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The social-ecological factors shaping pathways to better water futures in South Africa
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024.
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613825483669504 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Pringle, Catherine Britt |
| author2 | Biggs, Reinette, 1979- |
| author_browse | Biggs, Reinette, 1979- Pringle, Catherine Britt |
| author_facet | Biggs, Reinette, 1979- Pringle, Catherine Britt |
| author_sort | Pringle, Catherine Britt |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description |
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131890 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:42:17.808Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/131890 The social-ecological factors shaping pathways to better water futures in South Africa Pringle, Catherine Britt Biggs, Reinette, 1979- Sitas, Nadia Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Centre for Sustainability Transitions. Aquatic resources conservation -- South Africa Ecosystem management -- South Africa Water -- Management -- Research -- South Africa Conservation of natural resources -- South Africa UCTD Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. ENGLISH SUMMARY: The world is confronted with increasingly rapid and interconnected systemic challenges. These challenges are particularly evident in the water sector, where a quarter of the global population lacks safe drinking water, and urban areas are expected to face severe water scarcity by 2050. While there is widespread acknowledgement of the need for sustainable, equitable and resilient water futures, transforming to such futures remains a formidable task, as it necessitates profound systemic shifts within our societies. In this thesis, I investigate the key social-ecological factors and processes shaping pathways to better water futures within a South African context. My investigation is structured around four research papers. Paper 1 focuses on key agents (i.e. people or organisations) who initiate and guide social-ecological systems (SES) processes towards positive change. In this paper, I conduct a rapid review of ten terms that have emerged in the SES literature to describe these key agents. I specifically explore their roles, motivations, and strategies; the conditions facilitating their actions; their broader impact on SES processes; and where these terms overlap or differ from one another. Paper 2 investigates one type of agent, namely boundary spanners, who work across geographic, socio-cultural, or interdisciplinary boundaries to foster collaboration, network building, and knowledge exchange. Through a qualitative assessment, I uncover the contextual factors shaping the agency and behaviour of boundary spanning actors involved in water governance in a case study of the uMngeni catchment, South Africa. In Paper 3, I employ an exploratory case study approach to examine how farmers in a water-constrained agricultural production system, anticipate, absorb, and adapt to shocks and what factors mediate their ability to do so. I also identify potential leverage points for building a more resilient and sustainable export fruit production system at both a farm and catchment scale. Paper 4 interrogates the social processes facilitating transformation towards collaborative water governance. Using Holling’s adaptive cycle as a heuristic of phases present during transformation of social-ecological systems (conservation, release, reorganisation, and exploitation), I consider the role of learning, power, agency, and structure during each phase of the evolution of the uMngeni Ecological Infrastructure Partnership, a collaborative water partnership in the uMngeni catchment, South Africa. The thesis concludes with a synthesis chapter that highlights key variables emerging from the different papers to understand the social-ecological factors and processes that shape pathways to better water futures in South Africa. The results indicate the importance of several variables which include the presence of unique agents, socio-cognitive constructs, meso- and macro scale factors, access to capitals, and the interplay of broader social processes in driving transformations, in the water sector and more generally. Additionally, I suggest several practical recommendations to facilitate transformations to more desirable water futures. These include re-thinking sustainability priorities with a focus on social aspects, adopting a dual perspective that combines an agent-centric view with a systems-oriented approach; spotlighting power dynamics; targeting underlying mental models; and co-creating favourable conditions for change. These findings may provide valuable guidance for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners in steering water systems towards more sustainable, resilient, and equitable futures. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Doctoral 2025-04-07T10:25:12Z 2025-04-07T10:25:12Z 2024-12 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131890 Stellenbosch University xii, 233 pages : illustrations, maps, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Aquatic resources conservation -- South Africa Ecosystem management -- South Africa Water -- Management -- Research -- South Africa Conservation of natural resources -- South Africa UCTD Pringle, Catherine Britt The social-ecological factors shaping pathways to better water futures in South Africa |
| title | The social-ecological factors shaping pathways to better water futures in South Africa |
| title_full | The social-ecological factors shaping pathways to better water futures in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | The social-ecological factors shaping pathways to better water futures in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | The social-ecological factors shaping pathways to better water futures in South Africa |
| title_short | The social-ecological factors shaping pathways to better water futures in South Africa |
| title_sort | social ecological factors shaping pathways to better water futures in south africa |
| topic | Aquatic resources conservation -- South Africa Ecosystem management -- South Africa Water -- Management -- Research -- South Africa Conservation of natural resources -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131890 |
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