arid zone ecology thicket fusion forum
TRANSCRIPT
Page | 0
Table of Contents
Arid Zone Ecology – Thicket
Fusion Forum
8-11 September 2014
Rhodes University Grahamstown
Page | 1
Arid Zone Ecology- Thicket Fusion Forum 2014
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………………………………….. …...........2
AZEF-TF COMMITTEE 2013– 2014 …………….………………………………………………………….….........2
FORUM PROGRAMME …………………………….………………………………………………………………3 - 7
PAPER ABSTRACTS………………………..……………………………………………………… …………….8 - 25
POSTER THEMES LIST…………………………………………………………………………………………..26 - 28
POSTER ABSTRACTS……………………………………………………………………………………………29 - 42
ADDRESSES……………………………………………………………………………………………………….43 - 49
SPARE BLANK PAGES FOR NOTES…………..………………………………………………………………50 - 52
Page | 2
FUNDING AND SUPPORT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
AZEF – Thicket Fusion Forum 2014 would like to acknowledge the following people and organizations for their support:
SAEON Arid Lands Node, DEDEAT and DEA NRM for their sponsorship.
SAEON Arid Lands Node for two book voucher prizes
Namaqua Wines very kindly donated all the wine served with the dinners and the gift boxes for invited speakers
The Department of Environmental Sciences, Rhodes University, for support with university facilities.
The Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency for the donation of a weekend for two in one of their parks.
WHL PrintMedia for printing our programmes at cost
Mr Marcus Kelly for the donation of 6 books as prizes
Prof Timm Hoffman and Dr Ute Schmiedel for the donation of two sets of their Biota books.
Committee: 2014 AZEF: Ms Christy Bragg - EWT (Chair) Ms Claire Davis – CSIR (Vice Chair)
Mr Clement Cupido - ARC Ms Annelise le Roux - CapeNature (Treasurer) Mr Alan Wheeler - CapeNature Mr Simon Todd – 3Foxes Consulting – (Scientific Portfolio) Mr Christiaan Harmse - (Student Portfolio) Thicket Forum: Ayanda Sigwela (Chairman) Cosman Bolus (Co-chairperson) James Gambiza Dean Peinke
Hahndiek Quintus Secretariat: Wendy Paisley
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Page | 3
MONDAY 08 SEPTEMBER 2014
Meet & Greet. Early Registration.
17h30 for 18h00
Rhodes Barratt Lecture Theatre Complex: Rhodes University
TUESDAY 09 SEPTEMBER 2014
Rhodes Barratt Lecture Theatre Complex: Rhodes University
07:30 Late Registration
08:15 Christy Bragg & Ayanda Sigwela Welcome & Conference Opening
Session 1 – Broad-Scale Vegetation Determinants (Chair: Christy Bragg)
08:30 Prof. William Bond KEYNOTE: Why are arid zone ecosystems so different in Africa vs South America and Australia?
09:00 Prof. Timm Hoffman KEYNOTE: Long-term vegetation change in the Thicket and Arid Zone biomes of southern Africa and its implications for conservation
09:30 Dr Alastair Potts GUEST SPEAKER: Tracking thicket through space and time
10:00 Tea
Session 2 – Rehabilitation Studies (Chair: Sue Milton)
10:30 Prof. Karen Esler GUEST SPEAKER: Ecological restoration: scaling up, drilling down
11:00 Matthee, W.M., Coetsee, C. and Milton, S.J.
Influence of soil preparation and exotic species on germination and survival of Osteospermum sinuatum
11:20 Myeza. S., Oettle N., Schmiedel, U., Kruspe M. and Kayser, L.
Monitoring of rehabilitation of degraded eco-systems on the proposed Avontuur Nature Reserve.
Session 3 - People and the Environment (Chair: Alan Wheeler)
11:40 Dr Susi Vetter GUEST SPEAKER: The link between culture, nature and wellbeing – an unexplored opportunity for engagement in biodiversity custodianship
12:10 Cocks, M.L, Dold, T. and Nkosi, M. Children’s perceptions of nature and indigenous knowledge: Implications for bio-cultural diversity heritage
12:30 Kwamovo, M., Hilario, M.S., Mukuya, R.S., Mtuleni, V.S., and Schmiedel, U.
Pitfalls of research in communities
13:00 Lunch
Page | 4
Session 4A - Biodiversity - Landuse Challenges (Parallel Session) (Chair: Ute Schmiedel)
14:00 Conradie, B. and Nattrass, N. Predator problems and practices: Karoo Predator Project at baseline
14:20 Nattrass, N. and Conradie, B. Jackal narratives and predator control in the Karoo, South Africa
14:40 De Ridder, C.H. and Campbell, E. Vachellia karroo (Acacia karroo) tree density impact on grass quality, is it all bad?
Session 4B – Ecosystem Management & Adaptation (Parallel session) (Chair: Ayanda Sigwela)
14:00 Rosa Blaauw GUEST SPEAKER: Responses from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality through various interventions across directorates which address climate change issues
14:30 Muller, H. Aerial survey of the donkey and horse population on Steinkopf commonage west of the N7, Namaqualand, South Africa.
15:00 Tea
Session 5 - Science-public interface (Chair: Clement Cupido)
15:20 Genis, A. The public don't speak Science because scientists don't speak English
15:40 Ernest Pringle GUEST SPEAKER: Environmental constraints and challenges that influence the AgriEC’s delivery on its mandate
16:00 - 17:30 Poster session (Chair: Justin du Toit)
18:00 AZEF AGM & THICKET FORUM AGMS
Dinner Oppidan Hall, Rhodes
19h30
Page | 5
WEDNESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2014
08:00 Late Registration
Session 6 – Tierberg Special Session (Chair: Joh Henschel)
08:30 Prof. Sue Milton & Dr Richard Dean GUEST SPEAKERS: Tierberg Karoo Research Centre, Prince Albert: History, achievements and opportunities.
09:00 Pauw, M.J. Re-sampling the grazing exclosure experiment at Tierberg LTER.
09:20
van der Merwe, H. Tierberg Karoo Research Centre: future research possibilities
09:40 Henschel, Joh R. SESSION SPEAKER: Tierberg quo vadis?
10:00 DISCUSSIONS AROUND COLLABORATION
10:20 Tea
Session 7: Biome drivers - Special Session (Chair: Timm Hoffman)
10:40 Calitz, W., Potts, A.J., and Cowling, R.M.
Flammability and vegetation boundaries: examining flammability within and across five biomes in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
11:00 Duker, R., Cowling, R.M., du Preez, D.R. and Potts, A.J.
The effects of frost on Albany Subtropical Thicket and Nama-Karoo: further explorations of biome boundaries
11:20
van der Linden, S.C., Larkin, D.T., Mbense, S., Naidoo, L., Rous, K.G., Phillips, D., van As, S., Calitz, W., Duker, R. and Potts, A.J.
Peeking at the ghost of herbivory past: Aloe ferox and large herbivores
11:40 Schmiedel, U.,Kühne, N., Twerski, A., and Oldeland, J.
Vegetation determinants at a small scale: drivers of vegetation patterns in the Succulent Karoo
12:00 Field trip profiles by fieldtrip leaders, collection of packed lunches
Fieldtrips: Packed Lunch - 12:30 - 17:00
19:00 SOCIAL FUNCTION - BRAAI AT THE GRAHAMSTOWN GOLF CLUB
Page | 6
THURSDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2014
07:30 Late Registration
Session 8 - Emerging Threats in the Arid Zone (Chair: Mike Powell)
08:30 Simon Todd & Skowno, A. GUEST SPEAKER: Biodiversity Lost in the REDZ SEA? Strategic Environmental Assessment for Renewable Energy Development in South Africa
09:00 Dr Joh Henschel GUEST SPEAKER: Monitoring natural capital in the Karoo in view of potential unconventional gas mining
09:30 Atkinson, D. Environmental impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada: lessons for South African researchers
09:50 Bragg, C. How do we manage fracking in the light of a unique socio-ecological context?
