Access, use, and regulation practices in Lower Silvermine Wetland. Fish Hoek Cape Town
A political ecology approach was taken in explaining the context of resource use. Political ecology seeks to understand politics about nature. Where access and regulation practices are political tenets within the commons issue understudy in Lower Silvermine Wetland. Hence they are resources held in commons within the Lower Silvermine Wetland. Where there are multiple users with different claims and interest. The ability to derive benefits from resources known as access is essential as it helps in understanding the perceptions and relation of users to the wetland. Within the two concepts of political ecology and access, it sought to locate and situate access into the Lower Silvermine Wetland by focusing on users use, regulation by authorities and nature. Nature users derive benefits from the Lower Silvermine Wetland. This is shown by the way they relate, use, and perceive the wetland. User access is pivotal to the study as it shows what the Lower Silvermine Wetland means to different users. Therefore nature means different things to different users, and this determines the way they use the wetland. The other part of the study becomes significant because as much there is access into the Lower Silvermine Wetland, regulatory measures are in place to prohibit users from doing other forms of activities into the Wetland Lower Silvermine Wetland. This is controlled through permissible and non-permissible operations that have been put in place by authorities that regulate and control the commons area understudy. It is of concern that some regulatory measures have caused deprivation of access, and some have been weak that an enhancement in regulation should be considered. Access into the Lower Silvermine Wetland has led to a lot of misunderstanding between users and authorities. These misunderstandings are a result of use, regulation, and maintenance. It is important to note that everyone has the right to access wetlands, according to the South African Constitution. This is important to the study as every user has the right to access nature without restriction as long they don’t break the control measures. This will lead to conserving plant and animal diversity also to ensure access is derived without any safety or security threat. At the same time if regulation and control is followed it will lead to a good user nature relationship. Hence ensuring that authorities understand each other and maintain the Lower Silvermine Wetland. Therefore the study becomes pertinent in establishing implications of regulatory practices in the Lower Silvermine Wetland.
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