Unlocking and securing ecological infrastructure investments : the needs and willingness to invest and institutional support mechanisms used

Mbopha, Malukhanye S.; Marais, Christo; Kleynhans, Theo E.; Esler, Karen J.

Unlocking and securing ecological infrastructure investments : the needs and willingness to invest and institutional support mechanisms used

dc.contributor.author	Mbopha, Malukhanye S.	en_ZA
dc.contributor.author	Marais, Christo	en_ZA
dc.contributor.author	Kleynhans, Theo E.	en_ZA
dc.contributor.author	Esler, Karen J.	en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned	2022-04-28T13:14:20Z
dc.date.available	2022-04-28T13:14:20Z
dc.date.issued	2021-09-29
dc.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.	en_ZA
dc.description	The original publication is available at https://www.sajs.co.za/	en_ZA
dc.description.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.	en_ZA
dc.description.uri	https://sajs.co.za/article/view/8666
dc.description.version	Publishers version	en_ZA
dc.format.extent	9 pages : illustrasions	en_ZA
dc.identifier.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.	en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn	1996-7489 (online)	en_ZA
dc.identifier.other	doi:10.17159/sajs.2021/8666.	en_ZA
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/124479	en_ZA
dc.language.iso	en_ZA	en_ZA
dc.publisher	Academy of Science of South Africa	en_ZA
dc.rights.holder	Authors retain copyright	en_ZA
dc.subject	Ecological infrastructure investments	en_ZA
dc.subject	Ecosystem management	en_ZA
dc.subject	Ecosystem-based management intervention	en_ZA
dc.subject	Biodiversity conservation	en_ZA
dc.title	Unlocking and securing ecological infrastructure investments : the needs and willingness to invest and institutional support mechanisms used	en_ZA
dc.type	Article	en_ZA