10:10 Tea
Session 9 - Animal Studies (Chair: Simon Todd)
10:40 Prof. Nigel Barker GUEST SPEAKER: Mind the gaps! What we don’t know won’t hurt us… or will it?
11:10 Lloyd, K.J. and Peter, C.I. Pollination of Aloe ferox: are short-billed generalist birds more effective than long-billed specialists?
MOVE TO PARALLEL SESSION VENUES
Session 10A: Grazing & Herbivory (Parallel session) (Chair: Igshaan Samuels)
11:40 Vetter, S. The effects of rainfall, soil nutrients, landform and grazing on composition, richness and primary productivity of annual plants in the Richtersveld National Park
12:00 Perumal, L. , Ripley, B. and Vetter, S. The role of herbivory and drought in suppressing Acacia karroo seedling establishment in semi-arid savannah
12:20 Weatherall-Thomas, C.R., Campbell, E.E. and Cowling, R.M.
The influence of megaherbivory on the patterns of succulent plant distribution at a bushclump scale
12:40 De Ridder, C.H. Over-wintering sheep in the Sourveld by means of supplementation with a legume based pasture
Session 10B - Conservation Biology (Parallel session) (Chair: Alan Wheeler)
11:40 Gordon, C.N., Jacobs, S., Leslie, A., Vorster, P. and Vorster, L.
Determining thresholds of potential concern for extralimital giraffe on Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, Little Karoo.
12:00 Swart, C. and Barker, N. Conservation Biology and Restoration of a Critically Endangered Cycad, Encephalartos latifrons
12:20 Zikishe, V. Establishment of CREW in the Albany region: can we really kill two birds with one stone?
Page | 7
12:40 Harris, D.J., Van Niekerk, A. and Vlok, J.
Very high resolution mapping of Spekboom canopy cover
13:00 Lunch
Session 11 - Vegetation Dynamics (Chair: William Bond)
14:00 Dr Winston Trollope & Trollope, L.A. GUEST SPEAKER: Guidelines for prescribed burning in African Grasslands and Savannas
14:30 du Toit, J.C.O. and O’Connor, T.G. Resilience of Karoo veld – post-treatment changes after 40 years
14:50 Van Rooyen, M.W., Le Roux, A., van der Merwe, H., Geldenhuys, C., van Rooyen, N. and Broodryk, N.L.
Forty years of vegetation monitoring on Goegap Nature Reserve, Namaqualand
15:10 Tea
Session 12 - Alien Invasive Studies (Chair: Ayanda Sigwela)
15:40 Shackleton, S.E., Shackleton, R.T and Jansen Van Vuuren, A.
Ecosystem services and disservices from invasive alien tree species in the Kalahari
16:00 Shackleton, R.T., Le Maitre, D.C., and Richardson D.M.
The social, ecological and economic impacts of Prosopis invasions in arid areas: Implications for management
Session 13 - Government-science interface (Chair: Ayanda Sigwela)
16:20 Mr Albert Mfenyana GUEST SPEAKER: What scientific research is needed to address policy and environmental conservation issues in the Eastern Cape?
17:00
Conference Close by Christy Bragg & Ayanda Sigwela
19:00 Gala Dinner & Prizegiving: Oppidan Hall
19:00
Opening Gala address by the Honourable MEC S. Somyo Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism
OPENING OF GALA DINNER
21:00
Closing Gala Dinner by the Head of Department, Mr Bongani Gxilishe Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism
CLOSURE OF CONFERENCE
Page | 8
PAPER ABSTRACTS
SESSION 1: Broad-Scale Vegetation Determinants
Why are arid zone ecosystems so different in Africa vs South America and Australia?
William Bond, South African Environmental Observation Network, NRF and Department of Biological Sciences, UCT, Rondebosch 7701 e-mail: [email protected] It has long been assumed that climate determines major vegetation patterns of the world with local modification by soils. Arid lands would seem a good example where dry climates set hard physiological boundaries to the types of plants that grow in arid ecosystems. Yet arid zone ecosystems of the southern continents are surprisingly divergent. For example, arid savannas are common and widespread in Africa but absent from South America and succulents are common in parts of Africa and South America yet absent in Australia. In this talk I discuss similarities and differences in the biomes of arid regions of the southern continents and possible explanations for their divergent features. Intercontinental comparisons may suggest neglected factors that are important in shaping South African arid ecosystems.
Long-term vegetation change in the Thicket and Arid Zone biomes of Southern Africa and its implications for conservation
Keywords: biome shifts, environmental history, land degradation
M. Timm Hoffman Plant Conservation Unit, Botany Department, University of Cape Town, Private Bag X3, Rondebosch, 7701, Cape Town Perceptions of the Thicket and Arid Zone biomes of southern Africa are that they are degraded and vulnerable to future climate change. Using a series of repeat aerial and ground photographs I document the nature, extent and rate of change in the key biomes of the arid zone over the last 100 years. Results indicate that the Succulent Karoo biome has experienced an increase in overall cover across the majority of land forms, particularly on privately-owned farms. The major changes in the Nama-karoo biome are reflected by the increase in grass and tall shrub cover at the expense of dwarf shrubs. This is contrary to what appears to be happening in most other arid shrublands of the world. Changes in the Thicket biome are extremely complex and vary depending on location and land use history. In the west, where Thicket communities interdigitate with Succulent Karoo vegetation, there has been little change over the last 100 years, although some species such as Pappea capensis have declined. Further to the east extensive bush encroachment and an associated expansion of thicket vegetation has occurred. Changes in land use and climate are both implicated in the changes observed but differentiating between the two is difficult. The results have implications for conservation in that they provide benchmarks and trajectories of change against which management goals can be set and future changes can be assessed. It is critical that monitoring continues along land use and climatic gradients so that changes in cover, composition and trajectories of change can be detected early and acted on.
Tracking thicket through space and time
Key words: thicket ecology, vegetation history, conservation Potts, A.J.1 1 Botany Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth Subtropical Thicket is thought to be an ancient vegetation that was once widespread and dominant during the early warm and wet Cenozoic environments. In this talk, we will explore the history and uniqueness this unusual vegetation across space and time using evidence from a wide array of studies and data. This scientific narrative will also be contextualised in terms of present day issues (e.g. what does this mean for mega-conservancy networks and thicket under future climates?).
Page | 9
SESSION 2: REHABILITATION STUDIES:
Ecological restoration: scaling up, drilling down
Key words: restoration, rehabilitation, ecosystem services, scale
Karen J Esler Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology & Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag x1, Matieland, 7602. E-mail: [email protected]
While the science and practice of restoration has progressed at a significant pace over recent decades, substantial challenges remain as we navigate the Anthropocene. Particularly challenging is how to scale-up our much needed actions while ensuring appropriate local scale technology, knowledge and capacity for application. As an applied discipline largely focused on human modified landscapes, restoration ecology presents challenges that fall into that messy class of “wicked” problems whose solutions depend on how the problem is framed. Since stakeholders in the restoration process often represent radically different world views, multiple frames for understanding the problem can exist. Given this complexity, how then can our research ensure the best outcomes? In South Africa, politically driven social grants and legislative drivers (amongst other drivers) have resulted in a range of restoration initiatives, providing fertile ground for research. To achieve large scale success (scaling up) we need to address many issues, notwithstanding those at the boundary between the social and the ecological. A series of gestalt switches need to be flipped as we seek restoration opportunities in human-modified landscapes. These will enable us to see opportunity where previously there was none, and to conduct research in a way that embraces, not eschews the complexity. I will draw on recent research to illustrate my points. Specifically, we asked: can markets (i.e. systems for valuation and payment) provide support for ecological restoration, and if so, under what conditions? Student-supervisor teams assessed the impact of ecological restoration on a suite of ecosystem goods and services and on the economy though improved returns on the restored land, enhanced income and job creation. These data were then distilled into a systems dynamic model that allowed the team to conceptualise a risk/return economic decision-making framework with potential to provide support for scaling-up restoration. Concurrently, site-specific knowledge that quantified the social-ecological benefits of restoration (“drilling down”) was highly relevant to local authorities in convincing them of the value of investing in local ecological infrastructure.
