Conceptualizing the socio-cultural impacts of marine plastic pollution on human well-being–a perspective
- Yose, Papama, Thondhlana, Gladman, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Yose, Papama , Thondhlana, Gladman , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471196 , vital:77428 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115285
- Description: Marine plastic pollution is one of the major environmental problems globally, with adverse impacts on human well-being but socio-cultural impacts remain poorly conceptualized and little understudied. This perspective paper argues for a more nuanced understanding of the socio-cultural dimensions of impacts beyond direct and quantitatively measured impacts. The paper provides a working definition of and a conceptual framework for categorizing the socio-cultural impacts of marine plastic pollution. It also highlights three dimensions of socio-cultural impacts (lifestyle, mental health, and cultural and heritage impacts), and characterizes and suggests ways socio-cultural impacts can be assessed and recognized. The paper is meant to provoke productive debate and policy and management options for addressing the impacts of marine plastic pollution in socially meaningful and equitable ways.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Yose, Papama , Thondhlana, Gladman , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471196 , vital:77428 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115285
- Description: Marine plastic pollution is one of the major environmental problems globally, with adverse impacts on human well-being but socio-cultural impacts remain poorly conceptualized and little understudied. This perspective paper argues for a more nuanced understanding of the socio-cultural dimensions of impacts beyond direct and quantitatively measured impacts. The paper provides a working definition of and a conceptual framework for categorizing the socio-cultural impacts of marine plastic pollution. It also highlights three dimensions of socio-cultural impacts (lifestyle, mental health, and cultural and heritage impacts), and characterizes and suggests ways socio-cultural impacts can be assessed and recognized. The paper is meant to provoke productive debate and policy and management options for addressing the impacts of marine plastic pollution in socially meaningful and equitable ways.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Economic evaluation of wetland restoration: a systematic review of the literature
- Browne, Michelle, Fraser, Gavin C G, Snowball, Jeanette D
- Authors: Browne, Michelle , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471292 , vital:77438 , https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12889
- Description: Evaluating the outcomes of wetland restoration projects is critical to improve practice and justify further investment in wetland restoration. We conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the current state of knowledge on the economic valuation of the outcomes of wetland restoration. We assessed the economic methods applied, the attributes valued, and the timing of the evaluation in relation to the age of restoration along with publication trends. Research on the topic is increasing, but studies from Africa and South America are lacking. A diverse cross‐disciplinary interest is notable, yet collaborations between disciplines are less frequent. Of particular concern is that only a third of the studies were undertaken postrestoration, and even fewer for restorations older than 10 years. Gaps in the knowledge base mean that our present understanding of the value achieved through wetland restoration is tentative. The need for postrestoration site‐specific valuation efforts remains large both to justify further investment and to improve confidence in predictive and value transfer approaches as practical tools to inform decision‐making.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Browne, Michelle , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471292 , vital:77438 , https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12889
- Description: Evaluating the outcomes of wetland restoration projects is critical to improve practice and justify further investment in wetland restoration. We conducted a systematic literature review to evaluate the current state of knowledge on the economic valuation of the outcomes of wetland restoration. We assessed the economic methods applied, the attributes valued, and the timing of the evaluation in relation to the age of restoration along with publication trends. Research on the topic is increasing, but studies from Africa and South America are lacking. A diverse cross‐disciplinary interest is notable, yet collaborations between disciplines are less frequent. Of particular concern is that only a third of the studies were undertaken postrestoration, and even fewer for restorations older than 10 years. Gaps in the knowledge base mean that our present understanding of the value achieved through wetland restoration is tentative. The need for postrestoration site‐specific valuation efforts remains large both to justify further investment and to improve confidence in predictive and value transfer approaches as practical tools to inform decision‐making.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Willingness to pay for marine-based tourism in the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve, Mozambique
- Daly, Clare A K, Fraser, Gavin C G, Snowball, Jeanette D
- Authors: Daly, Clare A K , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/473119 , vital:77608 , https://doi.org/10.2989/1814232X.2015.1012556
