KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT, CAPACITY BUILDING AND A COLLECTIVE
APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE COASTAL AREAS OF
THE NORTHERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA.
R Mabudafhasi1
Contact Details: Rejoice Mabudafhasi, Deputy Minister, Department of Environmental
Affairs and Tourism (DEA&T), Private Bag X447, PRETORIA 0001
(mkamoeti@iafrica.com).
1
Introduction
The coastal areas in the Northern Cape, South Africa, and the transfrontier region
with Namibia are in a state of rapid transition. For many decades access to 90% of
the coastline has been restricted because of the high levels of security associated
with diamond mining (Figure 1). However, land-based diamond deposits in the
ancient coastal marine terraces are now becoming depleted so the major mining
houses have started to scale down their activities. The result will be that vast tracks
of coastal areas will become available again for land uses other than mining.
Unfortunately, downscaling of mining is already having a dramatic effect, as the
industry is the biggest employer in the region. Typically the loss of a job translates to
a loss of income for an entire family or extended family. Fortunately alternative
livelihood options are developing, or can be developed. Activities in the coastal areas
already include livestock farming, agriculture, fishing and the harvesting of living
marine resources, mariculture, tourism and conservation. All of these activities are
likely to be stepped up in a post-mining era. Careful and pro-active planning that
involves all role players is essential if the negative effects of downscaling are to be
mitigated through the development of new livelihood options and better utilization of
the region’s attributes.
Within the transfrontier region a number of planning and development initiatives are
happening simultaneously, often with their origins in different and sometimes
geographically distant places. These initiatives include, amongst others, a
Transfrontier Park (TFP), a larger Transfrontier Conservation Area (TFCA)2, a Spatial
Development Initiative (SDI), an Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process,
sector plans, and strategic plans for the mining houses.
Undertaking integrated development planning in this region is not easy. In order to
facilitate planning for sustainable development the obstacles standing in its way must
first be understood. For the transfrontier region the following stand out:

Participation in planning is a new experience for most people. Previously in South
Africa, planning was imposed in a “top down” manner on the majority of people.
Although recent policies and laws make integrated development planning by local
government mandatory, certain difficulties are experienced in its implementation
and lessons are still being learned (Baumgart and Turner, 2002). Although
strongly rooted in the law, not all role players understand the significance and
strengths associated with the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process.
Insert fig 1
1
For full list of contributors see End Notes.
1

Reliable information is frequently hard to track down. Information flow is still
restricted to the educated and privileged tiers of society and there is a tendency
to ‘privatise’ information that is considered a valuable currency. Participatory
planning is difficult to achieve when people are not properly informed. Access to
information and its poor flow through society is considered to be a major
constraint in development planning. Planning by the major role player, the mining
industry, is often considered not transparent and/or inclusive of all affected
parties.

There are many different role players involved in initiatives in the transfrontier
area, yet the lack of a formal overarching integrated planning framework makes it
difficult to draw up a single plan for sustainable development at a local and
regional level. Role players involved in planning include the South African
National Parks (SANPARKS), the DEA&T, the Northern Cape Nature
Conservation Services (NCNCS), provincial government, local government, the
Gariep SDI, FAMDA, Conservation International (CI), Peace Parks Foundation
(PPF), Community-based Organizations (CBOs) and many others.
The question arises as to the role that knowledge management (KM) and information
sharing can play in overcoming these obstacles to integrated development planning.
Specifically, can KM improve the synchrony, synergy and harmonization of the
different integrated conservation and development initiatives by facilitating
information sharing and making relevant information accessible? The premise would
be that information sharing and making knowledge accessible to a range of role
players would facilitate convergence in planning for sustainable outcomes. The
current paper describes how the Distance Learning and Information Sharing Tool
(DLIST), a Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded IW:LEARN pilot project, is
aiming to aid a collective approach to sustainable development in the coastal areas
of the Northern Cape, South Africa, and the transfrontier region with Namibia. As
DLIST works on the principle of information gathering from a wide range of sources
“lessons learned” from current initiatives are discussed briefly and recommendations
are made for the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in
Johannesburg 2002.
2
Background
2.1 From Mining to Post-mining
The mining industry has been the dominant force in the transfrontier region for many
decades. To fully understand its impacts and the implications of decommissioning for
the coastal areas in the Northern Cape and Southern Namibia, it is necessary to
briefly review the events that led to the status quo.
In Southern Namibia diamonds were ‘discovered’ in 1908 near Luderitz in German
colonial times when a railroad worker Zacharias Lewala picked up a diamond and
handed it over to August Stauch, the railway gang foreman. Despite initial skepticism
the discovery led to a diamond rush that would see Stauch’s wealth accumulate and
the town of Luderitz flourish (Rothman and Rothman, 1999). While mining was
confined to within a few kilometres of the coast, a 100 km wide desert area was
declared out of bounds to prevent unauthorized people from reaching the diamond
fields. The Sperrgebiet, which means ‘forbidden territory’, was declared off-limits to
outsiders who were not engaged in the tightly controlled diamond business. Although
the Sperrgebiet has been closed to the public for more than eighty years, changes in
the mining companies and their licenses have taken place over the years. At the end
2
of the First World War the German diamond mining concerns were purchased by the
late Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, and later amalgamated into Consolidated Diamond
Mines of South West Africa Ltd, officially known as CDM. CDM leased the
Sperrgebiet from the state, and maintained the area lying outside of the mining zones
as an untouched wilderness in co-operation with the Ministry of Environment and
Tourism (MET) as it is now called (Pallet et al. 1995). Following the formation of
NAMDEB in 1994, an equal partnership between the mining company and the
Namibian government, the exclusive prospecting and mining license held by CDM in
the non-diamondiferous areas, was terminated. In view of the multiple-use potential
of the area Government agreed that the area should be opened up. Containing high
levels of biodiversity the Sperrgebiet is considered a conservation priority (Barnard
1998) and a Land Use Plan was commissioned (MET 2001). From the point of view
of environmental protection diamond mining in the Sperrgebiet was a two-edged
sword: while surface damage in the coastal regions are considerable, the bulk of the
Sperrgebiet’s 26 000 km2 has remained in a near-pristine state.
