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An underreported consequence of the democratic transition is its impact upon localized governance systems in mediating development opportunities within the former homelands of South Africa. Colonialism and apartheid utilized traditional authorities to control landscapes and people, and while these systems continue to influence the livelihood opportunities available to rural households, their scope and influence are being renegotiated by the emergence of new governance structures. This paper uses a case study from the former KaNgwane homeland to evaluate the role of the Matsamo Tribal Authority in shaping access to land, wood and agricultural projects in the region. It is argued that the colonial and apartheid empowerment of the tribal authorities continues to have symbolic and material meaning within KaNgwane, which shapes the ways that rural households benefit from conservation and development. In the post-apartheid era, newly created democratic structures are challenging traditional governance systems by reworking household access to environmental resources. The intersection between these contrasting, and historically situated, systems suggests a dynamic renegotiation is occurring that will continue to impact rural households within the former places of apartheid.

The recognition that local participation is a critical goal of development has contributed to the popularity in a set of techniques designed to increase local participation and knowledge in planning processes. Identified as participatory rural appraisal (PRA), this trend is marked by the use of a variety of high-end technologies, including geographic information systems (GIS). An interesting and related trend has come from members of the GIS community who argue that a 'participatory GIS' is required to ensure local knowledge and participation in a variety of planning initiatives. This synergy of interests has resulted in a growth of research in the developing world that attempts to merge PRA methods with GIS tools. This paper examines the separate, but increasingly complementary, traditions of PRA and GIS. Ten case studies that combine participatory methods with GIS in Latin America, Africa, and Asia are evaluated to consider how these traditions are being applied by communities to protect ownership of territory, present local knowledge of natural resources, and to engage in long-term planning. This paper suggests that although GIS has the potential to increase participation in planning processes, a commonality of the majority of case studies is limited attention to the participatory process itself. It would address how access to information and GIS tools varies within communities, as well as the effectiveness of a participatory GIS in shaping policy outcomes. Although participation can be advanced through the use of GIS, this paper concludes by suggesting that research on the availability of these tools should not serve as a substitute for critical analyses of their use and effectiveness by local communities. KEYWORDS: Participatory GIS, community-based GIS, GIS and society, PRA, development, Introduction The need to include local participation in development and planning projects has received greater attention in recent years due to the growth in research on sustainable rural livelihoods (Scoones [...]

DECOLONIZING NATURE: Strategies for Conservation in a Post-Colonial Era. Edited by WILLIAM M. ADAMS and MARTIN MULLIGAN. xii and 308 pp.; maps, diagrs., ills., bibliog., index. London: Earthscan, 2003. $75.00 [...]