An investigation into trust and perceptions of interdependence in the co-management of a restituted state managed protected area : case of the Hluhluwe corridor game reserve.
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Date
2011
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Abstract
The Hluhluwe Corridor Game Reserve is situated in the uMkhanyakude District
municipality, approximately 350 kilometres from Durban. The reserve was
proclaimed in 1989 after the forced removal of the Mpukunyoni and Mkhwanazi
communities between the 1940’s and 1960’s. In June 2007, the KwaZulu-Natal
Regional Land Claims Commission restored the previously dispossessed
communities’ rights to the land through the restitution land reform programme. The
conditions for the settlement agreement stipulated that the current management
authority, eZemvelo KwaZulu Natal Wildlife (EKZNW), should continue to manage
the land despite ownership being transferred to the legal entity of the originally
dispossessed communities of Mpukunyoni and Mkhwanazi known as the Corridor
of Hope Trust (COHT). The land claim settlement agreement signed by both
parties (EKZNW and COHT) further suggested that the parties enter into a comanagement
agreement for the continued management of the reserve within three
months of signing the settlement agreement to ensure the sharing of benefits that
accrue from the reserve between the parties.
At the present moment EKZNW, in accordance with Chapter 5 of the Kwa-Zulu
Natal Nature Conservation Management Act, 9 of 1997, recognizes local boards as
structures which represents the interests of communities living adjacent to
protected areas. It is important to note that the local board structure do not only
represent the claimant communities but also represents the broader communities
irrespective of whether they are land claimants or not. It is for this reason that in the
case of Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park there is a Hluhluwe Imfolozi local board, the
majority of the members of the local board are also land claimants in respect of the
land claim lodged against the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park and are also members of the
COHT. It is for this reason that COHT and the local board for the purposes of this
study are treated as a single structure hence when there is reference to parties it
would also be dealing with EKZNW, COHT and the local board.
It would be important that after the signing of the co-management agreement is
finalised the existence and relevance of both COHT and local board is discussed
and agreed upon amongst all parties to avoid duplication of responsibilities and
overstretching of resources. However in the meantime, before the discussions and
decisions are made in respect of the existence and relevance of the community
structures(COHT and local board) the recommended institutional arrangement
recognizes both these structures until such time if at all possible they are
amagulmated.
This study assumed that unless the people of the COHT and Hluhluwe Imfolozi
Local Board trusted EKZNW and strongly perceive themselves to be
interdependent with EKZNW, the prospects for successful co-management
between the parties (COHT and EKZNW) are bleak. Whereas investigating both
parties would have enhanced the understanding of perceptions between the
parties, the study focused on getting a deeper understanding of the COHT because
they have suffered the consequences of forceful removals and its implications
thereof.
The aim of this study was to determine the COHT levels of trust and perceptions of
interdependence with EKZNW. To accomplish this, two objectives were identified.
The first was to investigate the degree or level to which COHT trusted EKZNW
through identifying some key elements of trust, namely respect, honesty,
transparency, consistency and delivery. Secondly, the study assessed the extent to
which the COHT perceived interdependence with EKZNW. The extent to which
COHT demonstrated the perception of interconnectedness and mutual dependence
was probed to assess perceptions of interdependence. The presence of these
elements in the responses would lead to the conclusion that the COHT perceived
themselves to be interdependent with EKZNW. In the interest of gaining in depth
understanding of the positions of those in COHT all efforts were focused on these
stakeholders.
An intense review of the literature to establish the elements of trust and
perceptions of interdependence to include in the investigation was the first
method employed. Thereafter a purposive sample was drawn from the trustees
of the COHT. These persons, COHT, were entrusted with the responsibility of
overseeing all issues pertaining to the restored land, since they were considered
to be de facto co-managers, representing the broader restitution beneficiaries
during the co-management arrangement. Respondents were engaged in semistructured
face to face interviews with both open-ended and closed-ended
questions.
Results of the study indicated that the trustees of the COHT do not trust EKZNW.
The high levels of mistrust appear to be related to the manner in which people
were removed from their ancestral land in the 1940’s and 1960’s. The majority of
respondents highlighted lack of respect, transparency, delivery, honesty and
consistency in the manner in which EKZNW conducts its business in the area. It
appeared that the lack of these elements of trust contributed to low levels of trust
from COHT against EKZNW as an entity. However, respondents acknowledged
that they needed EKZNW to continue managing the protected area to ensure that
its ecological integrity is not compromised. Respondents further indicated their
willingness to work collaboratively with EKZNW.
The study finally concludes, based on the displayed perceptions of
interdependence, with a recommended institutional arrangement aimed at
ensuring improved levels of trust by the COHT to EKZNW to ensure successful
co-management of the restored land. The study further suggests that in order to
give a full account of the study, similar study be conducted to ascertain the trust
levels and perceptions of interdependence on the part of EKZNW.
Description
Master of Science. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2011.
Keywords
Environmental management., Natural resources -- Co-management., Protected areas -- Management., National parks and reserves -- Management., Theses -- Environmental science.