On the South African side, Jack Carstens picked up a diamond in Port Nolloth in
1925, triggering great enthusiasm in the wake of the Namibian boom. Here it was the
state that saw the opportunity to address the question of “Poor Whites” stranded by
the depression. By February 1927 the Government deemed it necessary to prohibit
all further prospecting and mining of diamonds on state-owned land in Namaqualand
in order to curtail impending overproduction. In 1928 the State Alluvial Diggings
(SAD) was established at Alexander Bay and the coast between the Orange River
Mouth to south of Port Nolloth became restricted, with the town of Port Nolloth
excluded. Since 1928 up to 1989 the management of the State Alluvial Diggings was
the responsibility of the Department of Mines that later become the Department of
Mineral and Energy Affairs. This is the only instance in South Africa where
Government itself was directly engaged in actual mining operations. In 1989 the SAD
moved into a phase of becoming more independent. The name changed to
Alexander Bay Development Corporation that had its own Board of Directors but was
still under Government control. On 22 November 1992 the corporation became a
company in its own right and the name changed to Alexkor Ltd. Although it had its
own Board of Directors the Government was the sole shareholder. Finally, in 1997
Alexkor Ltd was divided into Alexander Bay Minerals (ABM) that was responsible for
Mining diamonds and Alexander Bay Trading (ABT) that focused on developing the
varied and substantial non-core assets of the company. The breaking up of the
company into ABM and ABT would take several years to be completed. The Alexkor
Ltd Amendment Bill passed in 2001 paves the way for the privatization of the mine
and ABT is currently involved in large-scale strategic planning for the post-mining
era.
While diamonds are forever, diamond mining certainly is a not a renewable resource.
Large-scale decommissioning has started with substantial numbers of workers being
laid off. Further south along the Namaqualand coast the diamond giant De Beers
Consolidated Mines (Namaqualand Division) and Trans Hex are already in advanced
stages of decommissioning of their land-based mining activities. Following the history
of the once lucrative copper mines in the interior of Namaqualand, the land-based
diamond mines of the coastal areas are fast loosing their erstwhile power to uphold
the economy. The lion’s share of the wealth generated from diamonds has left the
region already. Its legacy locally is one of growing unemployment and a scarred
landscape.
2.2 The Region’s “Natural Advantages”
3
The conversion from a largely mining-based economy to alternative livelihood options
requires a brief examination of the region’s “natural advantages” that must inform
planning for the future.
The cold, nutrient-rich Benguela Current is a major force shaping both the physical
land and the ecology along the Namaqualand and Namibian coastlines, and into
Angola. The Benguela owes many of its characteristics to a process known as
upwelling that makes the cold waters from the ocean depths rise up to the surface.
Reaching the sunlit shallows, these nutrient-rich waters fertilize microscopic floating
plant life, thus fuelling one of the most productive food chains of the oceans. The
result is a phenomenally high biomass of plants and animals, both in the open waters
and near-shore regions. The seasonal production of pelagic fish in the Benguela
supports some of the largest populations of marine mammals and birds. Many have
breeding cycles that coincide with upwelling so their young have ample food. In the
shallow waters extensive kelp forests, one of the fastest growing plants on earth,
cover hundreds of kilometres of the coast. The forests have an enormous impact on
the function of the rocky shore and adjacent sandy beaches, including supporting
grazers such as limpets, amphipods and isopods. The nutrient-rich water is an ideal
habitat for filter feeders such as mussels. Many organisms occur along this coast at
densities and biomass levels unequalled anywhere else in the world.
In the past, the rich marine coastal resources were exploited by nomadic groups of
Stone-Age humans. The fossil middens in the dune fields along the coast are the
scant remains of earlier peoples’ struggle for survival in this land. Today, the coastal
resources are still largely in the hands of few, and fish caught in the region are still
landed in Cape Town where it is processed. However, the Marine Living Resources
Act of 1998 is slowly taking effect. Restructuring and institutional strengthening in the
Chief Directorate for Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) of the Department of
Environment and Tourism (DEA&T) is ongoing. In the Northern Cape, the Fishing
and Mariculture Development Association (FAMDA) was created three years ago.
The association consists of parties that are involved, or want to become involved in
the fishing and mariculture industry, ranging from the private sector to communitybased groups. FAMDA recognizes that broad-based equity and sustainability goes
hand in hand when it comes to sustainable development. Its constitution makes
ample provision for the transformation of the industry and for sustainable utilization of
living marine resources. It is ideally positioned to lobby for the members of the
association in terms of fishing rights, mariculture permits as well as poverty
alleviation projects funded though MCM. Success has already been achieved, for
instance the breaking up of a single owner hold on the kelp concessions in the
Northern Cape and the establishment of nine worker-owned businesses to harvest
and further develop this resource. Except for the fishing and lobster stocks many
living marine resources remain largely unutilized and underdeveloped, particularly in
the field of mariculture. FAMDA has a large role to play in the development of such
resources and ultimately the establishment of a sustainable fishing and mariculture
industry along the Northern Cape coast. Major obstacles include access to coastal
areas and funding for livelihood development programmes. A DFID-funded
sustainable coastal development programme is also about to be implemented by
MCM. Yet, for many people on the ground access to information and basic education
remains an obstacle.
On land, one of the major potentially sustainable resources is tourism. The area is
blessed with spectacular landscapes, both inland and along the coast. The
Richtersveld is home to astonishing biodiversity and has been noted by international
organizations such as Conservation International (CI), universities and botanical
experts as one of the world’s most significant biodiversity “hotspots” in arid regions.
