THE IMPACTS OF TOURIST & RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE KWAZULU - NATAL NORTH COAST: UMHLANGAROCKSTOSALTROCK by Fathima Ahmed Master of Arts School of Environmental Sciences Discipline of Geography University of KwaZulu - Natal (Westville Campus) THE IMPACTS OF TOURIST & RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE KWAZULU -NATAL NORTH COAST: UMHLANGA ROCKS TO SALT ROCK by Fathima Ahmed (9254283) Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts in the School of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Humanities School of Environmental Sciences Discipline of Geography University of KwaZulu - Natal, Westville Campus Supervisor: Dr S Pillay November 2005 DECLARA TION I, Fathima Ahmed hereby declare that this dissertation titled: THE IMPACTS OF TOURIST & RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT ON THE KWAZULU - NATAL NORTH COAST: UMHLANGA ROCKS TO SALT ROCK, is as a result of my own investigation and research and has not been submitted in part or in full for any other degree or to any other institution or university. Fathima Ahmed Dr S. Pillay Date Date ABSTRACT The multiple uses of coastal space, the implications of coastal processes on society and the fragility of the marine - terrestrial interface requires integrated and sustainable coastal management strategies - one where humans can live harmoniously with nature. On the K waZulu - Natal north coast of South Africa, property development is a key feature of economic development. The last two years have witnessed an unprecedented increase in up - market real estate along this coastline. This has been based on an increasing demand for coastal property for the development of tourist, commercial and residential development. It is also a sector that has contributed much towards environmental damage to sections of the coastline and places a considerable burden on current infrastructure (sewage, water and roads). A time-series analysis of aerial photography, spanning a period of 20 years (1983 and 2003), was used to assess the collective impacts of development on both land use and important ecosystems since 1983. The rate of change indicates significant decreases in coastal forest (3%), cultivated land (3%), rivers (1 %), sugar cane (3%) and untransformed grassland (1 %). There was a concomitant increase in non - residential development (2%), residential (4%), transformed grassland (2%), transport corridors (2%) and wetlands (0.4%). A social perspective from a total sample of 50 respondents was achieved by administering questionnaires off five different key coastal stakeholders (planners/managers/local authorities, CBOs, environmental groups, developers and tourism interest groups) to establish their perspectives on overall development, legislation, the state of the environment and stakeholder participation in coastal issues in the study area. The results yielded the following: development is currently occurring in an ad hoc fashion due to the amount of land owned privately. This is further compounded by the lack of legislation such as land use management systems and a Coastal Management Act which would allow for control over development. The biggest non-compliance issue is adhering to environmental management plans (EMPs). There are conflicts and constraints coupled with capacity issues which do not allow for effective management or the curtailment of bad land uses. The environment is being impacted on to a large degree through rationalization rather than expanding environmental concerns. Lastly, while stakeholders in the area are active, political decisions are still taken. In conclusion, while the White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Zone Management in South Africa advocates' sustainability', the only thing being sustained on this coastline is development. This coastline will probably provide significant opportunities for tourism, but its amenity from a natural perspective will be lost. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The financial assistance of the National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Black Academia Scholarship towards this research is hereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at, are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the NRF or the Black Academia Scholarship. I would like to express my gratitude to Dr S. Pillay who supervised this research, and afforded me the opportunity to present its findings at a conference in Mauritius in August/September 2005. His encouragement of independent work has contributed to my personal development. I thank my co-supervisor, Mr. 1. S. Lutchmiah for all the assistance he provided me with this research. I would especially like to thank him for working with me through the proposal. His constant encouragement is greatly appreciated. lowe a wealth of gratitude to Mr. Omar Parak of DEAT, who has guided me from the inception of this research, invited me to a workshop and meetings which proved invaluable to my growth of knowledge about issues in my study area, and afforded me the opportunity to meet the stakeholders involved. I hope I have done justice to the effort and time he has devoted to me. lowe a special thank you to Michael Gebreslasie who did the scanning and digitizing of aerial photography for this research. The site visits we conducted were a collaboration of perceptions that were an inspiration to this research. I thank Terence Pillay for providing me with initial and invaluable reading material when I first began this research. iii I would like to thank Riyad Ismail for providing valuable GIS and secondary data for this research. I thank Ismail Banoo for providing valuable comments, recommendations and advice on issues pertaining to this research and the writing of this research. He has always been accommodating, amazingly kind and patient. lowe an eternal debt to my friends, Noelene, Nitesh and Natasha - who have constantly cared and kept up my spirits through good times and dark times these past two years. A special thank you goes to my husband Shiraz Ismail who is responsible for sparking my interest in this topic, before it was even an idea for a research. I thank him for assisting me with the technical aspects of this research, and for remaining good tempered even when our entire room disappeared under a sea of papers and books. He shares full collaboration in this research. I thank all who have participated in and shown enthusiasm for this research. IV LIST OF ACROYNMS BRG - Bioresource Group BRU - Bioresource Unit CBD - Central Business Distract CBO - Community Based Organisation CMPP - Coastal Management Policy Plan CPA - Coastal Protected Area CSIR - Council for Scientific & Industrial Research CWG - Coastal Working Group CZM - Coastal Zone Management CZMP - Coastal Zone Management Plan DAEA - Department of Agriculture & Environmental Affairs DEAT - Department of Environmental Affairs & Tourism DMA - Durban Metropolitan Area D'MOSS - Durban Metropolitan Open Space System ECA - Environmental Conservation Act EIA - Environmental Impact Assessment EMP - Environmental Management Plan GIS - Geographic Information System HWM - High Water Mark ICZM - Integrated Coastal Zone Management IDP - Integrated Development Plan IEM - Integrated Environmental Management IFA - International Financial Advisors LAP - Local Area Plan LUMS/P - Land Use Management System/Plan NEMA - National Environmental Management Act NGO - Non-Governmental Organisation ORV - Off Road Vehicle PCC - Provincial Coastal Committee RUA - Recreational Use Area SCA - Sensitive Coastal Area SCL - Sustainable Coastal Livelihood v SOl - Spatial Development Initiative SEA - Strategic Environmental Assessment SFP - Spatial Framework Plan SIA - Social Impact Assessment SLR - Sea Level Rise SOE - State of the Environment TMS - Table Mountain Sandstone WESSA - Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa The White Paper - White Paper for Sustainable Coastal Development in South Africa WTO - World Trade Organisation vi Table of Contents DECLARATION .. .. .... .. ....................... ... ... ... .... ... .................... ................1 ABSTRACT .................. ............... .. .... ................. ........ .... .. ................... 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... .. .............. .. ........... ..... .. ....... ... .. .. ....... .. ........ iii LIST OF ACRONYMS .. .......................................... ................ ...... ... .... ... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ........ ..... ... ... .................. .. ......... ....... .. .... .... ....... vii LIST OF PLATES .... .. ......... ......... ... ... ......... .. ............ ........ .. ......... ... .... .. xi LIST OF FIGURES ..... ... ....... .. ..................... ......... .. .. .. ....... .......... .. ....... xii LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................ xiii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction .............. ... ............................ ... ...................................... l 1.2 Structure of the Study ......... .. .............. .. ......................... .. .. ................ ... 3 CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL REVIEW 2.1 The Physical Environment. ..................................................................... 5 2.1 .1 The Coast. ..... .. .... ........................ ... .. .......... ........................... 5 2 .1.2 Natural Coastal Systems .. .... .......................................... ... ..........6 2.1.3 Nearshore Circulation .. ............ ..................... .... ...... ... ............... 7 2.1.4 Sea Level Rise .. ....................................................................