240512 SE Development, Social Transformation and Nature Conservation in South Africa (P3, P4) (2015W)

iSimangaliso Wetland Park is the new official name for the South African Nature Reserve that encompasses 280 kilometres of coastal wetlands, forests and sand dunes. It is regarded as a model for integrated nature conservation and community development. The Seminar seeks to prepare participants for a planned (not yet confirmed) field practice in the Summer semester of 2016 (geared for June with a length of 2-3 weeks). The focus of the Seminar is on the involvement and various governance structures regarding nature conservation and Community-based natural resources management (CBNRM). Isimangaliso became South Africa’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1999. It seeks to protect a tremendously rich biodiversity and at the same time assist the local communities with various programmes to give them access to potential revenues of the natural resources, including eco-tourism.