Unlocking and securing ecological infrastructure investments : the needs and willingness to invest and institutional support mechanisms used
Date
2021-09-29
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Academy of Science of South Africa
Abstract
Ecological infrastructure (EI) is a natural and near-natural functioning ecosystem that delivers a range
of essential services to humankind. Examples include mountain catchments, wetlands, coastal dunes,
and riparian corridors. In a world where EI is underinvested, rapid degradation and threats such as
unsustainable veld-fire regimes, droughts, climate change, and invasive alien plants persist in dominating
the ecological landscape. In South Africa, there are government programmes that encourage the
restoration, rehabilitation and protection of EI. However, inadequate funding allocations constrain scalingup
and thus necessitate the unlocking of public and private sector investments to augment resources
for ecosystem-based management interventions. A systematic literature review was conducted at a
global scale to (1) understand the drivers behind EI investments, (2) understand the willingness and
desire of private landowners and land users to participate and contribute to EI investments and (3)
identify institutional support mechanisms used to encourage investments. Results suggest that the need
to invest is driven by growing degradation of EI and the urgency to meet environmental sustainability
goals. The willingness to invest is stimulated by the use of economic-based policies and compensatory
mechanisms. Public–private partnerships, public policy, and market-based conservation instruments
are institutional arrangements executed to protect EI. These include processes and systems used by the
institutions to legislate and manage interventions towards fulfilling the conservation objective. Our review
contributes to the EI investment research agenda by recommending coordinated efforts to encourage EI
investment from both public and private partners. These measures will help to secure financial resources
and mobilise investments beyond monetary terms by coordinating planning and developing capacity and
reform policies.
Description
CITATION: Mbopha, M.S. et al. 2021. Unlocking and securing ecological infrastructure investments: The needs and willingness to
invest and institutional support mechanisms used. South African Journal of Science, 117(9/10)#8666:1-9. https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2021/8666.
The original publication is available at https://www.sajs.co.za/
The original publication is available at https://www.sajs.co.za/
Keywords
Ecological infrastructure investments, Ecosystem management, Ecosystem-based management intervention, Biodiversity conservation
Citation
Mbopha, M.S. et al. 2021. Unlocking and securing ecological infrastructure investments: The needs and willingness to invest and institutional support mechanisms used. South African Journal of Science, 117(9/10)#8666:1-9. https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2021/8666.