PER: 2013 Volume 16 No 2 (Special Edition)http://hdl.handle.net/10394/88372024-03-29T02:21:30Z2024-03-29T02:21:30ZProtecting ecosystems by way of biological control: cursory reflections on the main regulatory instruments for biological control agents, present and futureAlberts, ReeceMoolman, Juriehttp://hdl.handle.net/10394/88432016-04-28T21:43:01Z2013-01-01T00:00:00ZProtecting ecosystems by way of biological control: cursory reflections on the main regulatory instruments for biological control agents, present and future
Alberts, Reece; Moolman, Jurie
Although there are numerous threats to ecosystems and the resultant ecosystem
services, alien and invasive plants (AIP) have been identified as being one of the
major causes of ecosystem destruction. In addressing the threat of alien and
invasive plants through the use of various mechanisms, the regulatory framework
imposed by legislation is key in ensuring that that controlling AIPs does in fact not
do more harm than good. One such control mechanism, which has the potential to
do wonders or wreak havoc if not adroitly implemented, is that of using biological
control agents. This contribution provides a brief overview on the three main
regulatory instruments used to control biological control agents in South Africa,
namely the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act 43 of 1983, the Agricultural
Pests Act 36 of 1983 and the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act
10 of 2004. It also considers possible future developments on the regulation of
biological control agents.
2013-01-01T00:00:00ZTowards the legal recognition and governance of forest ecosystem services in MozambiqueNorfolk, SimonCosijn, Michaelahttp://hdl.handle.net/10394/88422016-04-28T21:56:28Z2013-01-01T00:00:00ZTowards the legal recognition and governance of forest ecosystem services in Mozambique
Norfolk, Simon; Cosijn, Michaela
Within the context of Mozambique, this paper examines the state of forest
ecosystem services, the dependency of the population on these systems for their
well-being, if an adaptive governance regime is being created which will ensure the
resilience of the forest ecosystem services including the legal framework, the
institutions operating within this framework, the tools available and their functioning,
and how cooperative governance is operating.
2013-01-01T00:00:00ZLaw, the laws of nature and ecosystem energy services: a case of wilful blindnessHodas, David Rhttp://hdl.handle.net/10394/88412016-04-28T21:53:46Z2013-01-01T00:00:00ZLaw, the laws of nature and ecosystem energy services: a case of wilful blindness
Hodas, David R
Ecosystems services include the collection, concentration, and storage of solar
energy as fossil fuels (e.g., coal, petroleum, and natural gas). These concentrated
forms of energy were produced by ancient ecosystem services. However, our legal
and economic systems fail to recognise the value of the ecosystem service subsidies
embedded in fossil fuels. This ecosystem services price subsidy causes overuse and
waste of fossil fuels in the free market: fossil fuels are consumed more quickly than
they can be replaced by ecosystem services and in far larger quantities than they
would be if the price of fossil fuels included the cost of solar energy collection,
concentration and manufacturing of raw fossil fuels. Moreover, burning fossil fuels
produces enormous environmental, human health and welfare costs and damage.
Virtually no legal literature on ecosystem services, sustainable development, or
sustainable energy, considers fossil fuels in this context. Without understanding
stored energy as an ecosystem service, we cannot reasonably expect to manage our fossil fuel energy resources sustainably. International and domestic energy law and
policy systems generally ignore this feature of fossil fuel energy, a blind spot that
explains why reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels is fundamentally a
political challenge. This paper will use new understandings emerging from the field
of complex systems to critique existing legal decision-making models that do not
adequately account for energy ecosystem services in policy design, resource
allocation and project approvals. The paper proposes a new "least-social-cost"
decision-making legal structure that includes ecosystem energy services.
2013-01-01T00:00:00ZEcosystem services and international water law: towards a more effective determination and implementation of equity?Rieu-Clarke, AlistairSpray, Christopherhttp://hdl.handle.net/10394/88402016-04-28T21:52:53Z2013-01-01T00:00:00ZEcosystem services and international water law: towards a more effective determination and implementation of equity?
Rieu-Clarke, Alistair; Spray, Christopher
Interest in an ecological- or an ecosystem-centred approach to natural resource
management is not new, and in the case of water management has been very well
emphasised for many decades. Recently however, a new focus has emerged around
the identification and assessment of ecosystem services, and the potential to
somehow use valuation of these services as a basis for more effective management
of natural and human-linked systems. Despite this growing recognition, attempts to
apply such an approach to transboundary watercourses are few and far between.
While key principles of international water law, for example, equitable and
reasonable utilisation, are not in conflict with an ecosystem services approach;
significant challenges remain in its implementation. However, as the methods and
tools used to identify ecosystem services improve, it is likely that such an approach
will offer an important means by which to reconcile competing interests over shared
watercourses in the future.
2013-01-01T00:00:00Z