- Description: Marine and coastal ecosystems face widespread degradation largely because market failure hides the economic value of the goods and services they provide. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can serve as structures that ensure the continued functioning of marine and coastal ecosystem goods and services. Yet, to be effective and sustainable, MPAs must be able to prove their economic worth and generate revenue. User-fee systems are used commonly to partially finance multi-use MPAs. This study applies contingent valuation as a method of economic valuation within an MPA in southern Mozambique. Using a payment card and questionnaire from November 2012 to April 2013, this study determined the willingness to pay (WTP) of three user groups for access to the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve. The study also investigated the potential for the reserve to increase revenues for conservation through the implementation of a user fee for marine-based activities. Probit and ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were used to determine the effects of various independent variables on WTP. The OLS model found income, African residency and environmental awareness to be significant factors that influenced visitors' WTP for access to the reserve. The mean WTP was R 43.75 (South African rands) per person per day. Using data supplied by the reserve management, conservative estimated annual revenues based on the implementation of this fee amount ranged between R 1.46 million and R 3.3 million.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Daly, Clare A K , Fraser, Gavin C G , Snowball, Jeanette D
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/473119 , vital:77608 , https://doi.org/10.2989/1814232X.2015.1012556
- Description: Marine and coastal ecosystems face widespread degradation largely because market failure hides the economic value of the goods and services they provide. Marine protected areas (MPAs) can serve as structures that ensure the continued functioning of marine and coastal ecosystem goods and services. Yet, to be effective and sustainable, MPAs must be able to prove their economic worth and generate revenue. User-fee systems are used commonly to partially finance multi-use MPAs. This study applies contingent valuation as a method of economic valuation within an MPA in southern Mozambique. Using a payment card and questionnaire from November 2012 to April 2013, this study determined the willingness to pay (WTP) of three user groups for access to the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve. The study also investigated the potential for the reserve to increase revenues for conservation through the implementation of a user fee for marine-based activities. Probit and ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions were used to determine the effects of various independent variables on WTP. The OLS model found income, African residency and environmental awareness to be significant factors that influenced visitors' WTP for access to the reserve. The mean WTP was R 43.75 (South African rands) per person per day. Using data supplied by the reserve management, conservative estimated annual revenues based on the implementation of this fee amount ranged between R 1.46 million and R 3.3 million.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
The impact of property rights to water resources on smallholder development in the Kat River valley
- Rantlo, Montoeli A, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Rantlo, Montoeli A , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/473066 , vital:77603
- Description: Property rights are social institutions that define and delimit the range of privileges granted to individuals of specific resources, such as land and water. They are the authority to determine different forms of control over resources thus determining the use, benefits and costs resulting from resource use. That is, they clearly specify who can use the resources, who can capture the benefits from the resources, and who should incur costs of any socially harmful impact resulting from the use of a resource. In order to be efficient property rights must be clearly defined by the administering institutions such as state, law and custom. They must be accepted, understood and respected by all the involved individuals and should be enforceable. The property rights influence the behaviour of individuals hence the impact on economic performance and development. The paper has attempted to determine how the situation of property rights to water resources affected the development of smallholders in the Kat River Valley. To capture data, a questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews. Institutional analysis and ANOVA were used for descriptive analysis to describe the property rights situation, security of property rights and the impact of property rights on the development of smallholder farming. The results showed that individual land rights holders have secure rights to water resources while communal smallholders and farmers on the invaded state land have insecure rights to water resources. The results from institutional analysis showed that the situation of property rights to water resources negatively affected development of all smallholder farmers in the Kat River Valley. The security of property rights to Kat River should be improved.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Rantlo, Montoeli A , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/473066 , vital:77603
