Issue 169: March 2002: Determining How Well They Fit?

 
SANCOR Newsletter Issue #169: March 2002
 
Determining how well they fit
Renee Le Roux
The aim of this process was to see how well the objectives of each thrust of the Sea and Coast II Programme were being addressed by the current projects. The procedure followed included:
A. All the projects were scored individually per objective. The scoring system used include:
0 = does not address the objective at all
1 = addresses it to a limited/peripheral extent
2 = addresses it fully/central to the
project
B. The scores were added horizontally which gave an indication of how well each objective of the thrust is addressed by the entire suite of projects as a whole.
The percentage of maximum was calculated as follows:
[horizontal sum / (n X 2)] X 100
It is the intention to repeat this process so that a comparison between thrusts or from year to year can be made to see if the fit is improving irrespective of change in number of projects submitted.
MARICULTURE THRUST
OBJECTIVES
ADDRESSED BY SUITE OF PROJECTS

(% of max, n=8)

a. To conduct research on the domestication and cultivation of useful marine species
94
b. To develop research capacity to underpin the mariculture industry in South Africa
81
c. To support demonstration projects that can lead to additional commercial-scale ventures
69
d. To analyze the environmental, legal and socio-economic implications of mariculture and how to best address these
31
 
RESOURCES FOR THE FUTURE THRUST OBJECTIVES
ADDRESSED BY SUITE OF
PROJECTS (% of max, n=10)
a. To conduct scientific research
80
b. To conduct economic analyses of resources
20
c. To research social needs and indicators of social well-being
15
 
BIODIVERSITY THRUST
OBJECTIVES
ADDRESSED BY SUITE OFPROJECTS
(% of max, n=20)
a. To identify the factors that affect biodiversity and ecosystem
85
b. To identify developmental and research opportunities presented by biodiversity
85
c. To minimise deleterious effects of human activities
55
d. To develop indices of ecosystem health
43
e. To ensure the development of an adequate network of marine protected areas (MPAs)
48
f. To assess the function and effectiveness of MPAs
25
g. To provide the taxonomic, systematic and evolutionary studies necessary to document our fauna and flora and their phylogenetic relationships
63
h. Tourism
25
 
INVENTING THE FUTURE THRUST Objectives
ADDRESSED BY SUITE OF PROJECTS
(% of max, n=3)
a. To develop biotechnology including applications in mariculture
50
b. To conduct genetic research including the development of genetic markers
0
c. To develop new instrumentation and methodologies for environmental monitoring
0
d. To improve systems of data capture maintenance
0
e. To develop and apply geographical information system (GIS) technology
17
f. To promote computer assisted learning and communication in the marine sciences
0
g. To develop new harvesting technologies
17
h. To promote the development of value-added technologies
50
 
OCEAN DYNAMICS THRUST OBJECTIVES
ADDRESSED BY SUITE OF PROJECTS
(% of maximum, n=4)
a. To conduct basic studies of productive mechanisms coupled with fisheries investigations and surveys on the continental shelf to examine the dynamics of regional fisheries
63
b. To provide information on the large-scale oceanic processes
63
c. To investigate the oceanography of seamounts and continental slopes as part of the development of new deepwater resources
0
e. To determine and investigate climate change and ocean processes
38
 
COASTAL PROCESSES THRUST OBJECTIVES
ADDRESSED BY SUITE OF PROJECTS
(% of max, n=16)
a. To understand inshore oceanography& hydrology, including upwelling, circulation patterns, waves and nearshore hydro-dynamics
25
b. To conduct studies on recruitment
19
c. To conduct studies on productivity
34
d. To investigate the geology, including geological rock type, coastal geomorphology and sediment dynamics
6
e. To investigate biological interactions
47
f. To conduct estuarine research, including the effects of freshwater inputs and their consequences for estuaries
53