Operationalising the new Water Act: contributions from the Save the Sand Project<f>––</f>an integrated catchment management initiative

The Save the Sand Project is a national pilot project for Integrated Catchment Management and Land Care. Catalysed by the 1992 drought, this initiative arose out of a precarious water security situation in the Sand River Catchment in South Africa. In a fundamental departure form the previous water act, the new Water Act (1998) provided the foundation and framework for adopting a new, integrated approach to water resource management. In keeping with the main themes of the act, namely water resource protection, equity amongst users and catchment management, an ecosystems approach has been adopted towards land and water management within the catchment. These include awareness raising, developmental activities, resource protection measures and rehabilitation initiatives. This paper aims to provide an overview of the key elements of the initiative, as well as to provide a critique of integration as the cornerstone of ICM, in order to provide lessons for the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]