Browsing by Author "De Wet, Benita"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 10
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    Developing sustainable land-use options for mined sand dunes
    (2012-10) De Wet, Benita
    In this talk, the author shares some learning from an initiative which looks at the rehabilitation of mined sand dunes, from the perspective of sustainability.
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    Ensuring sustainability in developing world biofuel productoin
    (2009-06) Von Maltitz, Graham P; Haywood, Lorren K; De Wet, Benita
    This poster focuses on a typology of biofuel projects and how to ensure sustainability.
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    Imperatives for an agricultural green economy in South Africa
    (AOSIS, 2015-01) Musvoto, Constansia D; Nortje, Karen; De Wet, Benita; Mahumani, BK; Nahman, Anton
    Globally, there are social, economic and environmental challenges related to sustainable development; these challenges include climate change, the need to feed a rapidly increasing population, high rates of poverty and environmental degradation. These challenges have forced us to rethink the way in which development takes place, resulting in the emergence of the concept of a ‘green economy’. A green economy results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing risks to the environment. It is based on principles which integrate social, economic and environmental considerations. South Africa has adopted the principle of green economic growth, and agriculture is one of the sectors that will drive this growth. Agriculture could address some of the sustainable development problems, but there are challenges related to resource availability, environmental impacts of agriculture and climate change. For agriculture to support a green economy it has to be productive, contribute to economic growth and not undermine the environment, social and cultural systems. The information base and policies required to support a green economy in general, and/or an agriculture-supported green economy have not yet been developed, as the green economy is an emerging concept in South Africa as well as globally. The generation of such information requires analysis and synthesis of green economy principles and agricultural imperatives into generic principles and practices for facilitating agriculture’s contribution to the green economy. In this paper, we conduct this analysis and synthesis and highlight the defining aspects of an agricultural green economy.
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    Legislative challenges hindering mine waste being reused and repurposed in South Africa
    (Elsevier, 2019-11) Haywood, Lorren K; De Wet, Benita; De Lange, Willem J; Oelofse, Suzanna HH
    While the waste hierarchy promotes the reuse of waste there currently remains limited reuse of mine waste in South Africa. Overburden, waste rock, tailings and slag are stockpiled or disposed leading to environmental liabilities including acid mine drainage and leaching. Globally there are numerous documented uses of mine waste. However, South African waste legislation currently fails to create an enabling environment for mine waste reuse, and consequently hinder the generation of economic value from this waste stream. Mine waste in South Africa is defined as a residue, which is considered a resource of minerals for future re-mining. Being classifed as hazardous, the reuse of mining residue is legally challenging in South Africa. Furthermore legislated environmental management process promotes cradle-to-grave approaches, which is not supportive of any waste reuse initiative. Legislative authorisation falls between two government departments’ often with conflicting mandates leaving mine residue becoming trapped between being a waste and being a by-product with economic value.
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    Pathways to pluralism in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA): The Multi-Author Team and integrated governance model
    (2025-03) Schreiner, Gregory O; Snyman-van der Walt, Luanita; Adams, Abulele; Abed, Rohaida; Lochner, Paul A; De Wet, Benita
    Pluralism – the integration of different perspectives and values across diverse stakeholders – has long been considered foundational to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) good practice. Yet guidance on how practitioners should elicit and then manage pluralism remains scarce. This professional practice paper explores the topical concept of pluralism within the context of the South African Energy SEA programme, conducted between 2013 and 2019. Authored by the project leaders of the programme, the paper provides a practice-inspired, plain-language account of how pluralism was attempted via the Multi-Author Team (MAT)/ integrated governance model. The paper describes the structure and mechanics of the model, highlighting several virtues and vices that practitioners might be mindful of when considering similar elaborate coproduction approaches. In summary, virtues include higher levels of pluralism and trust; enhanced systems for managing bias; the development of more complete conceptual frameworks; a broader psychological ownership of outputs; plus, the potential to reduce financial costs on large SEAs allowing for bigger, more inclusive writing groups. Vices, or points of caution, include substantially higher human resource costs, time costs and process complexity; confusion, tension and asymmetrical power dynamics within writing groups; and, if not monitored by experienced leadership, the risk of stealth issue advocacy.
