Community network structures and social innovations that support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) play an important role in the performance of nature-based enterprises such as fishing, weaving, and timber harvesting. However, limited empirical evidence exists on how relational dynamics influence these enterprises within contexts of climate change and persistent rural poverty. This study used household surveys and social network analysis to examine community network structures in the human-dominated protected landscape of Liuwa Plain National Park. Chord diagrams were applied to identify the drivers, barriers, and bridging factors shaping enterprise performance and collaboration among entrepreneurs. Gender and resource type were identified as factors related to sociocentric relationships, with inter-household collaborations exhibiting distinct gendered patterns. Households with fewer alliances exhibited greater diversification from fishing into alternative livelihoods, including weaving, caterpillar harvesting, beekeeping, and mushroom production. Enterprise performance was supported by income generation opportunities, traditional practices, and information exchange, while major constraints included climate change impacts, poor market access, limited external support, and weak cooperation among entrepreneurs. Strengthening adaptive capacity, collaborative governance, and social connectivity within shared landscapes is therefore critical for improving enterprise resilience. These findings provide network-based insights for conservation planning and SDG implementation, while underscoring the importance of continuous monitoring to support adaptive management under changing socio-ecological conditions.

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) is a major global environmental and public health concern, particularly in mining areas. Following the collapse of the tailings dam at Sino Metals Leach Limited Mine in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province and the subsequent discharge of mining effluents into the Mwambashi River, a cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the impacts on adjoining human riparian communities. Using the Mentor Modeler software for Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM), we analysed and predicted the socio-ecological effects of AMD on the communities living adjacent to riparian areas. The study revealed that AMD and the consequent decline in water quality triggered a cascade of adverse socio-economic and health impacts among the communities living adjacent to riparian areas. Understanding the FCMs in emergencies related to such impacts is crucial for targeted interventions, particularly in data-limited environments. These insights can inform more effective allocation of limited financial and technical resources, enhance decision-making by the authorities, and support the development of community-based strategies to empower affected communities and mitigate or prevent future AMD-related disasters.

The Old World Vultures (OWV), constituting 16 species primarily in Africa, Europe and Asia, are currently being driven to extinction mostly by anthropogenic activities, especially poisoning. The vulture losses from poisoning caused by human-related activities are en masse at a single mortality event-level and occur in complex social-ecological systems. There has been a growing body of knowledge on wildlife poisoning over the years. However, no review has been done to consolidate vulture poisoning studies in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with a social lens of conservation planning. Here we present a review of the vulture poisoning research by re-contextualizing the problem of vulture poisoning across SSA. We employed stepwise Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method to search for literature on vulture poisoning. The search yielded 211 studies which were trimmed to 55 after applying sets of eligibility criteria. Literature shows that efforts aimed at successful vulture conservation planning will require an understanding of the relational aspects of stakeholder social capital (assets) that are critical to the implementation of species recovery strategies. Strengthening relational social capital through multi-scale stakeholder evidence-based awareness creation and participation is necessary for addressing the African Vulture Crisis (AVC). Applying stakeholder social capital approaches to different vulture conservation scenarios at local, regional and international scales can enhance successful implementation of conservation strategies for the persistence of vultures in complex socio-ecological systems in African landscapes. Existing literature also showed the importance of stakeholder social capital as a countermeasure against vulture losses.

In this article we examine the role of accountability in the emergence of adaptive water governance drawing on a case study of shifts in governance on the Pongola River Floodplain in South Africa. The case study illustrates how lack of accountability by decision makers over the years inhibited the emergence of adaptive water governance on the floodplain. An important lesson to be drawn from the case study is that although adaptive governance can offer decision makers the capacity to confront change and uncertainty, this capacity is diminished when accountability is lacking or blurred because of conflicting interests. We demonstrate the need for accountable entities (such as government and NGOs) in contextualized situations to augment the emergence of adaptive water governance. Importantly, this research demonstrates how the emergence of adaptive water governance in part depends on the capacity of other stakeholders to hold decision makers accountable for the consideration and resolution of governance trade-offs. The role of accountability in this case is broadly based on the need to sustain delivery of aquatic ecosystem services so that generations can continue to enjoy them in the present and into the future. This case analysis is aimed at informing environmental governance scholarship and policies regarding the conditions that promote or inhibit the emergence of adaptive water governance.

This paper examines the incentives for managing water demands from a catchment or basin perspective by focusing on defined property rights dimensions. Using property rights theory, the paper has investigated the existence of relationships between attributes of property rights and intentions of water users to conserve water. A case study was used to test whether property rights can be used as incentives in the management of water demands. The results from the analyses that were conducted using IBM SPSS indicated that property rights would be very significant in curtailing water demands in a catchment by acting as incentives in water resource utilisation, specifically by motivating water user users to conserve water. This is an important finding because it would thus help water resource managers to use a properly defined property rights system (better duration and secure tenure) to enable water users curtail the ever-increasing water demands in the river basins.