4
In fact, the Richtersveld contains the highest level of biodiversity of any desert region
in the world. There are over 1600 plant species. Over 100 succulent species occur
nowhere else. There are also endemic fish, frog, reptiles and other semi-desert
fauna. The complex geology of the mountainous areas creates a variety of
microhabitats that are fed to varying degrees by the life-bearing fog that periodically
moves inland from the cold Benguela Current. In the coastal areas there exists
further diversity on hills that once were islands, and the Orange River mouth, a
Ramsar Site, is renowned for its diversity of birds and as a stopping-over place for
migrant birds. The sandy plains also contain unique reptiles, an endemic bird
species, coastal sites that are environmentally sensitive, including small islands, rare
plant populations and valuable artifacts from early human society. Importantly, in
spite of the surface damage caused by the mines, the diamond mining industry has
successfully curtailed outside influences along the coast by controlling access the
diamond-rich areas and buffer zones for the mines. The result is that significant
sections of the coast, some of them worthy of the designation of Sensitive Coastal
Area (SCA), have remained in a near-pristine state. The main challenge in the
development of tourism will be to make sure that the region’s local inhabitants are the
main beneficiaries of the industry. Fortunately, the Richtersveld Tourism Association,
supported by TRANSFORM (a partnership between GTZ and DEA&T), has been
created to represent the interests of mostly community-based tourism operators and
product owners in the Richtersveld. A similar organization, the South-North Tourism
Route Association (SNTRA) represents its largely community-based membership
along the South-North axis that stretches from Cape Town across the Namibian
border into the Karas Region. The SNTRA currently receives support in the way of
poverty alleviation funds from the DEA&T. There are already strong indications that
this organisation will play an important role in the development of an equitable and
sustainable tourism industry in Namaqualand.
2.3 Integrated Development Planning
There are many planning initiatives that can potentially influence the Richtersveld
and transfrontier region. They include, among others, the Gariep Spatial
Development Initiative (SDI), the three-country transfrontier conservation initiative
spearheaded by Conservation International and an array of government departments
and agencies, the Transfrontier Park that joins the Richtersveld National Park (RNP)
with the Ais-Ais Park in Namibia and the Integrated Development Planning (IDP)
process. There are also specialist studies, sector plans and development plans
drawn up by consultants. The mining houses and private sector have their own plans.
The question arises how these planning initiatives can be harmonized, what
framework(s) would serve best to capture the essence of regional development, and
who should steer such a process.
At this point it is necessary to briefly review recent reforms in South Africa. Two
major processes that took place almost concurrently have had strong impact on
planning. The first was the re-demarcation of South Africa into municipal areas that
effectively are small regions that in most cases contain both rural and urban areas.
One aim of the new demarcation was to repair the damage caused under the
previous regime in terms of access to resources and unequal development. The
second process was the installation of the local government system that came into
being on December 5, 2000 with countrywide local government elections. Municipal
areas are divided into wards that elect councilors to represent the inhabitants in local
government.
Local government under the Municipal Systems Act (2000) and the Municipal
Structures Act (1998) has a strong role to play in bringing about equitable and
5
sustainable development. This imperative is re-iterated in numerous official
documents that guide implementation of the IDP process (IDP 2000). The main tool
in achieving integrated and sustainable development is the mandatory Integrated
Development Planning (IDP) process. Each local government has to embark on a
highly participatory planning process in which all role players have an opportunity to
collectively work out the Vision and development priorities for the municipal area.
The power of the IDP to incorporate the aspirations of people and reconcile them
with the natural advantages and other realities of the region has become well
appreciated. Isaacs and Mohamed (2000) recently stated: “The participatory,
community-driven integrated development planning (IDP) process that has just been
initiated in the Richtersveld through a series of community meetings and workshops
provides an ideal opportunity to set local development objectives, identify priority
areas and develop an integrated vision for the Richtersveld. It is therefore critical that
conservation plans be integrated into this process. This could be a unique
opportunity to ensure that the national park, that remains an important asset for the
Richtersveld, can be linked to proposed community conservation initiatives, such as
a community ‘conservancy’ that will link the park to a provincial conservation area.
Limited opportunities for the expansion of stock farming and the de-commissioning of
the mines in the future point to the need to investigate other land use options”.
The IDP is not only an appropriate tool for local and regional planning. It also
provides the opportunity for national, provincial and local planning to be reconciled
and harmonised with the ground. As the overseers of the planning process and
eventually implementation itself, local government remains closely tied to the ground
as the first tier of government that is in constant touch with the electorate. It is at this
level where national policies and initiatives can be reconciled with the aspirations of
the people. The Interim IDP for the Richtersveld communal area has already been
used most successfully in the identification of projects and programmes. They
include poverty alleviation projects funded through the DEA&T (Eco-Africa (ed.)
2001), a NORAD programme funded through the DEA&T and a GEF PDF Block A
award for Medium-Sized Project (MSP) for which local government has been the
proponent since its inception.
The Richtersveld communal area has already gone through an IDP process in the
last year of the Richtersveld Transitional Council, leading up to local government
elections. The Richtersveld communal area has now been incorporated with the
coastal area, including the towns of Port Nolloth and Alexander Bay into a large
municipal area, and the IDP for the entire new Richtersveld will be incorporated into
an IDP that must be submitted on March 15, 2002. What has become evident during
this larger IDP process is that information sharing mechanisms must be put in place
in order to find information and keep it updated, organised and accessible. Such
information should include all planning initiatives in the area that can inform the IDP
so it can achieve its objective of an equitable and sustainable future for the region’s
inhabitants.
2.4 Opportunities and constraints
The following trends and features therefore characterize the regional setting of the
broader Namaqualand and the transfrontier region:

Mining has always played a dominant role. The industry is now downscaling and
large tracts of currently restricted land will become accessible again. It is
significant that much of the land contains tremendous levels of biodiversity,
6
potential Sensitive Coastal Areas (SCAs) and unspoiled landscapes. While the
need for protected areas are clearly realized on both sides of the border, and new
protected areas are coming into being, a planning framework for the overall
transfrontier area is still lacking, and co-ordination between the role players on
both sides of the river remains poor. A recent workshop initiated by the DEA&T
(Eco-Africa 2001) has brought together a vast range of role players from both
sides of the border; however, cross-border planning needs to be formalized into a
cohesive framework.