Influence of soil preparation and exotic species on germination and survival of Osteospermum sinuatum
Key words: reseeding success, seedling establishment, indigenous-exotic interaction
Matthee, W.M1., Coetsee, C.1 and Milton, S.J.2
1School of Natural Resource Management, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, George Campus 2Wolwekraal Conservation and Research Organisation My e-mail address: [email protected] Autogenic recovery of degraded rangelands does not commonly occur in the semi-arid Karoo region, or may take several decades. Active rehabilitation is required to increase the rate of vegetation recovery. Reseeding degraded areas with palatable species is commonly used, often in conjunction with soil preparation methods. Degraded areas are often invaded by weedy species, which compete with reseeded plants. This study evaluated, through field plots, the effects of micro-catchments, mulch and fertiliser on the establishment, survival and individual performance of Osteospermum sinuatum, a palatable shrub reseeded in the experimental plots. The highest number of seedlings established in plots with micro-catchments. The use of fertiliser increased the short-term individual performance of seedlings, but resulted in reduced seedling survival over the long term. The influence of Salsola kali, an exotic weed, on individual performance was also measured. S. kali acted as a nurse plant in the trials, by providing seedlings of O. sinuatum with protection against herbivory and environmental extremes. The height of the reseeded species was strongly influenced by the extent to which it was protected by, and the height of, established S. kali plants. This study indicates the importance of using soil preparation techniques when using reseeding, and highlights the significant influence of pioneer-type plants, whether indigenous or exotic, on the survival and individual performance of palatable reseeded species.
Page | 10
Monitoring of rehabilitation of degraded eco-systems on the proposed Avontuur Nature Reserve.
Key words: Rehabilitation, soil erosion, vegetation cover
Myeza. S.1, Oettle N.1, Schmiedel, U. 2, Kruspe M. 2 and Kayser, L.2 1 Environmental Monitoring Group, P.O. Box 350 Nieuwoudtville 8180, South Africa [email protected] , [email protected] 2 Biocentre Klein Flottbek, University of Hamburg, Ohnhorststrasse 18, 22609 Hamburg, Germany As a direct result of past land use practices, the Avontuur property has been subjected to devastating soil erosion caused by runoff from soils exposed by injudicious ploughing and overgrazing. This 1,300 ha property on the Bokkeveld plateau in the Northern Cape Province was purchased by WWF in 2008 to conserve its unique biodiversity. Avontuur has been farmed for more than 250 years, and the highly specialised and diverse flora on the property has been impacted by grazing and cultivation. Nevertheless, large areas have retained a remarkable diversity of plant life, with 490 species recorded of which 34 are species of conservation concern. Rehabilitation was undertaken from 2009, applying a set of principles designed to support the low-cost rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems. A range of interventions have been designed and implemented, including spreader banks, permeable barriers and rehabilitation of exposed, clay-crusted subsoil. Seed of indigenous plants have been introduced in the rehabilitation areas. In 2013 studies were undertaken to determine the benefits and costs of rehabilitation, and on-going monitoring using repeat photography is taking place. This paper presents the findings of the studies, an overview of the rehabilitation process and methods used and results achieved in the last 5 years. Cost effective, environmentally friendly and accessible technologies for combating soil erosion, enhancing infiltration of rain and run-off water and promoting revegetation are presented and analysed.
SESSION 3: PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT:
The link between culture, nature and wellbeing – an unexplored opportunity for engagement in
biodiversity custodianship
Keywords: biocultural diversity, cultural ecosystem services, conservation (or custodianship)
S Vetter Botany Department, Rhodes University, South Africa South Africa has amazingly high biological and cultural diversity, yet the values and worldviews of most sectors of our population are not represented in conservation or land use planning. As a result, large parts of the population feel at best indifferent and at worst antagonistic towards conservation and environmental protection. Development narratives focus on poverty alleviation and service delivery, while environmental concerns are commonly dismissed as elitist and anti-development. But is it true that nature and biodiversity are simply “nice to haves”, and that custodianship of nature is a luxury most local people need to be persuaded to “buy into” using economic incentives? The positive effects of experiencing nature on physical and mental well-being have been widely established, but the vast majority of empirical work has been conducted in the developed world. In Southern Africa, the “safety net” function of natural resources in supporting people’s material livelihoods has been well-documented, but there has been little research on the benefits people derive from the less tangible cultural, spiritual and emotional values of nature. This paper draws on research from the Eastern Cape and other parts of South Africa to show that nature experience is closely tied to people’s cultural identity, that being in nature is perceived as restorative and inspiring, and that experiencing nature and engaging in culturally important practices, including rituals, extractive use and pastoralism, makes an important contribution to people’s wellbeing. Survey data from the Eastern Cape show that the sentiments about nature and the need to perform nature-based rituals remain strong even in urban settings. All this should provide an opportunity for engagement to develop alternative, locally meaningful approaches to biodiversity custodianship and land use planning. These should aim to foster and rekindle the links between biodiversity, cultural practices and human well-being, rather than alienating people from nature by evicting or excluding them in the name of conservation and offering material compensation for this loss.
Page | 11
Children’s perceptions of nature and indigenous knowledge: Implications for bio-cultural diversity heritage
Key words: perception, nature, indigenous knowledge, bio-cultural diversity heritage
Cocks, M.L1, Dold, T.2& Nkosi, M1
1. Anthropology Department, Rhodes University 2. Botany Department, Rhodes University
In 2005 an environmental awareness program was developed out of the recognition that over-exploitation of natural resources threatens not only biodiversity but also indigenous knowledge systems, and ultimately South Africa’s cultural heritage. The program, called Inkcubeko Nendalo was implemented in seven resource-poor schools in Grahamstown East and reaches 700 pupils each year. In 2014 an assessment was undertaken to determine the level and importance of indigenous knowledge of 200 participating school pupils. Preliminary findings from three of the schools (n=68) indicate that school pupils are still visiting nature areas regularly, predominantly for recreational purposes such as going to botanical gardens for picnics and for hunting birds on the commonage. Over fifty percent associated their opportunities to visit nature as inspiring and revitalizing and forty six percent felt that the opportunity brought them in close contact with their ancestors. However, the threat of crime while visiting such places was identified by 90% of school learners as a problem. 88% showed that they had some knowledge of local plant and animal names in isiXhosa. The majority learnt these from their fathers, (n=79) and neighbours and or relatives (n=7). All the learners interviewed expressed a wish to pass indigenous environmental knowledge onto their children. These findings point to an appreciation of natural experiences as well as a value for local indigenous knowledge.
Pitfalls of research in community
Key words: intercultural communication, local experience, para-ecologists Kwamovo, Meshack1, Hilario, Miguel S.2, Mukuya, Robert S.3, Mtuleni, Vilho Snake4, Schmiedel, Ute5 1 c/o Kalahari Conservation Society, P.O. Box 41, Seronga/ Botswana; [email protected] 2 c/o Instituto Superior de Ciências de Educação (ISCED), Lubango, Angola; [email protected] 3 c/o Namibia Nature Foundation, P.O. Box 1721, Rundu/ Namibia; [email protected] 4 SASSCAL, P.O. Box 86755, Windhoek/ Namibia; [email protected]
5University of Hamburg, Biocentre Klein Flottbek and Botanical Garden, Ohnhorststrasse 18, 22609 Hamburg/ Germany; [email protected]
Research on ecosystem services in Africa often requires close interaction with rural communities in order to get permission to work on their land, to get information on their land management and to understand how they benefit from their environment. The interdisciplinary Future Okavango project (TFO) studies the ecosystem services in the Okavango basin to provide science-based recommendations for sustainable land management. Scientists of the different disciplines are typically not trained to work with local communities and how to deal with cultural differences. This can lead to challenges that can even become damaging for both, the communities and the research. This often applies to young students who for the first time in their life visit the study area where they have to spend several months to collect the data for their theses. They are often less experienced and under strong pressure to fulfill the ambitious research agendas, which have been developed based on the project’s objectives and scientific research needs. But also more senior scientists can be challenged by unfamiliar situations if they don’t have guidance how to deal with them. Based on our experiences as para-ecologist of the Future Okavango project, our talk identifies some pitfalls of research in communities and show how para-ecologists who are based in the communities and are familiar with the research objectives and needs can help scientists to avoid them.
