TOWARDS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN SUGAR INDUSTRY: THE ROLE OF GIS

have not otherwise been submitted in any form for any degree or diploma to any University. Where use has been made of the work of others it is duly referenced in the text. The study was supervised by Professor Charles Breen. ill The South African Sugar Industry is a major land user in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. Although offering substantial economic benefits in these regions, monocultural sugarcane production has had a fundamental impact on the natural environment in which sugarcane is produced. Attention was focused on the growing sector of the industry after flood events during the previous decade resulted in major soil erosion of sugarcane land. Widespread intentional cane burning is attracting increasing societal and regulatory pressure. New national environmental legislation in the spirit of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) Agenda 21 and various other international agreements, demand tha