While downscaling is always problematic, its effects can be mitigated if managed
correctly. This requires a strong emphasis on developing alternative livelihoods to
mining and making sure that the mining industry plays its part in accomplishing
this objective. For instance, Alexkor Ltd has many assets that can give tourism a
major boost as well as provide training facilities that can be applied to human
resource development (CSIR, 1992, Alexkor Ltd 1997). The same is true for the
Trans Hex mine further inland along the banks of the Orange River. The mines
have much information and resources that can be applied to post-mining
development. Unfortunately, the mines are geared for mining and not
development. But the mines have an obligation to the region in terms of improving
livelihood options for a post-mining era. Pressure needs to be placed on the
mines to engage local government in regional planning and the Integrated
Development Planning (IDP) process provides such an opportunity.

The area has many natural advantages. Emphasis should be placed on
mariculture and tourism development that transfer equity to local people and put
them in a position to make full use of these resources. The problem is that both
mariculture and tourism take years to develop. Fortunately a strong start has
already been made. However, information flow is a major problem as the potential
beneficiaries of such development complain that they are kept in the dark with
respect to the opportunities along the more than 90% of the coast that lie within
the mining areas. The exclusivity that comes with mining security cause
information flow to be directed towards certain individuals and groups to the
exclusion of others. The mining houses should therefore be encouraged to
participate in mechanisms that promote the flow of information to the wider
population, particularly those that are affected by the downscaling of the mines.

Promising local initiatives to protect biological diversity and the physical and
cultural landscape of the Richtersveld are emerging. They should be encouraged
and supported with funding and technical assistance that recognize that
ownership and management by local people is the key ingredient to success.
Examples of initiatives with high potential include the Richtersveld Community
Heritage Site/Conservancy that flanks the southern border of the Richtersveld
National Park (RNP). The initiative was born out of the Integrated Development
Planning (IDP) process conducted during 1999 - 2000 (Richtersveld Transitional
Council, 2000). It is proceeding under a broad-based Steering Group that
includes representatives of the Northern Cape Nature Conservation Services
(NCNCS), the South African National Parks (SANPARKS), local government and
a range of community-based organizations and structures.
3
The Present and the Promise
The baseline for the Richtersveld without intervention is not a happy scenario. For
many decades the economy has been based on mining and, to a lesser extent
fishing. Over the last number of decades many fishing stocks have been seriously
7
depleted. The mines have inflicted much damage in certain areas, and although the
industry is downscaling, new areas are continuously being prospected. The
decommissioning is currently causing hundreds of people to be laid off work with
ripple effects throughout the region. Poverty has been shown to be the environment’s
worst enemy and it is generally accepted that the loss of the work on the mines will
mean increased pressure on the environment as people return to their villages and
traditional ways of making a livelihood, including goat farming.
Fortunately, over the last three years there has been a growing awareness that
biological and cultural diversity are assets that can bring benefits to the impoverished
population, but only if used and managed correctly. With goat farming, fishing and
mining being the main economic sectors, the concept of sustainability only started to
surface during the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process in the
Richtersveld. In the Interim IDP for the Richtersveld, published in November 2000,
the Richtersveld Community Heritage Site/Conservancy was incorporated as a Land
Development Objective (LDO) that places it at the center of development in the
eastern part of the Richtersveld.
Today, the imminent joining of the Sperrgebiet with the Ais-ais/Richtersveld
Transfrontier Park will create a three-country transfrontier unbroken string of
protected areas (Figure 2).
Insert fig 2
This ‘Big Picture’ on paper must now translate into areas that are protected
effectively and will bring as much benefit to the people of the three countries of
Angola, Namibia and South Africa. What is evident from the picture is that coastal
areas of Namibia are far better protected than in the Northern Cape. However, there
is progress in the transfrontier region. The emerging integrated conservation and
development framework in the transfrontier region consists of a lattice of existing and
proposed areas that will be protected or will fall under some sort of resource
management (Figure 3). The Richtersveld National Park (RNP) is in the process of
joining up with Ais-Ais in Namibia to become a Transfrontier Park (TFP) and the
Ramsar Site is a proposed provincial park at the Orange River Mouth. The
Richtersveld Community Heritage Site/Conservancy is similar in size to the national
park but has no mining and in comparison to the park few livestock farmers that farm
in the area. Along the coast there are several potential Sensitive Coastal Areas
(SCAs), a proposed municipal reserve and the Ramsar site. There also exist two
South African Heritage Resource Association (SAHRA) sites in the region. All of
these initiatives and others not mentioned here should become part of one coherent
transfrontier conservation area for which a formal planning framework is still lacking.
Conservation initiatives have not always been successful in the Richtersveld. For
instance, the Orange River Mouth Ramsar Site is now listed on the Montreux Record.
The RNP has also fallen short of expectations. Fortunately, national initiatives and
policies are now starting to find harmony with the ground. The challenge will be to
cement this relationship in a manner that will lead to optimal benefits for the people of
the region through strong local and community-based natural resource management
(CBNRM).
4
Insert fig 3
The Need for Information Sharing
8
The gradual conversion of an entire region from an economy based largely on mining
to one where diverse and sustainable livelihoods are in place, will obviously be a
complicated matter. Over the course of several years the author and contributors to
the present paper, namely a national Deputy Minister and a broad-based group
comprised of government officials, NGOs, CBOs, civil society, scientists, community
representatives attained a good understanding of where the major problems and
bottlenecks lie on the road to sustainable development in the region. Lack of
information and sometimes the way that information flowed between the different
parties, including local communities and the wider public has persistently been
identified as a major obstacle. This was manifested in striking ways. Poor people
were living along a coast that is rich in natural resources without knowing about
them, let alone finding access to them. Local people, including local government still
experience difficulty in getting access to even the most basic information on their
coast. This lack of information makes it difficult for local people to meaningfully
participate in the planning process. Poor information flow between different initiatives
can create real or imagined conflicts while synergy is not optimized.
