Paper short abstract:

In South Africa, rural communities rely on natural resources for livelihoods. Simultaneously, coastal governance remains highly contested by plural governance actors and institutions whose roles and mandates are usually ambiguous. This has wide implications for sustainable resource governance.

Paper long abstract:

Coastal resources are significant in supporting the livelihoods of marginalized communities adjacent to the coastal zone. Rural households rely on harvesting marine resources, forest products and agricultural resources for livelihoods. Simultaneously, biodiversity protection in the form of internationally and nationally recognized protected areas are increasingly being enacted in South Africa in areas adjecent to rural communities which have been historically marginalized. Moreover, coastal governance in rural areas of South Africa remains highly contested by plural co-existing governance actors and institutions whose roles and mandates are usually confusing not only to the local communities, but sometimes also among themselves. This is exacerbated by the fact that institutions with mandates over coastal governance in rural areas also usually operate in silos, creating a case of red tape the slows down development opportunities in these areas. Plurality in coastal governance in coasts adjecent to rural areas predominantly exists between and within statutory and customary governance systems operating under different sources of law. Through the lens of Kosi Bay, a rural area existing within South Africa's first World Heritage Site, iSimangaliso; this study is therefore interested in documenting livelihood strategies in rural coastal communities and interrogating how people's livelihoods are influenced by the existence of multiple and plural coastal governance systems and processes. This is done in view to contribute towards knowledge that links sustainable livelihoods thinking to governance debates in order to further the understanding of interactions between the two.