The twin concepts of ecological sustainability and
ecologically sustainable development have been
in circulation in international circles for about three
decades. In South Africa these concepts have
become cornerstones of both our new Constitution
and our National Environmental Management
Policy. And yet, there is still a highly intensive and
wide ranging debate going on in international as
well as national contexts in which both the meaning
and implementation of these concepts are contested
from different angles. In this article the reasons
for this slate of affairs are explored from an
ethical perspective, and a number of proposals are
made on a philosophical and policy level to
respond to the contested nature of these concepts.
In an overview of the historical development of the
concepts of ecological sustainability and ecologically
sustainable development it is shown that
they have emerged from different, and to some
extent mutually exclusive, contexts. The paper
then proceeds 10 a systematic discussion of a
number of "fault lines~ within these concepts, in
which the focus falls on certain internal tensions
that make their interpretation very difficult, if not
highly controversial. These tensions are associated
with different ethical and ideological positions
that can be assumed with regards to questions
such as the following: 1. What is so valuable that it
can and should be sustainable? 2. With a view to
whom or what is the sustainability of this valuable
something pursued? 3. How is sustain ability pursued?
4. What are the criteria for sustainabililY? -
so that the question whether and when we have
reached a state of sustainability can be answered.
On the basis of an overview of these "fault lines" it
becomes possible to distinguish between different
conceptions and different models of ecological
sustainabifity and ecologically sustainable development.
The value of this taxonomy lies in the
clarification that it brings to the muddy waters of
ideological posturing about the meaning and
implementation of the concepts of ecological sustainability
and ecologically sustainable development.
OPSOMMING
Die begrippepaar ekologiese volhoubaarheid en
ekologies volhoubare ontwikkeling is nou reeds
ongeveer drie dekades lank in omloop in internasionale
kringe. In Suid-Alrika het hierdie begrippe
hoekstene geword van ons nuwe Grondwet sowet
as ons nasionale beleid vir omgewingsbestuur. Ten
spyte hiervan woed daar egter 'n hoogs in!ensiewe
en wydlopende debat in internasionale en nasionale
kringe waarin die betekenis en die implementering
van hierdie begrippe vanuit verskillende invalshoeke
betwis word. In hierdie artikel word die redes vir
hierdie sland van sake vanuit 'n etiese perspektief
ondersoek en word 'n paar voorstelle op filosoliese
en beleidsvlak gemaak vir die hanlering van die
belwisle aard van hierdie konsepte. In 'n oorsig van
die historiese ontwikkeling van die begrippe ekologiese
volhoubaarheid en ekologies volhoubare onlwikkelingword
aangetoon da! hulle onderskeidelik in
verskillende, en in sekere opsigte wedersyds uitslui·
tende, kontekste beslag gekry hel. In die artikel word
voorts 'n sistemaliese uiteensetting gegee van 'n
aantal "foutlyne" in hierdie beg rippe, waarin die
fokus val op sekere interne spannings wat nie aileen
struikelblokke in die weg Ie van hulle interpretasie en
implementering nie, maar dit ook hoogs aanvegbaar
maak. Hierdie spanning het te make mel uiteen·
lopende etiese en ideologiese standpunte wat inge·
neem kan word ten opsigte van vrae 5005 die vol·
gende: 1. Wal is so belangrik dat die volhoubaarheid
daarvan verseker behoort Ie word? 2. Met die oog
op wie ot wal behoort ons volhoubaarheid na Ie
slreet? 3. Hoe moet volhoubaarheid nagestreef
word? 4. Wal is die kriteria vir volhoubaarheid? -
sodat die vraag of, en wanneer, ens 'n toesland van
volhoubaarheid bereik het, beantwoord kan word.
Op grond van 'n oorsig van hierdie "foutlyneft word
dit moonllik am lussen verskillende konsepsies en
modelle van ekologiese volhoubaarheid en ekolo·
gies volhoubare ontwikkeling fe onderskei. Die
waarde van hierdie taksonomie is gelee in die verheldering
wat dit bring in die troebel waters van ideologiese
slandpuntinnames oor die betekenis en
implementering van die begrippe ekologiese volhoubaarheid
en ek%gies volhoubare ontwikkeling.