The question arose how the challenge to information sharing can be taken up best in
a geographically vast area with much of the crucial information being lodged
elsewhere, or available only in small pockets to which few people are privy.
5
The Distance Learning Information Sharing Tool (DLIST)
Following a meeting of the Northern Cape Coastal Working Group (NCCWG) 3 in late
1999, the World Bank facilitated discussions with a range of Namaqualand
stakeholders, in order to address the problem of information sharing. A meeting held
on February 5th 1999 included representatives of FAMDA, Alexkor Ltd, local
government, provincial government, and other stakeholders. Namibians from the
transfrontier region attended as observers. Workshop participants welcomed the
possibility of a Distance Learning Information Sharing Tool (DLIST) for the region.
Broad-based workshops were held in the region, followed by smaller intensive
sessions with groups such as the regional councils of Erongo and Karas, all levels of
government, the Multi-Purpose Resource Centers (MPRCs), and project leaders of
other programmes. The purpose of these interactions was to determine the kind of
information and knowledge sources that exist, how to access them and what the
information needs of the different players were.
Steps were then taken to prepare the ground for an Internet-based DLIST. DLIST
was incorporated in emerging regional integrated conservation and development
planning frameworks, including DEA&T’s Poverty Relief and CoastCare programmes,
the IDP process, and the South-North Tourism Route (Odendaal, 2002). For
instance, poverty alleviation funding from DEA&T was used to put in place a MultiPurpose Resource Center in Hondeklipbaai, and other poverty alleviation
programmes provided computer training of a variety of CBOs and individuals,
particularly those involved in development projects. Marine and Coastal management
(MCM)’s CoastCare programme and the DEA&T’s NORAD programme assisted in
the establishment of offices with access to the internet that now act both as
information gathering and dissemination points.
In order to facilitate information sharing and knowledge management, DLIST has the
following broad objectives:
9




To foster networking opportunities between coastal role players involved in
sustainable development, in order to establish functional information and
knowledge sharing ‘communities of practice’;
To optimize planning and implementation of effective and appropriate integrated
coastal zone management solutions for the region, through collaborative problem
solving and planning;
To develop an internet-mediated learning environment that assists in developing
a strategic development plan for the region; and
To create an ongoing and self-sustaining learning and information sharing tool
that promotes knowledge exchange, problem analysis, developing a collaborative
approach to problem solving, and providing an opportunity to contribute to
planning processes.
To achieve these objectives, DLIST would have two main components: distance
learning and information sharing. The distance learning part would be based primarily
on short modules that cover various aspects of Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (ICZM) that could be accessed on the DLIST website. The modules on
the website would be boosted by short courses on an as-needed basis. The
information sharing part of DLIST would focus on various means of gathering
information, organizing it, making it accessible and on promoting a two-way flow of
information between stakeholders and a common “pool of knowledge” and between
one another4.
The following ideas that emerged from the various discussions on how DLIST should
function were:

Information from a wide range of sources should flow into a central ‘pool of
information’ where it would be organized and packaged in a manner that will
make it more accessible to a wide audience.

The flow of information should be a continuous process considering the dynamic
nature of the region. Information content should be steered largely by the needs
of the users.

Flow of information should be a two-way process that allows retrieval as easily as
contribution; hence the common ‘pool’ of information can assist planners,
developers and role players to optimize synergy and avoid conflict as far as
possible.

Information exchange facilitated by DLIST should assist role players develop
consensus on development priorities, funding strategies and action plans to
implement coastal projects and programmes (e.g. the GEF funded Richtersveld
Medium-Sized Project).

A need exists for both an ICZM training course and an information sharing
function closely interwoven with one another. The former should be at a level that
is understandable to CB organizations and local councilors. Higher level ICZM
training can be accessed through courses offered by universities. Several large
donor programmes, including the BENEFIT programme, the BCMLE, and
NACOMA have funds allocated to intensive ICZM training, if necessary.
The information sharing part of DLIST can be described as a “pool of knowledge” that
is constantly growing. Information constantly flows into the pool from a range of
sources, or “information communities” in KM language, that are linked to the “pool of
10
knowledge” in a manner that they can also retrieve useful information on an asneeded basis. Every effort is also made to link “information communities” up with one
another directly. The DLIST “pool of knowledge” can be presented as a circle (the
“pool”) with two-way arrows leading into it from “knowledge communities” or
“informants” (Figure 4). There are many more spokes on the wheel than depicted on
the figure as many government departments, development agencies and programs,
CBOs and other parties actively contribute to DLIST on a regular basis. Each “spoke”
of the wheel thus contributes to knowledge sharing (for a description of each of the
“informants” see end-notes). DLIST is likely to play an increasingly useful role to
bring emerging large-scale initiatives together, several of which are funded by the
GEF who also sponsored the DLIST pilot project.
Insert fig 4
DLIST recognizes coastal management to a large extent is a political process that
involves a number of key actors and interest groups in addition to government. These
different coastal stakeholders and groups have different perspectives on coastal
management and coastal management decisions are often the result of the interplay
between these different groups (Beatley, et al. 1994). Decisions tend to be based on
available information. The question therefore arises as to who “controls” the
information on DLIST. For DLIST to be an “honest broker” it must promote
transparency, provide open access to information resources, yet operate
independently from political processes or development agendas set by powerful role
players. The problem of information control is partly overcome by providing different
players with the possibility to have their own “information kiosks” attached to the
DLIST information platform for which they will control the content. Furthermore, the
DLIST platform is designed to have bulletin boards, discussion forums, and so on, to
which any party can contribute. At grassroots level DLIST-related information is
disseminated to the broader public through a newspaper called the Richtersveld
News that is published by the Richtersveld local government and supported by EcoAfrica, GTZ/TRANSFORM and NORAD.
