The Best Laid Plans

A critical analysis reveals that conservation efforts at the iSimangaliso Wetland Park inadvertently restrict local communities' agency despite South Africa's strong human rights framework. The study identifies a conceptual conflict between human rights and the capability approach in the park's market-driven sustainable development strategy, which constrains the freedom of inhabitants like KwaDapha village to pursue their values and norms. This finding underscores the unintended consequences of conflating these distinct frameworks in conservation management.

Hansen, M., Faran, T., & O’Byrne, D. (2015). The Best Laid Plans. The Journal of Environment & Development, 24(4), 395–417. https://doi.org/10.1177/1070496515598348