- Description: Property rights are social institutions that define and delimit the range of privileges granted to individuals of specific resources, such as land and water. They are the authority to determine different forms of control over resources thus determining the use, benefits and costs resulting from resource use. That is, they clearly specify who can use the resources, who can capture the benefits from the resources, and who should incur costs of any socially harmful impact resulting from the use of a resource. In order to be efficient property rights must be clearly defined by the administering institutions such as state, law and custom. They must be accepted, understood and respected by all the involved individuals and should be enforceable. The property rights influence the behaviour of individuals hence the impact on economic performance and development. The paper has attempted to determine how the situation of property rights to water resources affected the development of smallholders in the Kat River Valley. To capture data, a questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews. Institutional analysis and ANOVA were used for descriptive analysis to describe the property rights situation, security of property rights and the impact of property rights on the development of smallholder farming. The results showed that individual land rights holders have secure rights to water resources while communal smallholders and farmers on the invaded state land have insecure rights to water resources. The results from institutional analysis showed that the situation of property rights to water resources negatively affected development of all smallholder farmers in the Kat River Valley. The security of property rights to Kat River should be improved.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Biofuel policies in Tanzania
- Mohamed, Sarah, Fraser, Gavin C G, Sawe, Estomih N
- Authors: Mohamed, Sarah , Fraser, Gavin C G , Sawe, Estomih N
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471167 , vital:77425 , ISBN 978-94-007-2181-4 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2181-4_15
- Description: Tanzania’s energy consumption is dominated by biomass, most of which is consumed by households. Apart from biomass, the country has extensive hydropower, coal and natural gas resources. The overwhelming dependence on biomass for basic cooking and heating needs by the majority in Tanzania, is a major cause of poverty and several other deleterious effects. As a consequence of the harmful effects of fossil fuels, biofuels are seen as a source of sustainable growth to help alleviate poverty in Tanzania. In this chapter, present policies and other framework conditions influencing the development of the biofuel sector in Tanzania are investigated. This includes the Tanzanian Energy Policy, Land Act, National Forest Policy, National Environment Policy, Agricultural Sector Development Policy, and the Tanzanian Transport Policy. The necessity for policies directly related to biofuel production is discussed. The Tanzanian government has established a Biofuels Task Force (BTF) in order to produce guidelines for the design of a set of appropriate policy initiatives. Due to the lack of formal biofuel policies, several external agencies have made recommendations on policies that the Tanzanian government should adopt. It is concluded that the policies existing in Tanzania are indirect and thus biofuel producers lack a reliable framework. Due to increasing biofuels, especially amongst small-scale farmers, the government must seek to provide these smallholders with incentives to grow their productions along with large-scale producers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Mohamed, Sarah , Fraser, Gavin C G , Sawe, Estomih N
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471167 , vital:77425 , ISBN 978-94-007-2181-4 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2181-4_15
- Description: Tanzania’s energy consumption is dominated by biomass, most of which is consumed by households. Apart from biomass, the country has extensive hydropower, coal and natural gas resources. The overwhelming dependence on biomass for basic cooking and heating needs by the majority in Tanzania, is a major cause of poverty and several other deleterious effects. As a consequence of the harmful effects of fossil fuels, biofuels are seen as a source of sustainable growth to help alleviate poverty in Tanzania. In this chapter, present policies and other framework conditions influencing the development of the biofuel sector in Tanzania are investigated. This includes the Tanzanian Energy Policy, Land Act, National Forest Policy, National Environment Policy, Agricultural Sector Development Policy, and the Tanzanian Transport Policy. The necessity for policies directly related to biofuel production is discussed. The Tanzanian government has established a Biofuels Task Force (BTF) in order to produce guidelines for the design of a set of appropriate policy initiatives. Due to the lack of formal biofuel policies, several external agencies have made recommendations on policies that the Tanzanian government should adopt. It is concluded that the policies existing in Tanzania are indirect and thus biofuel producers lack a reliable framework. Due to increasing biofuels, especially amongst small-scale farmers, the government must seek to provide these smallholders with incentives to grow their productions along with large-scale producers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Economic evaluation of sweet sorghum in biofuel production as a multi-purpose crop: the case of Zambia