By facilitating information sharing, DLIST also acts as an agent of transformation. It
enables a dynamic collective voice from the ground to be heard, as well as from
partners who have sustainable development at heart. Its input into Oceans and
Coasts at Rio + 10 therefore represents more than only government, academic or
expert opinion but also the people who are most affected by coastal development.
DLIST’s inclusive approach and close affinity with the IDP process also makes it an
excellent planning tool. In contrast to, say, a government website or a virtual
university course, there is substantial value placed on knowledge and information
held by local players, including communities. Such knowledge helps to define the
context of development in the region, and thus can be very useful to donors,
government and other agencies that have a role in promoting sustainable
development in the region. Most importantly, the flow of information through DLIST
significantly influences the imbalance that exists between the “knows not” and the “inthe-knows”. It comes as no surprise that the knowledge divide and the income divide
correlates closely. After all, knowledge is power and power and money often go hand
in hand.
6
The Road beyond Johannesburg 2002
Knowledge management is a fast growing field. Its power in achieving higher
sustainability in regional development has yet to be measured conclusively. The
deployment of DLIST as an agent that aims to facilitate the regional conversion from
11
a disaster prone baseline to a sustainable situation through information sharing and
KM has already yielded several ‘lessons learned’ that have strong relevance for
Johannesburg 2002. They are:
(a) The growing emphasis that is being placed on the role of KM by the World Bank
and other institutions is encouraging. However, knowledge is greatly influenced
by the underlying information. Therefore, every effort should be made to capture
knowledge from the ‘end users’ of natural resources and especially those who will
be affected by local and regional planning and implementation. Information
should come from a variety of sources, including specialist studies, and digested
with sustainable outcomes in mind. KM should not take place afar, but
mechanisms should be put in place to decentralise KM to a local and regional
level.
(b) Planning still occurs in many parts of the developing world in a ‘top down”
manner, often with the best of intentions. This means that the “top” and “bottom”
can have difficulties in finding one another and form the strong partnership that is
necessary to move sustainable development forward. Effective KM can facilitate
the harmonisation of divergent planning and development initiatives in a region,
especially where an integrated development planning system is still being put in
place. The ‘collective consciousness’ can be far more effective moving a region
toward sustainability than consultants reports that are often ignored, may be
available or understandable to only a few, or may be out of context and difficult to
implement. KM tools should therefore be made accessible at the ground level to
organisations, local government and other agencies that have a strong role to
play in sustainable development.
(c) Poverty alleviation projects have a better chance to attain their objectives when
they are placed in an integrated development framework. Where such a
framework has not been described clearly, like is often the case in developing
regions, knowledge management can assist programme managers and local
people to detect emerging frameworks and agree on them. Thus the ad hoc
placement of projects is avoided and synergetic links are built faster. The
deployment of poverty alleviation projects should therefore be linked as far as
possible to ‘knowledge pools’ that places value on local needs and knowledge,
and feed “lessons learned” back into the common “knowledge pool” for use in
new projects.
(d) To manage coastal resources effectively means to promote rational use of
resources by coastal inhabitants and other role players. Therefore, information
exchange should start at the earliest possible levels in the life-long learning
process. CoastCare and other poverty alleviation projects have proven they can
be effective instruments for environmental education and literacy training.
Illiteracy represents a significant constraint along the West Coast of South Africa.
Of the 350 – 400 people in the northern Cape and part of the Western Cape
CoastCare programme 95% were functionally illiterate. That means they cannot
fill in forms, find it extremely difficult to access information and they easily fall
prey to abuse. Truly sustainable development cannot be achieved unless we
confront these issues squarely. Basic education cannot be left to education
departments only; instead coastal poverty alleviation and development
programmes and structures such as the MPRCs should be deployed to fight
illiteracy at every opportunity. Natural resource management should therefore be
embedded in Further Education Training (FET) at secondary school level and
12
environmental education should be infused at all levels of schooling. Thus the
road to sustainable development can be paved at an early age.
(e) The mining houses possess enormous capacity to influence the future of the
broader Namaqualand and the transfrontier region positively. Although their
activities are non-renewable and most of them are already in a state of
downscaling, they have much to contribute in terms of infrastructure, knowledge,
etc. Increasing pressure should be put on the mines to engage in integrated
development planning from a regional perspective, and back up the planning with
deeds. Token assistance to communities has never been acceptable and can no
longer be tolerated. Instead, the full potential of the mines to develop alternative
livelihood options while they still have resources and assets, should be
unleashed and be made a mandatory condition of their licences.
(f) Environmental rehabilitation falls far short in the transfrontier region. In spite of an
impressive array of laws, including the National Environmental Management Act
(NEMA) they are often not enforced. Damage to the environment continues with
impunity. The ‘lesson learned’ here is that Environmental Assessment (EA)
capacity has to be built at ground level, for instance at the local government and
CBO level. It is the local people who see the damage first, and it is they who will
be most affected by it. Through KM they can be effectively linked into government
structures and supporting structures such as legal assistance centres and MultiPurpose resource centres to take the perpetrators of environmental damage to
task.
It is worth pointing out that DLIST fits very well into the priority framework outlined by
the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) which is a pledge by African
leaders to eradicate poverty and place their countries on a path of sustainable growth
and development. Access to information and KM in the interest of sustainable
development will play a pivotal role in extricating the continent from the malaise of
underdevelopment and exclusion in a globalizing world (NEPAD 2001). Finally,
however, the responsibility of making a mechanism like DLIST work lies with its users
at ground level and their partners that believe information sharing is pivotal to
equitable development.
13
9 References
Alexkor Ltd, 1997. Northern Namaqualand Tourism Feasibility Report: Can Tourism
Offer Alexkor Ltd. an Opportunity for diversification? Eco-Africa Environmental
Consultants, Cape Town.
Alexkor Ltd, 1998. Coastal Zone Feasibility Study – Port Nolloth to Alexander Bay.
