GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

In the last decade, environmental management has emerged as an exciting and relevant sub-discipline of geography in South Africa in line with global trends. The paper examines the relationship between geography and environmental management in South Africa; the role that geographer's are playing in this discipline; and the future of this relationship. The paper identifies eleven themes in the environmental management literature in South Africa and suggests that geography plays a crucial role in providing the theoretical foundation for the more applied paradigm of environmental management. It is proposed that South African geographers need to develop new approaches that challenge the status quo and lead to social, environmental and ecological justice.