IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v9y2020i4p97-d337339.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Using a Social-ecological Regime Shift Approach to Understand the Transition from Livestock to Game Farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Therezah Achieng

    (Center for Complex Systems in Transition (CST), School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag XI, Matieland 7602, South Africa)

  • Kristine Maciejewski

    (Center for Complex Systems in Transition (CST), School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag XI, Matieland 7602, South Africa)

  • Michelle Dyer

    (Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 19 Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Reinette Biggs

    (Center for Complex Systems in Transition (CST), School of Public Leadership, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag XI, Matieland 7602, South Africa
    Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 106 19 Stockholm, Sweden)

Abstract

This study explored the shift in land use from livestock farming to game farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, from a social-ecological regime shift perspective. A regime shift can be defined as a large, persistent change in the structure and function of the intertwined social and ecological components of a landscape. This research focused on the Amakhala game reserve as a case study to understand how the shift affected the provision of ecosystem services and human wellbeing. We used remote sensing techniques to quantify changes in vegetation and found evidence of vegetation recovery following the shift. We then conducted interviews with both landowners and farmworkers and used participatory mapping to understand their perceptions of the main drivers and social-ecological impacts of the shift in land use. Social narratives revealed stark differences in different stakeholders’ perceptions, highlighting that the change in land use had varied implications for, and were perceived differently by, different stakeholders. Farmworkers emphasized changes in social structures that weakened community bonds and erased valued connections to the land. At the same time, they increased employment of women, skills development, and increased wages as benefits of the new game farming regime. Landowners, on the other hand, indicated financial gains from the land use change. The transition therefore resulted in trade-offs that surfaced as social, economic, and cultural losses and gains. These changes, especially in social relationships and community structures, have implications for resilience and possible future pathways of development in the region.

Suggested Citation

  • Therezah Achieng & Kristine Maciejewski & Michelle Dyer & Reinette Biggs, 2020. "Using a Social-ecological Regime Shift Approach to Understand the Transition from Livestock to Game Farming in the Eastern Cape, South Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-13, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:4:p:97-:d:337339
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/4/97/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/9/4/97/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kawika B. Winter & Noa Kekuewa Lincoln & Fikret Berkes, 2018. "The Social-Ecological Keystone Concept: A Quantifiable Metaphor for Understanding the Structure, Function, and Resilience of a Biocultural System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-19, September.
    2. Linda Luvuno & Reinette Biggs & Nicola Stevens & Karen Esler, 2018. "Woody Encroachment as a Social-Ecological Regime Shift," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-16, June.
    3. Steven J. Lade & Alessandro Tavoni & Simon A. Levin & Maja Schl�ter, 2013. "Regime shifts in a social-ecological system," GRI Working Papers 105, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Richter, Andries & Dakos, Vasilis, 2015. "Profit fluctuations signal eroding resilience of natural resources," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 12-21.
    2. Sergio Currarini & Carmen Marchiori & Alessandro Tavoni, 2016. "Network Economics and the Environment: Insights and Perspectives," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 65(1), pages 159-189, September.
    3. Xiaojie Chen & Attila Szolnoki, 2018. "Punishment and inspection for governing the commons in a feedback-evolving game," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(7), pages 1-15, July.
    4. Kevin Chang & Kawika B. Winter & Noa Kekuewa Lincoln, 2019. "Hawai‘i in Focus: Navigating Pathways in Global Biocultural Leadership," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-9, January.
    5. Angelica Melone & Leah L. Bremer & Susan E. Crow & Zoe Hastings & Kawika B. Winter & Tamara Ticktin & Yoshimi M. Rii & Maile Wong & Kānekoa Kukea-Shultz & Sheree J. Watson & Clay Trauernicht, 2021. "Assessing Baseline Carbon Stocks for Forest Transitions: A Case Study of Agroforestry Restoration from Hawaiʻi," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-17, February.
    6. Borofsky, Talia & Feldman, Marcus W. & Ram, Yoav, 2024. "Cultural transmission, competition for prey, and the evolution of cooperative hunting," Theoretical Population Biology, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 12-21.
    7. Valentina Bosetti & Melanie Heugues & Alessandro Tavoni, 2017. "Luring others into climate action: coalition formation games with threshold and spillover effects," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 69(2), pages 410-431.
    8. Doruk Iris & Alessandro Tavoni, 2016. "Tipping Points and Loss Aversion in International Environmental Agreements," Working Papers 1603, Nam Duck-Woo Economic Research Institute, Sogang University (Former Research Institute for Market Economy).
    9. Mirza, M. Usman & Richter, Andries & van Nes, Egbert H. & Scheffer, Marten, 2019. "Technology driven inequality leads to poverty and resource depletion," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 215-226.
    10. Mayuko Nakamaru & Akira Yokoyama, 2014. "The Effect of Ostracism and Optional Participation on the Evolution of Cooperation in the Voluntary Public Goods Game," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(9), pages 1-9, September.
    11. Ingrid Vigna & Angelo Besana & Elena Comino & Alessandro Pezzoli, 2021. "Application of the Socio-Ecological System Framework to Forest Fire Risk Management: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-20, February.
    12. Pal, Saheb & Ghosh, Indrajit, 2023. "Dynamics of a coupled socio-environmental model: An application to global CO2 emissions," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 478(C).
    13. Abatayo, Anna Lou & Lynham, John, 2023. "Resource booms and group punishment in a coupled social-ecological system," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    14. Noa Kekuewa Lincoln & Jack Rossen & Peter Vitousek & Jesse Kahoonei & Dana Shapiro & Keone Kalawe & Māhealani Pai & Kehaulani Marshall & Kamuela Meheula, 2018. "Restoration of ‘Āina Malo‘o on Hawai‘i Island: Expanding Biocultural Relationships," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-22, October.
    15. Alessandro Tavoni & Simon Levin, 2014. "Managing the climate commons at the nexus of ecology, behaviour and economics," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(12), pages 1057-1063, December.
    16. Sujith S. Ratnayake & Lalit Kumar & Punchi B. Dharmasena & Harsha K. Kadupitiya & Champika S. Kariyawasam & Danny Hunter, 2021. "Sustainability of Village Tank Cascade Systems of Sri Lanka: Exploring Cascade Anatomy and Socio-Ecological Nexus for Ecological Restoration Planning," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-23, September.
    17. Jinglin Zhang & Wei Zhang & Dongsheng Li & Xueliang Chen & Wei Zhang, 2022. "Regime Shifts in the Hexi Oases over the Past Three Decades: The Case of the Linze Oasis in the Middle Reaches of the Heihe River," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-13, December.
    18. Lincoln, Noa Kekuewa, 2020. "Agroforestry form and ecological adaptation in ancient Hawai'i: Extent of the pākukui swidden system of Hāmākua, Hawai'i Island," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    19. Winkelmann, Ricarda & Donges, Jonathan F. & Smith, E. Keith & Milkoreit, Manjana & Eder, Christina & Heitzig, Jobst & Katsanidou, Alexia & Wiedermann, Marc & Wunderling, Nico & Lenton, Timothy M., 2022. "Social tipping processes towards climate action: A conceptual framework," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    20. Riddhi Singh & Julianne D Quinn & Patrick M Reed & Klaus Keller, 2018. "Skill (or lack thereof) of data-model fusion techniques to provide an early warning signal for an approaching tipping point," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(2), pages 1-21, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:4:p:97-:d:337339. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.