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    Principles for internalising systems resilience into business management and value creation
    (2019) Haywood, Lorren K; Nahman, Anton; De Wet, Benita; Nortje, Karen; Van Der Watt, C; Kelling, NK
    This article introduces principles for internalising the concept of social ecological systems resilience into business management and value creation. It is no longer enough for businesses to simply reduce their impact on the environment. Businesses need to refocus their strategies and management within the limits of their social ecological system, such that they not only create value for their immediate stakeholders, but also create value that enables systems resilience to be built and maintained. Resilience thinking shifts sustainability towards business operating within the limits of the social ecological system in which they exist so that business is able withstand disturbances and uncertainty in the light of global change. The intention of the principles is to improve the ability of integrated thinking and management within businesses; such that businesses expand the scope of the system for which value is created, beyond the organisation itself, to the broader social ecological system in which they operate. In light of global change, and the increasing complexity of risks with which businesses are faced, addressing the broader system is crucial in order for businesses to improve their adaptive capacity, and therefore to ensure their own long term sustainability. The principles include a systems principle, risk and adaptation principle, decoupling principle, restoration principle, well-being principle, collaborative governance principle, and innovation and foresight principle. Managers are encouraged to build these principles in their business strategies, governance, performance and integrated reporting. The principles are being developed into a maturity tool for easy application by managers.
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    Science of landscape restoration
    (Global Africa Network, 2011-11) De Wet, Benita; Komakech, C
    Over the last two decades the ecological restoration of industrial land has developed into a specialist science combined with highly sophisticated management activities. A prime example of this approach is a unique partnership between the CSIR and Richards Bay Minerals (RBM). RBM has been mining the coastal sand dunes of northern KwaZulu-Natal for valuable minerals such as ilmenite, rutile and zircon for the past 35 years. In line with Rio Tinto’s biodiversity strategy, the company has a long-term commitment to restoring the mined sand dunes specifically using natural processes.
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    Sustainability assessment: a tool for planning for sustainability as a desired outcome for a proposed development
    (2009-08) Haywood, Lorren K; De Wet, Benita
    This paper presents a theoretical framework for planning for sustainability for any proposed development project. The objective of this framework is to foster and preserve the social ecological system in which the proposed development project is to occur so that the system remains dynamic, adaptive, resilient and durable through time. The overall approach to the framework is the understanding of the function and relationships within the social ecological system in which the proposed development is to occur. The system is analysed through stakeholder engagement and expert analysis. Sustainability is assessed through the development of sustainability principles and criteria with sustainability indicators to measure the progression. The framework has developed through a long history of impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment in the environmental sector.
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    Understanding residential water-use behaviour in urban South Africa
    (Alive2green, 2018-01) Jacobs-Mata, Inga M; De Wet, Benita; Banoo, Ismail; Meissner, Richard; De Lange, Willem J; Strydom, Wilma F
    South Africa’s water supply is under great pressure as demand continues to rise. Demand mitigation strategies implemented by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), water boards and local authorities, and a few water awareness initiatives by private sector companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the media, have had some success, but domestic consumption remains high. In this chapter, we provide some background to current household water use behaviour from selected research conducted over the past 10 years and more particularly in the recent past as a result of the severe regional drought. We also provide a brief overview of some of the interventions which have been used by different metropolitan municipalities to curb water consumption. We then introduce a new study by the CSIR, in which we will delve deeper into residential water use and behaviour. This study will focus on the issue of attitudes of households to their water consumption in a search for ways in which domestic demand for water in South Africa’s urban areas may be measurably reduced. The paper aims to bring to the fore the complexity of the forces shaping demand and water use. In so doing, it further aims to inform public policy regarding strategies and actions to reduce consumption and/or provide alternative domestic supplies of potable water.
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    What do South African supermarket retailers disclose about the sustainability of suppliers?
    (2021-01) Haywood, Lorren K; De Lange, Willem J; Musvoto, Constansia D; De Wet, Benita
    As intermediaries between producers, manufacturers and consumers, retailers are uniquely positioned to influence production practices and consumption trends. Supermarket retailers are increasingly imposing responsibility on their suppliers to improve the sustainability of their supply chains Purpose of study: The ways in which supermarket retailers disclose their sustainable sourcing initiatives are not well understood. The purpose of the study was to investigate the manner in which South African supermarket retailers disclose their sustainable sourcing practices and performance. The objective was to understand if sustainable sourcing is a key aspect of disclosure in the annual reporting of these retailers and if so, what information and performance measures are communicated. Design/Methodology/Approach: The annual reports of the five largest supermarket retailers in South Africa were downloaded from the internet. Content analysis was used to obtain information from the annual reports. Research questions were formulated from which the content categories were defined, for which in turn coded data was extracted from the reports. A scoring system was developed to score the status quo of the coded sustainable sourcing disclosure information. Results/Findings: The results show inconsistency in what information which the different supermarket retailers disclose with regard to sustainable sourcing and how they present it. It is difficult to compare sustainable sourcing practices and performance measurement amongst supermarkets. This has the potential to compromise the competitive advantage of the retailer. Recommendations: The authors recommend a standardised reporting protocol to aid the verification of sustainable sourcing claims and to enable comparisons between retailers. Managerial implication: Being able to disclose information on sustainable sourcing in the supply chains of retailers in a consistent manner, will enable performance comparisons amongst competing businesses. Using a standardised reporting protocol will facilitate the process of consistent and comparable disclosure, providing a basis for continuous improvement.