Page | 12
SESSION 4A: BIODIVERSITY - LANDUSE CHALLENGES:
Predator Problems and Practices: Karoo Predator Project at Baseline
Keywords: human wildlife conflict, Karoo, land management
Conradie, B.1* and Nattrass, N.2
1 School of Economics and Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town, 2 Sociology and Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town *[email protected] This paper documents predation problems and control practices on sheep farms in the Karoo. In 2012 the incidence of predator damage was substantially higher than it was in the 1980s. A variety of wildlife still occurs on farmland. The main conflict species is blacked-backed jackals but caracals and baboons are culled in large numbers as well. A range of control options are in effect, with some farmers using multiple strategies. There is a strong preference for lethal control over non-lethal methods. Culling is correlated with perceived risk for two of the conflict species; it seems as if the third is easily killed even though farmers may not particularly think that it threatens their livestock. The incidence of livestock losses is positively correlated with the incidence of culling of blacked-back jackals. In other words losses get worse as culling increases, as predicted by the demographic compensation hypothesis. However this is a preliminary conclusion based on strong assumptions. Losses also increase with farm size, but might be lower on farms where more workers are employed. These results suggest that in human wildlife conflict situations all over Africa it is important for the authorities to win farmers’ trust. We reckon that by trying to understand why farmers do what they do and by sharing ecological data relevant to the conflict as it emerges, it will be possible to create a situation in which wildlife can coexist sustainably with productive land uses into the future.
Jackal Narratives and Predator Control in the Karoo, South Africa
Keywords: human wildlife conflict, regulation, control history Nattrass, N.1* and Conradie, B.2
1Centre for Social Science Research and Sociology Department, University of Cape Town, 2School of Economics and Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town *[email protected] This paper discusses the historical roots of, and scientific evidence for, rival ‘jackal narratives’ about the problems posed by black-backed jackals (canis mesomelas) for sheep farmers in the Karoo, South Africa. The jackal recolonized farms as government policy changed away from subsidising predator control and as farm employment contracted and sheep farming became less economically and politically important. The influential ‘environmental jackal narrative’ that lethal control is undesirable and ineffective, is rooted in the science of predator ecology but the linked recommendation that farmers learn to ‘live with the jackal’ is on less solid ground. The rival ‘farmer jackal narrative’ that jackal populations need to be suppressed on agricultural land resonates with conservation theories justifying the culling of jackals in national parks. Contestation over values remains important, but these competing plausible hypotheses about jackal control suggest that further scientific studies may be helpful in the construction of policies that are acceptable to both sides.
Vachellia karroo (Acacia karroo) tree density impact on grass quality, is it all bad?
Key words: advantages, leguminous, increased crude protein De Ridder, C.H.1, Campbell, E.E.2 1Pasture Section, Directorate Animal Research, Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Eastern Cape [email protected] 2School of Environmental Sciences, Department of Botany, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University [email protected] It is widely believed that Vachellia karroo (Sweet Thorn) trees are highly competitive to basil cover grass production. As a result, farmers try to thin or eradicate thorn trees at high financial cost. However, the presence of thorn trees may hold some advantages. Thorn trees are leguminous, and increase nitrogen levels in the soil by producing large quantities of litter. Thorn trees provide shade for animals and can serve as a feed source for browsing animals. This paper challenges the
Page | 13
negative beliefs, and shows that thorn trees may hold some benefit for agriculture. Results revealed that palatable grass species contributed higher percentages of the biomass produced under canopies of thorn trees compared to open areas. Areas amongst trees were positively selected by animals, resulting in more grazing under and amongst trees. The relationship between quantity and quality of grass determines the value of the plant material produced, and directly impacts the agriculture sector. Research in this field is therefore of significant agricultural importance to the farming community of the commercial and communal sectors.
SESSION 4B: ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND ADAPTATION: (PARALLEL SESSION)
Responses from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality through various interventions across directorates which address climate change issues
Rosa Blaauw: Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Port Elizabeth The presentation will highlight the key actions which the NMBM have undertaken since 2008 to address issues of resource sustainability, energy efficiency, sustainable procurement, and awareness-raising, all against the backdrop of climate change.
Aerial survey of the donkey and horse population on Steinkopf commonage west of the N7, Namaqualand, South Africa.
Key words: Grazing capacity, donkey densities, horse densities, Namaqualand
Muller, Halcyone1
1Namkwa Green Economy Demonstration, Conservation South Africa, Springbok, South Africa. [email protected] Extensive livestock production from communal rangeland areas is an important part of rural livelihoods in the Namakwa District. Communal rangelands are administered as a common pool resource, limiting control over access and increasing the potential for over-exploitation of resources. As part of a multi-phased project, Conservation South Africa (CSA) is investigating scientifically-based rotational grazing systems tailored specifically for communal rangelands in the Namakwa District to address perceived overgrazing and low output production. One of the sites where CSA is working with farmers on this is a 17,000 ha Type 1 Critical Biodiversity Area known as the Rooiberg Priority Area in Steinkopf northwest of Springbok. Part of this process is the development of a land management plan based on sound and sustainable livestock management systems. There appeared to be large numbers of donkeys and horses in the area, but an understanding of actual rather than perceived numbers and densities was required. CSA and the Bateleurs completed an aerial survey on 13 October 2013. The aim of the survey was to census the donkey and horse population of the study area and to map the population densities. Flight paths covering the study area were spaced 2.5 km apart following a south to north direction that was adjusted in the air to accommodate terrain and weather conditions. We flew 12 transects, 11 were in the study area, which covered a total of 63% of the surface area. Key findings include that large numbers of donkeys were associated with the presence of sowing plots while 67% of the observed horses occurred on transects associated with human settlements. An estimated number of horses and donkeys equivalent to 335.38 LSU occurred in the area at the time of the survey. It is estimated that they consume 13% of the grazing that could potentially be available to livestock.
SESSION 5: SCIENCE PUBLIC INTERFACE:
The public don't speak Science because scientists don't speak English
Amelia Genis, Landbou Weekblad, Cape Town The notion of scientists translating their research for popular consumption is not one of the fads of the present era. In fact, Galileo Galilei wrote two of his greatest works as dialogues in Italian, rather than Latin that was the language of science of his time, while Charles Darwin wrote all of his books for general audiences. Yet, to this day, scientists often do not realise what wealth of life-changing information they hold because sharing their research with the ordinary public does not always
Page | 14
form part of their training or thinking. However, in a time when half-truths and pseudo-science abound, South African society needs scientists who can explain the significance and relevance of their research to the public more than ever. There are a couple of tricks to the trade, some of which I will share during this talk.
Environmental Constraints and Challenges that influence the AgriEC’s delivery on its mandate Ernest Pringle Agri Eastern Cape, Port Elizabeth
SESSION 6: TIERBERG SPECIAL SESSION:
Tierberg Karoo Research Centre, Prince Albert: History, achievements and opportunities.
