Rethinking Sustainable Development in South Africa Through An Integrated Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation Approach

This thesis is concerned with an emergent sustainable development approach attracting appreciable attention among government and non-governmental actors in South Africa. Although this approach's distinct integration of biodiversity conservation and climate change concerns is in and of itself unique, this thesis pursues a more compelling explanation for its increasing popularity. This thesis contends, rather, that the present appeal of an "integrated approach" stems from its relevance to a wider set of socioeconomic aspirations and ulterior motives in South Africa's post-apartheid transition. Evident fascination with this integrated approach can be linked, moreover, to specific issues of topical interest in South African politics, including: geopolitical influence; poverty alleviation; and inclusive social empowerment through equal economic opportunity. While this paper mentions non-governmental understandings as an important point of comparison, its primary preoccupation rests with the significance state actors within the presiding African National Congress (ANC) leadership attribute to this integrated approach. Correspondingly, this thesis mainly intends to critically interpret an apparent disconnect between promise (e.g. political rhetoric) and practice (e.g. policy implementation) on part of the ANC government. As a supporting objective, this paper also confronts tensions within an integrated approach's central assumptions, such as the presumed compatibility between environmental sustainability and economic development. The identified promise-practice mismatch and contradictions in environment-economic couplings can be assessed through three dimensions of South African politics, specified by this paper as: legal-normative; economic; and ideological---accordingly, these three areas make up the body chapters organizing this paper's presented findings. Marshaling evidence from available scholarly and practitioner literature, government publications, substantive news articles, anecdotal observations, and stakeholder interviews, this thesis identifies several enabling and constraining factors impacting the fruition of an "inclusive sustainable development" model associated with an integrated approach. Findings imply that constraining factors outweigh enabling ones. Consequently, the analysis concludes that while an integrated approach offers vast prospects for just and socially desirable change in South Africa, its potential to positively transform environment and development ethics is seriously impeded by lack of government foresight and willpower in the midst of prevailing power considerations and turbulent domestic politics.