The paper examines relational capital in form of trust and connectedness as key attributes of social interactions among social actors involved in adaptive governance processes. The research is a longitudinal case study of efforts for restoring the ecological integrity of the Kafue Flats for the period 1977-2004. The paper reveals low relational capital between local communities and Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZESCO) due to poor information sharing and dialogue regarding the operations of the dams. In addition, negative connectedness is attributed to differences in the timing of water resource needs. On the other hand, high relational capital between ZESCO and commercial irrigation users due to the exchange of information and shared understanding of the resource system with positive connectedness is attributed to similarity in water resource needs in terms of timing and organizational capacity. In view of this, it is argued that adaptive governance requires collaborative relationships characterized by high relational capital and positive connectedness.

Adaptive governance is an emergent approach to water allocation that alludes to the social conditions that enable the range of interactions among actors as they agree and pursue mutually desired water allocation outcomes. Limited successful efforts aimed at implementing adaptive governance suggest a dearth in understanding and implementing adaptive governance. Using the analytic lens of social exchange theory, we draw attention to relations of dependence by examining efforts aimed at establishing an equitable water allocation regime on the Kafue Flats of Zambia. Relations of dependence are as a result of differential access and control of hydromentality. In the context of this research, hydromentality includes discourse on water allocation, institutional arrangements and techniques for control of hydraulic infrastructure. The research used in-depth interviews, stakeholder workshops and document analysis. The research illustrates the case in which hydropower and commercial irrigation farmers, access and control hydromentality. In this way, these few key actors are able to either facilitate or constrain adaptive governance processes thereby influecing water allocation outcomes on the Kafue Flats. We conclude by asserting that adaptive governance does not occur in a vacuum and as such require greater attention to relations of dependence as social actors pursue desired water allocation outcomes.

African elephants (Loxodonta africana) induce considerable crop damage risks, shocks and stresses on subsistence farmers at the wildlife-agriculture interface. In this study, we explored the social dimensions of human-elephant interactions in the wildlife-agrarian landscape. The study aimed at unraveling the associated hazardous conditions and nature of the subsistence farmers’ social vulnerability and practices with respect to elephant crop damage, subsistence farmers’ livelihoods, and elephant conservation. Applying qualitative thematic content analysis, the sustainable livelihood framework (SLF) and additive generalized linear models (GLMs), this study revealed that the status of relational social capital influences human-elephant conflict (HEC) management and subsistence farmers’ responses, regardless of the farmers’ social learning and environmental values about the social-ecological system. The strengthening of multiple local stakeholder participation, institutional governance and access to livelihoods assets are needed for human food security and elephant conservation. Adoption of more effective nuanced crop protection counter-measures against elephants at farm level is urgently needed.

This article examines the potential and limits of benefit-sharing regimes in improving water security. It draws on a case study of benefit-sharing regimes focusing on the non-consumptive use of the Zambezi River basin. It demonstrates how these regimes have transformed over time from hierarchical to egalitarian benefit-sharing arrangements through the application of conflict-resolution mechanisms. This case analysis is aimed at informing benefit-sharing policies for African river basins.

This chapter seeks to illustrate why efforts to build climate resilient floodplains in Southern Africa require long-term transformative water security interventions. The authors argue that a transformative water security approach that is generative of change is needed to deal with the many adaptation challenges experienced by floodplain systems. They call for transformative water security that emphasises continuous experimentation and learning in an ongoing process of defining and balancing thresholds. This is particularly important given that most Southern African societies undeniably need to develop capacities to adapt to the impacts of climate change. The authors contend that societal efforts need to be directed towards building transformative capacities. This, however, will require a shift towards a functional balance between adaptation and transformation.

This paper proposes a property rights perspective to interpret institutional regime shifts in the provision of freshwater ecosystem services. Institutional regime shifts are conceived as persistent changes in the structure and function of a system. Property rights are viewed as an important component of institutional regimes. The paper draws on a case study of flow regulation on the Pongolo Floodplain in South Africa to illustrate the central role of property rights in mediating institutional regime shifts. The case study illustrates that there are many combinations of property rights that underpin institutional regime shifts in the provision of freshwater ecosystem services. It provides useful insights into the consequences of failing to recognize, establish and enforce bundles of rights. A major thrust of the case study is that the nature and context of property rights are important in determining the long-term provision of these services. By examining the configurations of property rights that have governed the Pongola River flood-plain over the years, the paper demonstrates the importance of explicitly defining and categorizing the range of rights.