Sue Milton& Richard Dean Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology and Renu-Karoo Veld Restoration cc This overview describes the context for establishing a long-term site for Karoo ecological research, explains how the location of Tierberg Karoo Research Centre was selected in 1987, and gives credit to the many people who planned, managed, conducted, funded and published its research products. We highlight a few individual and collaborative studies and describe the additional benefits of the research site including school and university-level training, public awareness, international and inter-institutional collaboration. The research on Tierberg over the past 27 years focused on responses of succulent shrubland, avifauna and ant communities to rainfall, grazing, rest and disturbance. The time is now opportune to expand the scope of research to incorporate grassy and riparian habitats and to focus on other anthropogenic drivers of ecological change, including pollution, climate change, water extraction, habitat fragmentation and ecosystem recovery.
Tierberg Karoo Research Centre: future research possibilities
Keywords: Arid Lands Node, South African Environmental Observation Network, value adding Dr Helga van der Merwe Research Career Advancement Fellow, South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON): Arid Lands Node and Research Associate: Plant Conservation Unit University of Cape Town. P.O. Box 1, Calvinia, 8190 The acquisition of the Tierberg LTER by the NRF included the transfer of land and a host of well-established research experiments. These experiments are accompanied by numerous data and meta-data sets as well as a lengthy list of scientific and popular articles. Publications include topics such as flora, vegetation, rehabilitation, soils, fire, birds, mammals, insects and ecosystem dynamics e.g. heuweltjies. Investment in Tierberg ensures research is continued, e.g. the re-surveying of burn plots and demography measurements. This resurveying and subsequent findings could inform future research and build on the Tierberg legacy. Baseline and new data can be used to provide an informed understanding of the Karoo environment. Land uses and management practices can be quantified and compared while possible climate change scenarios can be investigated. Publication of results of a high standard provides return on SAEON’s investment. The future of Tierberg is guided partly by the scientific studies that have been previously conducted, with a number of projects lending themselves to repeat surveying and thus the generation of data sets that capture environmental change over time. SAEON plans to maintain the Tierberg baseline data collection while moving into other habitats, vegetation units and research directions e.g. reptiles, Lepidoptera and other insects (beetles), scorpions, spiders. Large scale developments (e.g. solar and wind farms, exploration and mining, fracking) are and will change the Karoo. Tierberg could serve as a reference site for areas earmarked for development that are similar in vegetation and surrounding environment or to test certain environmental principles. Additionally, knowledge of ecosystem dynamics investigated over the years on Tierberg is invaluable to inform rehabilitation and restoration efforts.
Page | 15
Tierberg has an exceptionally good reputation, nationally and internationally, and SAEON wishes to build on this solid foundation by adding value through hosting old and new researchers and projects thereby informing policies and adaptation strategies.
Tierberg quo vadis?
Keywords: Karoo research Henschel, J.R. SAEON, P.O.Box 110040, Hadison Park, Kimberley 8306, South Africa, [email protected] Since the landmark AZEF conference in Prince Albert in 1986, research has been conducted nearby at Tierberg, currently making this the best studied site of the Karoo. This year, ownership of the Tierberg Karoo Research Centre and the land it is located on was transferred to the NRF, and is now managed by SAEON as Tierberg LTER. While SAEON is continuing long-term monitoring, new research is envisaged to build on the significant legacy of knowledge as well as specifically address knowledge gaps. Scientists are invited to participate in this discussion to appreciate Tierberg’s past, witness its present, and contemplate its future. What more do we need to know about the Karoo in view of conservation problems, climate change, changing land use, and potential developments of mines and other industries? Share your ideas for further Karoo research at Tierberg.
SESSION 7 BIOME DRIVERS – SPECIAL SESSION
Flammability and vegetation boundaries: examining flammability within and across five biomes in the
Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Key words: flammability, fire-driven ecosystems, evolutionary ecology Calitz, W., Potts, A.J., and Cowling, R.M. Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth. [email protected] Biomes are, in general terms, classified as being fire-driven or fire-resistant. Flammability is an important ecological and evolutionary trait and is, to some extent, used to define the properties of a given biome. However, we know very little about flammability at the species level. An important unanswered question is how does flammability of species vary within and across biomes? We measured the flammability of over 100 species spanning five biomes. As expected, the majority of species-level flammability values are representative of the biome-level flammability. However, there are a surprisingly high number of oddities. These shed an interesting light on the ecology of fire. Further research is being done to assess season variation and eventually evaluating the community level flammability as this will provide a better understanding of the fire-driven and fire-resistant systems.
The effects of frost on Albany Subtropical Thicket and Nama-Karoo: further explorations of biome boundaries
Keywords: Subtropical thicket; Nama-Karoo; Freezing tolerance
Robbert Duker, Richard M. Cowling, Derek R. du Preez & Alastair J. Potts Botany Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Summerstrand Campus (South), Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 6000. Correspondence author: Robbert Duker ([email protected]) The sub-escarpment coastal plains of South Africa provide remarkable opportunities to study the determinants of biome boundaries as numerous biomes are found closely juxtaposed, including the Nama-Karoo semi-desert shrubland and Albany Subtropical Thicket. The Nama-Karoo shrubland is centred on the semi-arid and frosty high-altitude interior plateau of South Africa, and is thought to be a relatively youthful biome that assembled in response to uplift and aridification of this area during the Eocene. Subtropical thicket inhabits the comparatively warmer sub-escarpment coastal plains, and is thought have its origins in the early Cenozoic rainforests (one of the warmest periods in the Earth’s history). Here we further examined the role of winter frosts in determining the boundaries between these two biomes on the coastal plain.
Page | 16
Seedlings of thicket canopy species were transplanted in two zones across a clear vegetation and minimum temperature boundary, and we measured Fv/Fm, leaf number and stem necrosis before and after winter frost events. In addition, numerous cuttings of Portulacaria afra were planted in two separate transects, one at 20 m intervals across 300 m spanning the vegetation and minimum temperature boundary, and the other from outside to inside bush-clumps within the two zones. Transplanted thicket seedlings sustained significant declines in Fv/Fm and leaf number, and underwent large amounts of stem necrosis as a result of exposure to rare winter frost events. Individuals of P. afra were severely damaged by frost events below the frost-line and outside bush-clumps in the frost-exposed area. Our results support the hypothesis that frost-occurrence is the primary driver of the biome boundary between the subtropical thicket and Nama-Karoo shrubland. This has implications for both regional- and landscape-level planning of restoration efforts and predicting boundary shifts under altered climates of the past or future.
Peeking at the ghost of herbivory past: Aloe ferox and large herbivores
Keywords: Subtropical thicket; Herbivory; Population demography
Simone C. van der Linden, Devon T. Larkin, Sinegugu Mbense, Lyndle Naidoo, Kevin G. Rous, Dean Phillips, Sjani van As, Wynand Calitz, Robbert Duker & Alastair J. Potts Botany Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Summerstrand Campus (South), Port Eizabeth, South Africa, 6000. Correspondence author: Simone van der Linden ([email protected])
Landscapes aglow with flowering Aloe ferox Mill., among other Aloe species, is a common feature of Eastern Cape landscapes. Mega-herbivores, specifically elephants, have been blamed for decimating Aloe populations where they have been re-introduced. Here we investigate the demography of Aloe populations in elephant-free areas within farms that have different utilisation histories. For example, where the increasing densities of other indigenous herbivores – primarily kudu – have increased, there is a shift in the demographic patterns of Aloe ferox; a shift towards local population extinction. As an opposing example, in areas with historical and current heavy grazing by domestic livestock, A. ferox populations have expanded into grasslands. We consider a range of such examples in the light of land history and discuss the evidence of the ghost of herbivory past.