- Chagwiza, Clarietta, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Chagwiza, Clarietta , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471178 , vital:77426 , ISBN 978-94-007-2181-4 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2181-4_5
- Description: Increasing awareness of the environmental damage caused by the existing fossil fuel-based energy system and rising fossil fuel prices explain, in part, the growing interest in renewable energy sources. In March 2008, oil broke through the psychological ceiling of 100 US$ a barrel, and later in early June 2008 rose to 140 US$ on the way to 150 US$. In addition, rising issues on global warming have resulted in the need to consider alternative sources of energy. This also resulted in debates about biofuels in most developing and developed countries. Zambia is faced with an energy crisis from importation of large amounts of crude oil and the high cost of fuel and petroleum products. Sweet sorghum has been flagged as a potential biofuel feedstock in Zambia. This chapter evaluates different varieties of sweet sorghum and identifies production scenarios under which sweet sorghum can be produced in Zambia by the use of Gross Margin Analysis. It also evaluates notable trade-offs in producing sweet sorghum instead of grain sorghum. The results show that identifying high sweet sorghum yielding varieties and optimum production scenarios are important pre-requisites for the successful implementation of the use of sweet sorghum in biofuel production. The results indicate a positive relationship between the yield of sweet sorghum and the production regime.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Chagwiza, Clarietta , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471178 , vital:77426 , ISBN 978-94-007-2181-4 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2181-4_5
- Description: Increasing awareness of the environmental damage caused by the existing fossil fuel-based energy system and rising fossil fuel prices explain, in part, the growing interest in renewable energy sources. In March 2008, oil broke through the psychological ceiling of 100 US$ a barrel, and later in early June 2008 rose to 140 US$ on the way to 150 US$. In addition, rising issues on global warming have resulted in the need to consider alternative sources of energy. This also resulted in debates about biofuels in most developing and developed countries. Zambia is faced with an energy crisis from importation of large amounts of crude oil and the high cost of fuel and petroleum products. Sweet sorghum has been flagged as a potential biofuel feedstock in Zambia. This chapter evaluates different varieties of sweet sorghum and identifies production scenarios under which sweet sorghum can be produced in Zambia by the use of Gross Margin Analysis. It also evaluates notable trade-offs in producing sweet sorghum instead of grain sorghum. The results show that identifying high sweet sorghum yielding varieties and optimum production scenarios are important pre-requisites for the successful implementation of the use of sweet sorghum in biofuel production. The results indicate a positive relationship between the yield of sweet sorghum and the production regime.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
The Impact of contaminated fertilizer on pineapple growers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Hill, Gary, Fraser, Gavin C G, Baiyegunhi, Lloyd J S
- Authors: Hill, Gary , Fraser, Gavin C G , Baiyegunhi, Lloyd J S
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/473055 , vital:77602 , https://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR11.1023
- Description: A framework has been established to determine the economic impact of contaminated fertilizer on pineapple growers in the Eastern Cape. Farmers in the region unwittingly made use of contaminated fertilizer which infected pineapples with higher than permissible levels of the heavy metal toxin, cadmium. The fruit was deemed unfit for use, translating into large financial losses for growers and influencing all participants in the industry. The pineapple trade was devastated. Pineapple production costs and revenues are adapted from previous studies as much of the necessary data was sub judice because of the pending legal action. Despite the problems with data, it was established that the farming operations were severely compromised because of the contamination.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Hill, Gary , Fraser, Gavin C G , Baiyegunhi, Lloyd J S
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/473055 , vital:77602 , https://doi.org/10.5897/AJAR11.1023
- Description: A framework has been established to determine the economic impact of contaminated fertilizer on pineapple growers in the Eastern Cape. Farmers in the region unwittingly made use of contaminated fertilizer which infected pineapples with higher than permissible levels of the heavy metal toxin, cadmium. The fruit was deemed unfit for use, translating into large financial losses for growers and influencing all participants in the industry. The pineapple trade was devastated. Pineapple production costs and revenues are adapted from previous studies as much of the necessary data was sub judice because of the pending legal action. Despite the problems with data, it was established that the farming operations were severely compromised because of the contamination.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
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