From conflict to negotiation: nature-based development on South Africa's wild coast

Abstract

This book provides a South African case study of the shift from protectionism to sustainable development in the 1990s. Located on the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape, Dwesa-Cwebe consists of a nature and marine reserve with eight adjacent resident communities that have historically depended on local forest, grassland and coastal resources. The book details the findings of this pioneering research project and places them in context. This includes the historical background of the region, the more recent policy process that the researchers were able to observe and participate in and global trend in tourism and community-based natural resource management. The book is thus much more than an account of the situation the researchers encountered in the field. It is a story of local empowerment regained as confrontation yielded to negotiation and negotiation yielded co-management, local ownership and development partnerships. With its contemporary approach to research, including training and capacity building, this landmark study will provoke ongoing discussion and research in an exciting new forum of community development.