Vegetation determinants at a small scale: drivers of vegetation patterns in the Succulent Karoo
Key words: abiotic drivers, species turnover, quartz fields Schmiedel, U.*, Kühne, N.*, Twerski, A.*, Oldeland, J.* Biocentre Klein Flottbek and Botanical Garden of the University of Hamburg Ohnhorsstrasse 18, 22609 Hamburg / Germany, Email: [email protected] Landscapes are structured at different spatial scales from biome to micro-habitat. The turnover of fauna and flora along the boundaries of these communities is a major driver of biodiversity. Ecologists are intrigued by these patterns and try to understand their drivers. While biomes seemed to be determined by a range of large-scale climatic drivers, boundaries of small-scale plant communities are more likely to be driven by soil patterns, (micro-)topography, microclimate or animal activities like bio-turbation or herbivory. In natural landscapes these spatial patterns are subject to succession and represent current states along more or less steep environmental gradients and their boundaries are rather hard to determine. Very distinct boundaries are rather scarce. Where these abrupt boundaries occur, the question about their drivers arises. Quartz fields, an azonal habitat type of the Succulent Karoo Biome that houses a range of local habitat endemics, often have distinct vegetation communities that show sharp boundaries. Our study investigates the soil variables and plant species composition at the abrupt boundaries of vegetation communities of quartz fields in the Knersvlakte, in the Western Succulent Biome (southern Namaqualand). We laid out mini-transects of 3 x 1 m² across the boundaries, recorded species abundance per 0.25 m x 0.25 m sub-plots and related the species abundances to the environmental variables soil pH, soil electric conductivity, calcium carbonate content, quartz cover, soil depth and grain-size composition along this mini-transect. The study revealed distinct changes in soil chemical and partly also physical variables at the boundaries that can explain the abrupt changes in the abundance of dominant species of the vegetation communities at the boundary. However, at most of the boundaries, only one of the variables showed a significant change resulting in a heterogeneous pattern of steep soil gradients that drive species turnover at small scale.
Page | 17
SESSION 8: EMERGING THREATS IN THE ARID ZONE
Biodiversity Lost in the REDZ SEA? Strategic Environmental Assessment for Renewable Energy Development in South Africa
Key words: Renewable energy, Development, Biodiversity
Simon .W. Todd1& Andrew Skowno2 1 3Foxes Consulting 2 EcoSol GIS The Department of Environment Affairs (DEA) has commissioned the CSIR to undertake a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) which aims to identify geographical areas best suited for the roll-out of wind and solar PV energy projects, referred to as Renewable Energy Development Zones (REDZs). It is envisaged that wind and solar PV development will be incentivised and streamlined in the REDZs. As part of the streamlining process, the authorization process (ie EIA) for RE development would be relaxed in order to facilitate development. In recognition of the fact that environmental sensitivity across the REDZ is not homogenous and that not all areas are likely to be suitable for development, the CSIR has commissioned a number of studies to evaluate the development potential of the 8 identified Focus Areas. This includes a terrestrial biodiversity assessment, the results of which are presented here.
The main outcomes of our study are ecological sensitivity maps of the 8 Focus Areas, derived from desktop analysis and expert input, and an associated proposed 3-tier hierarchy of ecological assessment requirement. The 8 Focus Areas that have been identified are widely distributed across the Succulent Karoo, Nama Karoo, Grassland and Savannah Biomes and present a wide array of ecosystems, habitats and potential biodiversity threats. We examine biodiversity profiles of the Focus Areas in order to characterise and assess the potential level of impact that may be associated with RE development within each FA. We also discuss our results in terms of the known impacts of RE development and the site-specific characteristics of the 8 Focus Areas. We address some of the challenges and limitations of our study and highlight the future likely trajectory of RE development in South Africa.
Monitoring natural capital in the Karoo in view of potential unconventional gas mining
Keywords: fracking, Karoo ecology, environmental indicators
Henschel, Joh R. SAEON Arid Lands Node, P.O.Box 110040 Hadison Park, Kimberley [email protected] The development of unconventional gas mining and related industries in the Karoo will affect its ecosystems. These include ecological processes relating to water, biodiversity, land and their uses. Impacts will affect the immediate vicinity of gas mining sites as well as areas wider afield, where linear infrastructure (roads, power lines, water and gas pipes) and the relocation and activities of people increase the development footprint and fragment the landscape. In close collaboration with several partners, the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) is planning a research project in order to collect, process, interpret and archive long term environmental data on the Karoo and make these accessible to researchers, decision makers, and industry, especially in view of potential gas extraction projects. The first step is to update, revise and extend a comprehensive review of the natural capital of the Karoo, i.e. what has thus far been documented on the composition, functioning and processes as well as values of the near-surface natural environment. This process should facilitate the identification of critical gaps in knowledge that need to be addressed most urgently through further research. The project team will also conduct baseline studies on sites which may be affected by gas extraction projects and to compare these with unaffected reference sites, such as farms, reserves or national parks. This will define environmental indicators that should be monitored to track changes and ecological integrity. This research will provide verifiable data as an objective framework within which environmental changes can later be tracked and managed. Data and derived information will be published in scientific and popular media so as to improve accessibility to knowledge which should enhance environmental management of the Karoo.
Page | 18
Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada: Lessons for South African researchers
Doreen Atkinson Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, [email protected] A recent Canadian study was conducted by a highly reputable academic Panel (The Expert Panel on Harnessing Science and Technology to Understand the Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction). It drew on a very extensive list of peer-reviewed and other sources. The sheer range and complexity of the potential environmental impacts of shale gas mining, as reflected in the Canadian report, is almost breathtaking. The report constantly emphasises that shale gas mining is an industry of a rather different order, for several reasons: Its complex technology, the range of chemical products involved, the difficulties of monitoring impacts when they are deep underground, and the potentially diffuse environmental footprint of some of the shale gas mining operations. It therefore needs to be monitored differently, and much more effectively than many other industries. The Canadian Panel’s Report serves as a benchmark study of what we know, what we don’t know, and how to think about addressing what we don’t know. Countries such as South Africa, where shale gas mining has not been attempted, can learn from Canada’s process of reflection. My review focuses on the ways in which the Canadian review can inform South Africa’s debates. It includes the following topics: The types of risks associated with shale gas mining; the high levels of uncertainty in the scientific processes; the gaps between research, policy design, regulation and enforcement; the challenges of public participation in monitoring shale gas mining; key issues which have not been raised in South African debates on shale gas mining; and issues which remain unclear in the Canadian report.
How do we manage fracking in the light of a unique socio-ecological context?
Christy Bragg E.W.T, Muizenberg
The biodiversity, ecology and socio-economic context of the Nama-Karoo biome is under-studied, under-resourced and facing ill -understood threats. Within this context it is critical that we firstly define and understand the status quo, and thereafter undertake a comprehensive risk assessment before undertaking development with potentially highly cumulative impacts. Therefore, this presentation, based on fourteen years of history of a NGO presence in the heart of the Karoo, engages with the requirements for the conceptualization of sustainable development in the Nama-Karoo. SESSION 9: ANIMAL STUDIES:
Mind the gaps! What we don’t know won’t hurt us… or will it? Nigel Barker Botany Dept, Rhodes University, Grahamstown Gaps: gaps in knowledge, biogeographic gaps, funding gaps, the science – policy gap. We live and work with gaps! But how can we identify and use these gaps in a meaningful way? Based on research experience gathered over the last 10 years or so, I will illustrate at least some of the different sorts of gaps we are faced with, and present challenges, paradigms, mindsets and possibilities. Welcome to GAPOLOGY – the art, science and mystery of gaps!
Pollination of Aloe ferox: are short-billed generalist birds more effective than long-billed specialists?
Key words:asymmetrical specialisation, generalist systems, nectar-thieving Lloyd, K.J.1* and Peter, C.I.1 1Department of Botany, Rhodes University, Grahamstown [email protected] Asymmetrical specialisation occurs when plants are specialised for pollination by generalist flower visitors. Generalist flower visiting birds feed on nectar as part of their broad diet. Flowers within this system are characterised by having large amounts of dilute nectar in short corolla tubes and are pollinated primarily by short-billed birds. Botes et al. (2008) hypothesised that
Page | 19
Aloe ferox Mill. (Asphodelaceae) is specialised for pollination by short-billed generalist birds; whilst long-billed specialist birds and honey bees act as nectar thieves. This hypothesis was tested by quantifying pollen loads on weavers and Malachite Sunbirds; observing the behaviour of weavers, Malachite Sunbirds and honey bees; measuring the dimension of A. ferox flowers and comparing this to beak lengths; and measuring fruit success. It was found that weavers carried significantly more pollen grains than Malachite Sunbirds. Flower morphology was characteristic of generalist systems and was adapted for short-billed birds. Observations revealed that weavers had a strong interaction (frequency and efficiency) with A. ferox flowers. Both Malachite Sunbirds and honey bees were shown to be nectar-thieves. Therefore, A. ferox exhibited a high degree of specialisation for pollination by short-billed generalist birds. This study provided a better understanding of asymmetrical specialization and the concept of nectar thieving and the role it has on plant fitness.
