Ainslie, A.

Bennett, James

Coventry University Pure Portal

 Coventry University    Coventry University Repository for the Virtual Environment (CURVE)  Author names:  Bennett, J. and Ainslie, A. Title: Common property struggles in the management of communal rangelands in central Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Article & version: Presented version Original citation & hyperlink:  Bennett, J. and Ainslie, A.  (2007, July). Common property struggles in the management of communal rangelands in central Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Paper presented at the joint 42nd annual congress of the Grassland Society of Southern Africa and 4th Meeting of the Annual Thicket Forum, Rhodes Univesity, Grahamstown, South Africa. http://www.grassland.org.za/events/annual-congress/2007  Please note this item is an abstract from a conference presentation. A paper was subsequently developed from this presentation for publication in Land Use Policy - see also http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open/items/7d912002-b6e0-984c-1599-4cb1fed390e2/1/ (full text available).  Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.   Available in the CURVE Research Collection: March 2012    http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open  Common property struggles in the management of communal rangelands in central Eastern Cape Province, South Africa   James Bennett, Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Coventry University, UK. Andrew Ainslie, ARC, Grahamstown, South Africa.   This paper takes as its starting point the assertion of Bennett and Barrett (2007) that current rangeland management in central Eastern Cape Province (former Ciskei) is characterised primarily by an ‘open-access’ approach supplemented by private grazing of enclosed arable fields where these are available.  Using three case-study communities from the region, we examine the main barriers to management of rangeland as a ‘commons’ in relation to accepted common property theory.  We highlight the general inability to define and enforce rights to particular grazing resources, as being of key importance, in the face of limited (spatially and temporally) grazing resources facing competing claims from ‘outsiders’.  This is exacerbated in some cases by diffuse user groups and inadequate institutional arrangements.  Many of these problems have a strong basis in the legacy of apartheid policies such as forced resettlement and betterment planning.    Despite repeated attempts at several levels for clearer definition of resource boundaries through fencing we argue that besides achieving short-term employment goals, it is debateable how effective such a strategy has and will continue to be.  Rather, we argue that the focus should shift to improvement of existing under-utilised resources (particularly arable lands), provision of additional resources such as grazing land (through restitution and redistribution) and water, and provision of effective policies that facilitate institutional development and mechanisms for the enforcement of local rules.  

Common property struggles in the management of communal rangelands in central Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

https://pure.coventry.ac.uk/ws/files/4020093/Common%20property%20struggles.pdf

Common property struggles in the management of communal rangelands in central Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

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