This paper seeks to complement ongoing discussions around water allocation by offering an analytic framework for examining the evolution of paradigms for water allocation in river basins. It traces this evolution from the hydraulic paradigm through to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and the current water security paradigm. Using a society-science-practice interaction perspective, the paper draws attention to the governance processes of water allocation that underlie these paradigms using examples from river basins in southern Africa. It is argued that the process of allocating water resources is often influenced by societal priorities and values that do not necessarily result in maintaining ecosystem health and integrity. The efficacy of water allocation depends on the extent to which implementation takes into account the socio-political dynamics associated with collective action involving multiple water users. While paradigm shifts provide windows of opportunity for strengthening legislation, the mere adoption of paradigms should not be taken as a panacea for addressing challenges associated with water allocation in river basins. This is especially relevant for several countries in southern Africa that are undertaking water reforms with the view of strengthening allocation of water resources at basin scale.

This paper reviews and interprets recent literature published on a range of topics related to the assessment of adaptive capacity particularly from a sub-Saharan African context. While these topics provide a useful frame for what can be discussed under the theme of assessment, we argue that they account less for the content of adaptive capacity in the context of developing countries. We explore these topics to present two categories of assessments: technical and market-based. We use the topics to examine the nature and substance of adaptive capacity assessments in developing country context. Issues that are strongly related to water sustainability in developing countries form the core basis of the paper.

The study sought to expose the underlying complexity of benefit sharing of ecosystem goods and services among multiple actors in the Barotse Floodplains of Zambia. This case study is based on the rationale that theories of property rights have not been adequately used to understand and implement benefit sharing arrangements in natural resources governance. The study was descriptive, longitudinal and qualitative in nature. Data collection techniques used in the study included in-depth interviews and documentary sources using thematic analysis for coding and analysis. The study revealed an overwhelming variation of benefit sharing outcomes between eras as a result of varying configuration of bundles of property rights. The variation in eras illustrates a critical relationship between the establishment and enforcement of bundles of property rights and benefit sharing outcomes. This consequently provides insights into the consequences of failing to recognize, establish and enforce bundles of rights in benefit sharing arrangements. In this way, the case study illustrates how the theory of property rights offer a useful perspective through which to better understand and manage benefit sharing arrangements for socio-ecological systems.

This paper examines the enabling environment for effective water governance in Malawi by specifically determining the extent to which the water acts and policies of Malawi reflect international water governance principles of participation, accountability and transparency. It is argued that governance issues determine the extent to which sound and equitable water sharing is achieved among competing uses. Despite the fact that Malawi has vast freshwater resources, the country experiences chronic water shortages in some parts; this is due to disparities in water distribution to the extent that the country has been classified to be going towards water stress by 2025. In this study, it was found that the Water Resources Act of 1969, which is currently being used by the country has not clearly set the scene for good water governance. This is despite a number of treaties on water resources management that the country has ratified. However, despite the failure to update the archaic Act of 1969, the country has taken some important strides such as the development of the National Water Policy of 2005. This policy attempts to espouse key governance prerequisites required to improve the country's capacity to deal with the impeding water crisis situation.

The diversifying and increasing expectations for protected area services and functions provide great opportunity to enhance the relevancy of conservation for civil society. At the same time, such expectations, occurring in a dynamically complex and uncertain world, also provide numerous challenges. In this essay, we propose that constituencies involved in protected area stewardship need to attend to ways of making sense of this complexity and uncertainty and build awareness of the particular social, political and environmental context as a precursor to decision making. We suggest that conceiving of protected areas as a complex social–ecological system helps in sense-making. And we propose a framework focusing on the three variables of learning, managing relationships with constituencies and managing demand that would be helpful in developing the situation awareness needed to better understand the opportunities and consequences involved in decisions about various challenges. Recognizing that elements of this framework do appear in the literature, we argue that considering them together provides a more effective diagnostic framework for stewardship and enhancing system resiliency.

Several models of public private partnerships have emerged focusing on wealth creation from high value resources, risk distribution through cost and benefit sharing, and prevention of loss of biodiversity through collaboration among members of the public and private sectors and local communities.However, there remain many information gaps underlying their social-ecological system performance.A case study of Liuwa Plain National Park (3,660 km 2 ), western Zambia, to demonstrate the relationship between social capital and operational management by multiple partners between 2004 and 2011 was carried out.Literature review, expert knowledge and interviews of 57 informants with historical perspectives of the area were employed.We determined that social-economic-ecological gains and benefit distribution were influenced by the capacity of partners to negotiate collective interests.Intra and inter-partnership networking, social learning and differential capacity were also important factors.