Eco-Africa Environmental Consultants, Cape Town.
Barnard, P (ed). 1998. Biological diversity in Namibia. Namibian National Biodiversity
Task Force, Windhoek.
Beatley, T., Brower, D. and A. Schwab. 1994. An Introduction to Coastal Zone
Management. Washington, D.C: Island Press.
CSIR, 1992. Alexkor Ltd Environmental Management Programme Report (EMPR) –
Specialist Study Report – Volume II, 1994, CSIR.
Eco-Africa, 2001. Integrated Conservation and Development Workshop – Building
Partnerships for Sustainable and Equitable Resource Use. Alexander Bay, 2-3 April
2001.
FAMDA, 1998. Northern Cape Province Fishing and Mariculture Sector Plan. Port
Nolloth, South Africa.
FAMDA, 2001. Expanded fishing and mariculture sector plan (in preparation). Port
Nolloth, South Africa.
Isaacs, M. and Mohamed, N., 2000. Co-managing the commons in the ‘new’ South
Africa: room for manoeuvre? Paper presented to the 8th biennial conference of the
International Association for the Study of Common Property, Bloomington Indiana.
MET, 2001. The Sperrgebiet Land Use Plan (Second Draft). Ministry of Environment
and Tourism (MET), Namibia.
NEPAD, 2001. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). Abuja,
Nigeria, October 2001.
Pallet, John (ed). 1995. The Sperrgebiet: Namibia’s least known wilderness.
Windhoek: DRFN and NAMDEB.
Richtersveld Transitional Council, 2000. The Interim Integrated development Plan
(IDP) for the Richtersveld. Lekkersing, Richtersveld: TRC.
Rothman, S. and T. Rothman. 1999. The harsh and forbidden Sperrgebiet
rediscovered. Swakopmund: ST Promotions.
J. Baumgart, J. and S. Turner, 2002. Lessons learned in CBNRM. Unpublished
Document,
GTZ-TRANSFORM,
Pretoria
2001
Williamson, G. 2000. Richtersveld – the Enchanted Wilderness. Hatfield, South
Africa: Umdaus Press.
10 End Notes
14
(1) The current paper represents a collective effort by a number of authors. The
paper was read by one of them, the Honorable Rejoice Mabudafhasi, the Deputy
Minister of the DEA&T, at the Paris Conference. The full list of authors are: I
Hewawasam, World Bank (ihewawasam@worldbank.org); F Odendaal, EcoAfrica
(francois@ecoafrica.co.za);
S
Edelstein,
Eco-Africa
(sascha@ecoafrica.co.za);
J
Baumgart,
GTZ,
(baumgart.gtzsuedafrika@za.gtz.de); D Baron, FAMDA, (dbaron@mweb.co.za); M Boonzaaier,
SNTRA,
(malinda@yahoo.com);
D
Hartney,
SKEP
co-ordinator
(daphne@ecoafrica.co.za); L Joodt, Planner, Karas Regional Council
(ljoodt@yahoo.com);
A
Joseph,
Richtersveld
NORAD
programme
(kubnor@lantic.net); J Birdsall, Connected Cultures (jbirdsl@aol.com); M
Kamoetie, Advisor to the Deputy Minister (mkamoeti@iafrica.com); J Kingwill,
Eco-Africa (jonathankingwill@yahoo.com); M Links, Chairperson, Richtersveld
Youth Forum (kubnor@lantic.net); W Louw, Richtersveld Municipality
(wjlouw@mweb.co.za); P Magerman, Hondeklipbaai MPRC, (dolfyn@lantic.net);
A Meyer, CoastCare Port Nolloth (port@lantic.net); R Martin, Poverty Alleviation
Project Manager (richard@richardmartin.co.za); S Matthys, CoastCare.
Hondeklipbaai (dolfyn@lantic.net); B McLean, University of Delaware
bmcl@UDel.Edu>; W Oppel, Kookfontein Tourism Development Centre
(steininfo@lantic.net); L Phillips, Alexkor Ltd (lionelp@alexkor.co.za); T Phillips,
Eco-Africa (tracey@ecoafrica.co.za); D Singh, Richtersveld Municipality
(port@lantic.net); J Stephanus, Karas Regional Council (karas@iafrica.com.na);
F Strauss, TRANSFORM (floors@kingsley.co.za); I Turner, Eco-Africa
(ian@ecoafrica.co.za); V Van der Westhuizen, Richtersveld NORAD programme
(norad@lantic.net); W Williams, Eco-Africa (wilfred@ecoafrica.co.za).
(2) "Transfrontier Conservation Area" means relatively large areas straddling
frontiers between two or more countries and cover large-scale natural systems
encompassing one or more protected area. See: Draft Memorandum of
Understanding on the Establishment of the Richtersveld/Ai-Ais Transfrontier
Conservation Area (DEA&T/Peace Parks Foundation, June 2001.
(3) The White Paper for Sustainable Development encourages the four coastal
provinces to form coastal working groups that will be pivotal structures linking the
ground level realities of the coastal areas to the various line departments and
tiers of government. The NCCWG was launched with speeches of the then MEC
for the Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Land Affairs, Conservation and
the Environment, the Honorable Mr. T Mackey and the national Deputy Minister
for the DEA&T, the Honorable Mrs R Mabudafhasi.
(4) How DLIST works is the subject of a separate paper by the DLIST task manager
Dr Edelstein that is under preparation (sascha@ecoafrica.co.za). The DLIST
website, www.dlist.org, went on-line in February 2002. DLIST is funded by the
Global Environment Facility (GEF) through IW:LEARN, a Washington-based
NGO. It is one of two global KM pilots for coastal regions. The task manager of
DLIST at the World Bank, Mr Andy Hooten (ahooten@worldbank.org) will assess
the pilot’s success.
