Strategies for addressing conflicts arising from blue growth initiatives : insights from three case studies in South Africa
Sowman, Merle and Mbatha, Philile and von Holdt, Johanna (2023) Strategies for addressing conflicts arising from blue growth initiatives : insights from three case studies in South Africa. Maritime Studies, 22 (4). 51. ISSN 2212-9790 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-023-00341-1)
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Abstract
South Africa has vigorously embraced the concept of the ‘blue economy’ and is aggressively pursuing a blue growth strategy to expand the ocean economy, create jobs, and alleviate poverty. However, many of these ‘blue initiatives’ are leading to conflicts amongst various stakeholders with different histories, relationships with resources and areas, worldviews, and values. Investment in the ocean economy is being prioritized by government and planning, environmental assessment, and decision-making processes are being fast-tracked. Consequently, historical inequities as well as environmental and social justice considerations are not being given due consideration. Communities are not being effectively consulted. This has resulted in tensions and conflicts amongst proponents of these projects and local communities living in areas affected by these initiatives. We examine the drivers of conflict and then explore the strategies that local communities and their social partners have employed in these case studies to challenge contentious developments, defend coastal and marine areas, and make their voices heard. The cases involve conflicts over air quality in an expanding marine industrial zone at Saldanha Bay, prospecting and mining applications in the vicinity of the Olifants Estuary in the Western Cape, and the expansion of the Richard’s Bay Port, mining activities, and conservation initiatives in KwaZulu-Natal. The barriers and potential opportunities to opening up deliberative spaces, shifting values and views, and co-producing knowledge, in contexts that are characterised by structural inequality, poverty, and power asymmetries, are discussed
ORCID iDs
Sowman, Merle, Mbatha, Philile ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5705-0330 and von Holdt, Johanna;-
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Item type: Article ID code: 90072 Dates: DateEvent14 November 2023Published1 November 2023AcceptedSubjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > Environmental Sciences
LawDepartment: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > Strathclyde Law School > Law Depositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 29 Jul 2024 14:22 Last modified: 11 Nov 2024 14:24 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/90072