SESSION 10A: GRAZING AND HERBIVORY (PARALLEL SESSION)
The effects of rainfall, soil nutrients, landform and grazing on composition, richness and primary
productivity of annual plants in the Richtersveld National Park
Keywords: communal rangeland, Namaqualand, grazing gradient, piosphere, winter rainfall
M. M. Konje1,3, S. Vetter1, N. J. Griffin2 1Department of Botany, P.O Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa. 2Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University P.O Box 94, Grahamstown, 6140, South Africa. 3Present address:Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Dept of Biological Sciences, P.O Box 190, Kakamega, Kenya
The introduction of watering points and stock posts in arid and semi-arid rangelands has led to the concentration of herbivory in piospheres, with a “sacrifice zone” close to the centre where heavy grazing and trampling impact has led to elevated levels of certain nutrients, reduced plant biomass and a loss of perennial species. Piosphere effects on perennial plants have been reported in Richtersveld National Park (RNP), but the impact on annuals has not been investigated. RNP is located in an arid winter rainfall area with high inter-annual rainfall variability and it is thus predicted that grazing has less impact on plant composition and productivity than stochastic abiotic factors such as rainfall. The aims of this study were to investigate (1) the effects of distance from stock posts (100, 500 and 1000 m) and landform (sandy plains or rocky foothills) on soil nutrients and consumption by goats, (2) the effects of distance from stock posts, landform and rainfall on the productivity, species richness and diversity of annuals, and (3) the relative influence of rainfall, soil nutrients, landform and distance of stock post on the compositionof annual plants in RNP. Sampling consisted of harvesting all annuals inside and outside 1m2 mobile exclosures at five study sites during 2006 and 2007 and determining the dry mass of each species. Forage consumption was higher near stock posts and on sandy plains. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, pH and sodium decreased with distance from the stock posts while potassium, nitrogen and electrical conductivity did not differ significantly with distance. Biomass production responded strongly to rainfall but was not significantly affected by distance from stock post. Multivariate analyses showed that rainfall and soil variables had a greater influence on species composition than grazing in this arid ecosystem at both the landscape and local scales, but species richness was found to be lower close to stock posts. The decrease in perennial cover that has been documented near stock posts is thus not accompanied by increase in biomass production of annual plants in RNP even in wet years.
The role of herbivory and drought in suppressing Acacia karroo seedling establishment in semi-arid savannah
Key words: Acacia Karroo, herbivory, drought, bush encroachment
Perumal, L. 1*, Ripley, B.1 and Vetter, S.1 1 Botany Department, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa [email protected] There is an increasing density in woody vegetation at the expense of savannas, and Acacia Karroo represents one of the major contributors to this phenomenon more commonly known as bush encroachment. The success of encroachment by a species is largely determined by seedling dynamics, establishment and survival in the face of several disturbance factors, such as herbivory, fire and drought. Due to their large sizes, adult trees are less vulnerable to disturbances, while seedlings and saplings have difficulty resisting disturbances. This study is being conducted in the Smaldeel, a semi-arid, sweetveld region in central Eastern Cape. Here, low rainfall and herbivory are predicted to be the major hurdles in seedling establishment. Hence this research, through extensive fieldwork and greenhouse experiments, has a strong focus on these
Page | 20
particular bottlenecks that influence establishment. The overall aim of this study is to determine if herbivory or drought or a combination of the both lead to mortality, suppression or just delayed escape. Some specific questions this research seeks to answer include (i) how old or large do Acacia Karroo seedlings have to be to survive herbivory?, (ii) what intensity and frequency of herbivory can they survive?, (iii) how does drought influence their growth and survival?, (iv) how does a combination of drought and herbivory influence seedling establishment?, (v) how do seedlings compensate for loss from disturbance?, and (vi) how do grasses influence establishment? Hence, by understanding the conditions of the environment in which Acacia Karroo seedlings may demonstrate threshold behaviours we gain an understanding to the change in vegetation dominance within arid areas.
The influence of megaherbivory on the patterns of succulent plant distribution at a bushclump scale
Key words: elephant utilization, Addo Elephant National Park, microenvironment
Weatherall-Thomas, C.R., Campbell, E.E. and Cowling, R.M. Botany Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth Elephants, as ecosystem engineers, have caused a loss of biodiversity in Addo Elephant National Park, in particular the rare and endemic succulents and geophytes commonly found in Thicket. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of succulent plant species on the bushclump scale, and the effect of period of exposure to elephant utilization on this pattern. Bushclumps were sampled at sites along a utilization gradient, from 0 to 58 years of exposure to elephants. Quadrats (1 m2) were done in three microenvironments: in the centre of bushclumps, on the edge and outside the bushclump. The edge of bushclumps supported the greatest diversity of succulent species, as well as the greatest cover. Each of the three microenvironments supported a different community of succulents. Megaherbivore utilization resulted in a loss of succulent species per metre of buschclump, with the greatest diversity of succulents found in the botanical reserve not exposed to elephants. There was only a slight homogenization of microenvironments with period of exposure, indicating that physical environmental parameters may have a greater influence on the distribution of succulent plants compared to megaherbivores.
Over-wintering sheep in the Sourveld by means of supplementation with a legume based pasture
Key words: inefficiency, supplementary feed, increased performance De Ridder, C.H.
Pasture Section, Directorate Animal Research, Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Eastern Cape [email protected] Introduction: The low turnover and inefficiency of the livestock sector within community flocks/herds is primarily caused by inadequate feeding and the degraded condition of abandoned arable lands. Supplementation is required during winter when animals find problems with protein deficiencies in their available feed source. Lack of sufficient supplementation can lead to significant animal weight loss. A trial was planned to provide a supplementary feed source (pasture) as a means to overcome the lack of quality during winter months in Sourveld areas. The specific trial objectives were the following:
Provide better forage on lands as a supplementary feed.
Evaluate and demonstrate the performance of legumes.
Supplementation during winter shortfalls.
Better utilization of the natural resources.
Increased animal production and economic growth. Results were collected, during the winter season over a three year period 2011, 2012 and 2013. Rainfall varied during the trial period, resulting in two wet, and one dry season. Variable stocking rates were applied during the winter time period to determine what the ultimate pasture carrying capacity is. Animals were removed at the end of the required seasonal grazing time period, or when consecutive weekly weight losses were recorded for a group. Results concluded: During the first two wet seasons animals never reached non-sustainability, and continued increased performance were measured throughout the grazing period. Ultimate carrying capacity figures (non-sustainability) were only reached during the driest season (2013). Even though heavy stocking rates on the legume pastures proved short sustainable pasture grazing periods, these animals still managed higher weight gains than the control group on the veld. Over and above the increased animal weight gains measured on the pasture, legume supplementation proved an additional advantage for increased wool production.
Page | 21
SESSION 10B: CONSERVATION BIOLOGY: (PARALLEL SESSION) :
Determining thresholds of potential concern for extralimital giraffe on Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, Little Karoo.
