Finding nema: The national environmental management act, the de hoop dam, conflict resolution and alternative dispute resolution in environmental disputes

This article considers the proposed De Hoop Dam on the Olifants River, Water Management Agencies, conflict between government departments and other organs of state, the involvement of NGOs and conflict-breaching mechanisms. The point of this article is not to debate the rights and wrongs of the project or to weigh in on behalf of either side in the dispute, but to show that there is a genuine dispute about the course which should be followed as well as interests which were not taken into account properly in the initial impact assessment and decision-making processes. Consequently, that this was (and is) an appropriate case for conciliation and dispute resolution mechanisms, which are key – and underutilised – features of the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 and of the National Water Act 36 of 1998. If this case could be settled by means of alternative dispute resolution techniques, others might follow and future environmental disputes be settled with accommodation of a greater number of interests. The matter discussed in this article is not hypothetical, but a real and urgent legal and environmental problem

Finding Nema: The National Environmental Management Act, the De Hoop Dam, Conflict Resolution and Alternative Dispute Resolution in Environmental Disputes

At a time when it is recognised that large dams have potentially serious environmental consequences; it appears that a dam, the De Hoop dam, is to be constructed in Mpumalanga Province. The dam may seriously disrupt ecosystems in the Kruger National Park. Authorisation for the dam was granted by the Minister: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, based on a badly flawed environmental impact assessment (EIA) process; the Record of Decision (ROD) from the Minister was equally inadequate. Following objections and appeals, the Minister released a revised RoD in which important changes were made. The flawed EIA and approval processes, however, may come back to haunt the decision-maker; yet value lies in the lessons to be drawn from the initial failure to consider the views of interested and affected parties. In the end, an abridged form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is to be followed; but much harm could have been avoided had this been done from the beginning. The ‘de hoop’ must be that these errors will be avoided in future in such disputes and a culture of ADR fostered.  &nbsp

Y4 receptor knockout rescues fertility in ob/ob mice

Hypothalamic neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been implicated in the regulation of energy balance and reproduction, and chronically elevated NPY levels in the hypothalamus are associated with obesity and reduced reproductive function. However, it is not known which one of the five cloned Y receptors mediates these effects. Here we show that crossing the Y4 receptor knockout mouse (Y4−/−) onto the ob/ob background restores the reduced plasma testosterone levels of ob/ob mice as well as the reduced testis and seminal vesicle size and morphology to control values. Fertility in the sterile ob/ob mice was greatly improved by Y4 receptor deletion, with 100% of male and 50% of female Y4−/−,ob/ob double knockout mice producing live offspring. Development of the mammary ducts and lobuloalveoli was significantly enhanced in pregnant Y4−/− and Y4−/−,ob/ob females. Consistent with the improved fertility and enhanced mammary gland development, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) expression was significantly increased in Y4−/− and Y4−/−,ob/ob animals. Y4−/− mice displayed lower body weight and reduced white adipose tissue mass accompanied by increased plasma levels of pancreatic polypeptide (PP). However, Y4 deficiency had no beneficial effects to reduce body weight or excessive adiposity of ob/ob mice. These data suggest that central Y4 receptor signaling specifically inhibits reproductive function under conditions of elevated central NPY-ergic tonus

The quiet editor: Ivan Vladislavić and South African cultural production

This article examines the literary and sociological significance of Ivan Vladislavić’s "double life” (Lahire, 2010: n.p.) as both editor and writer. With reference to a number of his editorial roles as well as the joint projects he has worked on with writers and visual artists, the article considers how Vladislavić’s work with others spreads symbolic value. Described by one of his clients as the “quiet editor”, Vladislavić can be read as a new kind of author; what he terms “creative editing” (Steyn, 2012: n.p.) as a new kind of writing, through which more traditional models of authorship and literary production are thrown into question — less Bourdieu’s (1984) “field of literary production” or Casanova’s (2004: 82) “world literary space”, red in tooth and claw, amd more Howard Becker’s “art world”: a convivial “network of cooperating people, all of whose work is essential to the final outcome” (1982: 25)