Measuring the operational competitiveness of commercial operations in public protected areas under Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife: implications for ecotourism in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.

M. Sc. Agric. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2015.In many countries, most of the wildlife and biodiversity remains under state control, and the state employs conservation agencies to regulate their use and management. However, state sanctioned protection of wildlife and biodiversity is unable to halt the decline of a number of species as most are either classified as threatened, endangered, or vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Moreover, Conservationists have identified that establishing incentives and economic value could prevent continuing deterioration of biodiversity and encourage their preservation and sustainable use. Ecotourism is one such economic incentive used in many countries, especially in developing countries to encourage biodiversity conservation. The majority of funds required to run ecotourism operation in public protected areas (PPAs) are sourced from the government. However, in the midst of declining funding from governments around the world, conservation agencies such as Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) have to either find new sources of funding or find cost-effective ways to manage ecotourism operations and at the same time carryout the mandate of biodiversity conservation. Therefore, conservation will have to be conducted through detailed income and expenditure financial evaluations. These financial evaluations will provide knowledge about expenditure patterns of ecotourism operations in EKZNW. This information will assist managers to make informed decisions on strategies and alternatives that could improve ecotourism operations and financial revenues. Therefore, the study sought to measure the operational competitiveness of commercial operations in PPAs in the KwaZulu-Natal province. This was achieved by constructing an operational competitiveness (performance) profile for each public protected area in the KwaZulu-Natal province by using a non-parametric method called the Operational Competitiveness Rating procedure (OCRA). The second objective was to compare the operational competitiveness of PPAs found in each EKZNW administrative region (Ukhahlamba, Zululand and Coastal region). Financial data for commercial operations in PPAs were collected from EKZNW for the period 2007-2013. The OCRA procedure began by computing resource consumption and revenue generation calibration constants or the average share of total costs and revenues for 32 PPAs. The results show that permanent staff, utilities, maintenance and repairs, and cost of sales were cost items with the highest average share of total costs, whereas, accommodation, admissions, sales and tours, rides and hikes received higher average shares of total revenues for most PPAs. This was followed by the computation of resource consumption and revenue generation inefficiency ratings from 2007 to 2013. The results of which show that improvements in resource competitiveness did not always correspond to improvements in revenue competitiveness, suggesting that either improvements in resource consumption or revenue generation inefficiency ratings would have more impact on operational competitiveness or combined inefficiency ratings. However, the results showed that resource competitiveness had more impact on operational competitiveness relative to revenue competitiveness, suggesting that it is important for PPAs under EKZNW to manage and prevent high costs to improve operational competitiveness. Moreover, the results also indicate that the greatest impact on operational competitiveness occurs when resource consumption and revenue generation inefficiency ratings are at their lowest. The managerial implications and strategies to decrease inefficiencies or improve operational competitiveness in PPAs under EKZNW are discussed in the study

'They are inconveniencing us' - exploring how gaps in patient education and patient centred approaches interfere with TB treatment adherence: perspectives from patients and clinicians in the Free State Province, South Africa

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) treatment loss to follow up (LTFU) plays an important contributory role to the staggering TB epidemic in South Africa. Reasons for treatment interruption are poorly understood. Treatment interruption appears to be the culmination of poor health literacy of patients and inadequate health education provided by clinicians. We explored clinician and patient perspectives of the gaps in TB messaging that influence TB treatment LTFU. Methods: We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews between January and May 2018 with a sample of 15 clinicians managing TB and 7 patients identified as LTFU in public clinics in the Free State Province, South Africa. Thematic analysis using a mixed deductive/inductive thematic approach was used. Results: Limited occupational opportunities, fear of disclosure and stigmatization all contributed to treatment LTFU. Patients felt that the TB messaging received was inadequate. Many of the clinicians interviewed felt that improving patient's TB knowledge would reinforce adherence to treatment and thus focused on sharing information on treatment completion, side effects and infection control. However, the inability of clinicians to establish rapport with patients or to identify social support challenged TB treatment adherence by patients. Clinicians perceived this as patients not following their instructions despite what they considered lengthy TB education. Having said this, clinicians concurred that their medical management of TB lacked the psycho-social dimension to treat a social disease of this magnitude. Conclusions: Limited occupational opportunities, fear of disclosure and stigmatization all contributed to treatment LTFU. Clinicians concurred that poor patient understanding of TB and that biomedical management lacking a psycho-social dimension further exacerbated the poor treatment outcome. TB remains a social disease, the successful management of which hinges on patient-centred care

Field-testing UV disinfection of drinking water

A recently invented device, ``UV Waterworks,`` uses ultraviolet (UV) light to disinfect drinking water. Its novel features are: low cost, robust design, rapid disinfection, low electricity use, low maintenance, high flow rate and ability to work with unpressurized water sources. The device could service a community of 1,000 persons, at an annual total cost of less than 10 US cents per person. UV Waterworks has been successfully tested in the laboratory. Limited field trials of an early version of the device were conducted in India in 1994--95. Insights from these trials led to the present design. Extended field trials of UV Waterworks, initiated in South Africa in February 1997, will be coordinated by the South African Center for Essential Community Services (SACECS), with technical and organizational support from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory(LBNL) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (both US). The first of the eight planned sites of the year long trial is an AIDS hospice near Durban. Durban metro Water and LBNL lab-tested a UV Waterworks unit prior to installing it at the hospice in August, 1997. The authors describe the field test plans and preliminary results from Durban

The operational competitiveness of public protected areas managed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife

The purpose of this study was to measure the operational competitiveness of public protected areas (PPAs) in the KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. Financial data for ecotourism operations in PPAs were collected from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) for 2007–2013, to construct an operational competitiveness profile for each PPA by using a non-parametric method called operational competitiveness rating analysis (OCRA). The results show that permanent staff, utilities, maintenance and repairs, and cost of sales were cost items with the highest average share of total costs, whereas accommodation, admissions, sales and tours, and rides and hikes received higher average shares of total revenues for most PPAs. The identification of the most important cost and revenue items was followed by the computation of resource consumption and revenue generation inefficiency ratings from 2007 to 2013, with the results showing that resource competitiveness had more impact on operational competitiveness relative to revenue competitiveness. This suggests that PPAs under EKZNW can improve operational competitiveness by reducing costs. Ecotourism is an economic incentive used in several countries to encourage biodiversity conservation. Because of declining public funding, conservation agencies such as EKZNW in South Africa should find new sources of funding or find cost-effective ways of managing ecotourism operations. Conservation implications: This information will provide insights into the quality of operational efficiencies of ecotourism activities at EKZNW-controlled PPAs and motivate management to adopt cost-cutting and revenue-increasing strategies to improve operational competitiveness