(5) The DLIST “pool of knowledge” is influenced by many informants, briefly
described they include:
The Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process contributed a vast amount of
information on the region, including a situational analysis, a Vision for the
15
Richtersveld, development priorities and local knowledge. The “pool of knowledge”
obviously informs the IDP in return. The IDP is conducted under the auspices of local
government and the contact person is Mr Cloete, the CEO (port@lantic.net).
The Richtersveld Youth Forum held a Richtersveld Youth Summit in 2001 to give
input in terms of the role that the Youth can play in sustainable development as well
as their aspirations, needs and observations. The contact person is the Chairperson,
Maria Links in Kuboes (kubnor@lantic.net). The Youth Summit organized by
Connected Cultures that involved learners from Connecticut and Richtersveld gave
further input that can be obtained from Jerry Birdsall (jbirdsl@aol.com).
The Multi-Purpose Resource Centers in Hondeklipbaai and Sizamile have produced
useful information on their areas, are centers for training and computer access, and
play a watchdog role on the ground. They contribute useful “lessons learned” during
the implementation of projects and are increasingly used by the communities. The
Hondeklipbaai MPRC contact person is Priscilla Magerman (dolfyn@lantic.net).
The South-North Tourism Route is a string of CB tourism attractions, product owners
and services that is in an ideal position to inform tourism-related planning frameworks
and play a lobbying monitoring role in tourism development. The contact person is
Malinda Boonzaaier (south-north@kingsley.co.za).
The DEA&T’s cluster of poverty alleviation projects include tourism infrastructure
projects, waste management projects, tourism facilities, a succulent nursery, etc. The
success rate for Richtersveld projects were very high (over 80%) because projects fit
into planning frameworks and were identified from the ground. Useful “lessons
learned” are currently being compiled from the experience of more than ten poverty
alleviation projects and will be available from Ian Turner (ian@ecoafrica.co.za) and
Richard Martin (richard@richardmartin.co.za).
The Richtersveld Tourism Association (RTA) informs tourism development through
the Vision and Mission of its members and its proposed action plan for the year. The
contact person is Abuys de Wet (kubnor@lantic.net).
The Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Plan (SKEP) represents a broad-based planning
process that is being facilitated by Conservation International. It aims to preserve the
Succulent Karoo biome by drawing all players into a planning process that has both
the interests of conservation and the “end user’ communities at heart. The socioeconomic co-ordinator is Daphne Hartney (daphne@ecoafrica.co.za).
The TRANSFORM programme is a partnership between GTZ and the DEA&T that is
active in the Richtersveld in community-based resource management, capacity
building in protected areas and integrated planning. The contact person is Floors
Strauss (floors@kingsley.co.za). TRANSFORM regularly writes up “lessons learned”
that can be obtained from Johannes Baumgart (baumgart.gtz-suedafrika@za.gtz.de).
DEA&T’s CoastCare programme contributes to KM in a variety of ways, including by
monitoring coastal activities, environmental awareness raising, giving input into
Agenda 21 status of the Northern Cape coastline, identifying livelihood projects, etc.
The Richtersveld NORAD programme is particularly concerned with the collection of
indigenous knowledge and the preservation of cultural heritage and its sustainable
use, for instance through tourism. It will be the main driver in a process that can lead
to World Heritage Site (WHS) for the Richtersveld.
16
The Fishing and Mariculture Development Association (FAMDA) has the task of
developing the fishing and mariculture industry in the Northern Cape in a sustainable
and equitable manner. Activities include awareness raising, assisting members in
quota applications and fund-raising and drawing up a sector plan for the development
of the industry in the Northern Cape.
The Integrated Conservation and Development Planning Workshop held in Alexander
Bay on 2-3 April 2001 was an initiative of the DEA&T that was facilitated by the
DLIST team. Conservation International and GTZ/TRANSFORM funded the workshop
while Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) paid for the publication of the proceedings. The
workshops contributed tremendously through the sharing of information and by
introducing many role players to one another for the first time.
Transfrontier meetings regarding the Orange River Mouth TFCA and the Richtersveld
Ais-ais Transfrontier Park are becoming more inclusive in terms of community
representation and they inform the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and the
broader regional planning context as major developments in the ICD field.
Alexkor Ltd (ABT division) is currently engaged in a planning process that attempts to
bring all role players on board. As a decommissioning mine they have a wealth of
knowledge on the coastal areas, infrastructure that can be made available to new
developments, technical expertise, training facilities, etc.
17
LIST OF ACRONYMNS
ABM
Alexander Bay Minerals
ABT
Alexander Bay Trading
BCLME
Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem
CB
Community-based
CBNRM
Community-based Natural Resource Management
CDM
Consolidated Diamond Mines
CI
Conservation International
CSIR
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
DEA&T
Department of Environment and Tourism
DLIST
Distance Learning Information Sharing Tool
DFID
Department for International Development (Britain)
IDP
Integrated Development Plan
FAMDA
Fishing and Mariculture Development Association
GEF
Global Environment Facility
GTZ
German Technical Co-operation
ICZMC
Integrated Coastal Zone Management Committee
KM
Knowledge Management
LDO
Land Development Objective
MCM
Marine and Coastal Management
MET
Ministry of Environment and Tourism (Namibia)
MPRC
Multi-purpose Resources Centre
MSP
Medium-sized Project (relating to the GEF)
NACOMA
Namib Coast Biodiversity Conservation and Management Program
NAMDEB
Namibian Division of De Beers
NCCWG
Northern Cape Coastal Working Group
NCNCS
Northern Cape Nature Conservation Services
NGO
Non-government Organization
NORAD
Norwegian Government Funding Agency
PPF
Peace Parks Foundation
Ramsar
Name of town in Iran where Ramsar Convention was finalized
RNP
Richtersveld National Park
SAD
Staats Alluviale Delwerye
SAHRA
South African Heritage Resources Association
TFCA
Transfrontier Conservation Area
18
TFP
Transfrontier Park
SANPARKS
South African National Parks
SDI
Spatial Development Initiative
SNTRA
South-North Tourism Route Association
WHS
World Heritage Site
WSSD
World Summit for Sustainable Development
19