofstroom van ekosisteemdienste in stedelike beplanning, wat gemeenskaps en plaaslike regering se behoeftes en prioriteite binne die sosio-ekonomiese en politieke konteks insluit, en hoe grondbedekkingsverandering ekosisteemdienste beïnvloed. Die ontwikkeling en implementering van natuurlike oopruimteplanne vereis 'n transdissiplinêre benadering wat verby dissiplines beweeg, soos slegs die natuur- en sosiale wetenskappe, om ander maniere van kennis en terugvoering tussen verskillende kennisstelsels in te sluit, byvoorbeeld die koppeling van praktisyns en inheemse en plaaslike kennis, waar konteksspesifieke menslike behoeftes, houdings en waardes erken word. Die multidimensionele uitkomste van die implementering van stedelike bewaringsplanne (of natuurlike oopruimteplanne) word selde krities geëvalueer. Deur 'n raamwerk vir die monitering en evaluering van bewaringsuitkomste te verskaf en die oorsaaklike verbande en redes vir die sukses en mislukking van bewaringsuitkomste te verstaan, fasiliteer hierdie navorsing die institusionalisering van aanpasbare bestuursbenaderings, wat stedelike beplanning en bewaring en sosiale uitkomste verbeter. Deur kwalitatiewe onderhoude met gemeenskapslede wat die stad se diverse sosio- ekonomiese en etniese veranderlikheid (wat naby natuurlike oop ruimte woon) verteenwoordig, is die komplekse verhoudingswaardes met die natuur, en genuanseerde interpretasies van hoe natuurlike oop ruimte ekosisteemdienste lewer, ondersoek. Nie- materiële dienste (verhoudingsvoordele) is beïnvloed deur uitbuitende materiaalgebruike, toegangskwessies en (wan) bestuur. Bestuur van natuurlike oop ruimte het ook beduidende implikasies vir intra en intergenerasie billikheid ten opsigte van die voordele van ekosisteemdienste, en die ervaring van ekosisteem-ondienste, wat eksplisiete oorweging in munisipale beplanning, begroting en bestuur vereis. Innoverende samewerkende bestuur en rentmeesterskap-intervensies met ekologiese en sosio-ekonomiese voordele moet geprioritiseer word om die natuurlike oopruimtestelsel te beskerm. In die Globale Suide is die voordele van stedelike natuur in terme van die verskaffing en voorsiening van ekosisteemdienste onbillik versprei en verweef in komplekse sosio-politieke prosesse. Die mate waarin die ekosisteemdienste wat deur natuurlike oop ruimte verskaf word deur plaaslike regeringsamptenare gewaardeer word, beplan word, geprioritiseer en geïnkorporeer word in besluitneming, in terme van tydelike en ruimtelike implikasies, moet verstaan word. Institusionele beperkings van baie plaaslike regerings in die Globale Suide, soos data en hulpbronkapasiteit, belemmer die toepaslike oorweging en inkorporering van ekosisteemdienste in stedelike beplanning. In sulke gevalle moet kundige (wetenskaplike) kennis gebruik word om by te dra tot die begrip van die konteksspesifieke diverse ekosisteemdienste wat deur natuurlike oop ruimte verskaf word, en die implikasies van grondbedekkingveranderings op ekosisteemdiensverskaffing wat met vinnige verstedeliking geassosieer word. Hierdie kundige begrip moet dan by ander kennisstelsels geïnkorporeer word. Die navorsing het die kollektiewe rol van gemeenskapslede, die burgerlike samelewing en die privaatsektor beklemtoon; stadsamptenare en besluitnemers; en wetenskaplikes en navorsers in die effektiewe integrasie van ekosisteemdienste in stedelike beplanning, om stede na 'n volhoubare trajek te stuur. Daar is geen wondermiddel om ekosisteemdienste effektief in stedelike beplanning te integreer nie. In plaas daarvan vereis die bevordering van ekosisteemdienste in stedelike beplanning verskeie konteksspesifieke inisiatiewe en benaderings, wat voorsiening maak vir samewerkende bestuur en innoverende natuurgebaseerde oplossings, en wat behoorlike oorweging gee aan binne- en intergenerasie- gelykheid. Die navorsing identifiseer geleenthede vir hoe om rentmeesterskap vir natuurlike oopruimtestelsels en kontekstueel toepaslike intervensies te inkorporeer en te kataliseer wat in ander stede aangewend kan word. Dit beklemtoon ook die behoefte om die implikasies van afwegings wat verband hou met die sosio-ekonomiese dryfvere van grondtransformasie oor ekosisteemdiensbehoud te verstaan, aangesien stede in die globale suide aanhou groei en ontwikkel. Die metodologie wat in hierdie navorsing gevolg is, toon dat 'n begrip van stedelike ekosisteemdienste moontlik is sonder duur en/of data-intensiewe besluitnemingsinstrumente, en soortgelyke benaderings kan gevolg word in ander stede met gebrekkige hulpbronne in die globale suide, wat dan gebruik om stedelike beplanning te verbeter. | af_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Doctoral | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xii, 183 pages: illustrations (some color), maps | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124547 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Ecosystem services -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Urban conservation planning | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Nature conservation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Nature -- Effect of human beings on | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Open spaces -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality -- Planning | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Transdisciplinary collaboration | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Intra and inter-generational equity | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Social-ecological systems | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Land use, Urban -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Assessing the role of natural open spaces in ecosystem service provision for enhanced urban planning in the global south | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |
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