Key words: extralimital species, Little Karoo, thresholds of potential concern
Gordon, C.N. 1* Jacobs, S. 1, Leslie, A. 1, Vorster, P2. and Vorster, L. 2
1Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University 2Sanbona Wildlife Department, Sanbona Wildlife Reserve. [email protected] In the last two decades large areas of South Africa have seen land use shifts from agriculture, to game farming and the photographic safari industry. The Little Karoo has been one of the areas to experience this change in land use, resulting in an increasing number of extralimital herbivore introductions. Extralimital species such as giraffe (Giraffa camelopardis) are introduced to such properties on the basis of economic sustainability, and the need to create a competitive tourism product. The diet of a population of giraffe on Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, in the Little Karoo, was assessed via direct observations between January and July 2014, in order to determine their potential impact on the world’s most species rich semi-desert. In order to determine a threshold of potential concern for the reserve’s water stressed vegetation, quadrant surveys were conducted to determine the recruitment levels of targeted browse species. Unlike giraffe in their native range, the Sanbona population showed seasonal preference for browse species other than those from the Acacia genus (Acacia karroo). Acacia karroo appeared to be the preferred browse species only during autumn, with Schotia afra being the preferred species in both summer and winter. An extreme flooding event in January 2014, allowed for a unique insight into the recruitment strategy of the regions slower growing trees. These findings are discussed, in the context of extreme flooding events potentially being the dominant driver in determining thresholds of potential concern, rather than herbivore pressure, in this arid and sensitive environment
Conservation Biology and Restoration of a Critically Endangered Cycad, Encephalartos latifrons
Key words: conservation, habitat suitability, restoration
Swart, C.1 and Barker, N.2
1 Department of Economic Development and Environmental Affairs, Eastern Cape Province 1, 2 Rhodes University, Grahamstown [email protected] Cycads comprise the most globally threatened group of organisms with habitat loss and collecting the major causes of decline. South Africa holds more than 13% of the world’s 300 cycad species making it a global centre of cycad diversity. It also has the highest proportion of critically endangered cycads and is the only country that has seen three recent extinctions. Encephalartos latifrons is one of the critically endangered species, a local endemic to the Eastern Cape, and reported to have less than 100 surviving adult plants in the wild. The species is considered to be functionally extinct, with no sexual reproduction reportedly occurring in the wild. Possible reasons are due to the large distances between male and female plants in the wild, infrequent coning episodes and the possibility that the pollinator specific to E. latifrons is extinct (although specific relationships and host-specificity for E. latifrons are not known). The need for urgent conservation action instigated the development of the Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) for the species, a legislative framework aimed at securing the existence of E. latifrons in the wild. Present day as well as historical distribution is re-surveyed. This information will be used to predict areas of habitat suitability which may inform suitable sites for restoration. Population structure at various sites across the natural distribution range is determined and reasons for lack of natural pollination and seedling recruitment is explored. Insect fauna associated with the male cones are sampled to determine whether the pollinator (if any) is host-specific and is in fact extinct as thought to be. Reintroduction may be the only viable strategy left to save E. latifrons from extinction in the wild. The research project therefore includes the introduction of sixty propagules back into the wild within the species natural distribution range.
Page | 22
Establishment of CREW in the Albany region: can we really kill two birds with one stone?
Keywords: partnership, capacity development, threatened species, habitat degradation Zikishe, V. South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) Threatened Species Programme unit, Albany Museum Schonland Herbarium, Grahamstown [email protected] In 2013 The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) embarked on a journey to coordinate a national green jobs fund project know as Groen Sebenza (GS). Groen Sebenza aims to develop skills of the young graduates and Matriculants to capacitate the biodiversity sector. The Custodians of Rare and Endangered Wildflowers (CREW) programme saw this as an opportunity to explore an establishment of this fantastic programme in the Albany region of the Eastern Cape. CREW was established in the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) in 2003, and aimed of going nationally. Albany Region of the Eastern Cape was identified as the gap area, in terms of Threatened Species data as well as documentation of this region’s flora. The employment of four Matriculant GS pioneers, presented CREW a platform to collect and document plant species in two deep rural areas of the Albany region. These are areas which wouldn’t be reached without this kind of approach, as one would need to go through traditional structures to obtain access to these lands. Forming a network of volunteers is also essential for the CREW programme to work effectively, however sufficient data which indicates the gaps of the GS approach is required, as to convince more people to join the CREW Programme. This talk will address the challenges encountered in this approach and whether the data collected so far is adequate to convince SANBI that CREW is indeed required in this region. Lessons learnt so far will also help CREW to restructure on the project if necessary.
Very high resolution mapping of Spekboom canopy cover
Key words: canopy cover, radiometric calibration, very high resolution Harris, D.J.1, Van Niekerk, A.2 and Vlok, J.3 1 Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2 Centre for Geographical Analysis, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa 3 Research Associate, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa [email protected]: Very high resolution canopy cover maps of Spekboom are required to assist with restoration work on private land in the Little Karoo. High resolution remote sensing of vegetation over large spatial extents has not received much attention, especially in arid areas. Variations in habitat and level of degradation, in addition to radiometric variations in the imagery, make this a challenging problem. Here we present a per-pixel classification approach for canopy cover mapping of Spekboom. A novel cross calibration technique for radiometric correction of aerial photographs was developed and applied to multi-spectral 0.5m resolution orthorectified imagery from Chief Directorate: National Geospatial Information. The correction method uses a well-calibrated, concurrent and collocated surface reflectance reference image (e.g. a 500m MODIS NBAR image) to derive a spatially varying linear modelwhich is applied to the aerial photographs. The radiometric properties of the resulting imagery were qualitatively (visually) and quantitatively (statistically) evaluated. The mean absolute reflectance difference of the calibrated imagery was found to be 3.92% compared to an atmospherically corrected SPOT reference. This compares favourably to other methods for calibrating aerial image mosaics. Ground truth was produced by selecting and hand labelling polygons in the imagery. A decision tree classifier was trained on a reduced set of spectral, textural and vegetation index type features. The results of the classifier were validated against ground truth acquired at 20 field sites. A mean absolute canopy cover error of 5.85% with a standard deviation of 4.65% was obtained. Visual inspection of the canopy cover map showed good overall accuracy with some sensitivity to habitat and degradation variation.
Page | 23
SESSION 11: VEGETATION DYNAMICS
Resilience of Karoo veld – post-treatment changes after 40 years
Keywords: Rainfall, grazing, Fire, Vegetation Change Justin CO du Toit1 and TG O’Connor2
1 Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute, Middelburg, Eastern Cape 2 South African Ecological Observation Network, Pretoria Rainfall, grazing, and fire are important drivers of vegetation composition in the eastern Karoo. Vegetation appears to oscillate between being dominated by C3 shrubs and short-lived grasses in dry periods and dominated by long-lived C4 grasses in wet periods. This structure is reinforced by fire, which can occur during wet periods owing to the accumulation of combustible grass material. Burning extirpates certain non-sprouting shrub species and favours fast-growing grasses. Grazing by livestock, at least during comparatively dry periods, modifies composition according to season of grazing. Summer grazing generally favours shrubs, while winter grazing generally favours grasses. The Seligman Grazing Trials, initiated in 1949 at Grootfontein in the eastern Karoo, showed stark differences between grazing treatments in 1971. The treatments were discontinued in the mid-1980s, fences were removed, and the area has since been grazed at moderate stocking rates by cattle. This provided an opportunity to explore the resilience of Karroid veld, and the treatments were re-surveyed in 2012. Since the discontinuation of the trials rainfall has been higher, and occasional fires have burnt. There has been a uniform shift towards a grass-dominated state, presumably because of higher rainfall. Fire-sensitive shrub species have become locally extinct, and several species of perennial grass, historically absent, have colonised. A secondary effect of soil type is clear, while the effects of grazing system are evident but less easily interpreted.
Re-sampling the grazing exclosure experiment at Tierberg LTER
Key words: grazing exclosure, vegetation surveys, long term monitoring Pauw, M.J.
Arid Lands Node, South African Environmental Observation Network [email protected] The existing dataset (1988 – 2008) on species cover in the grazing exclosure experiment at Tierberg LTER (formerly known as Tierberg Karoo Research Centre) is highly valuable in light of its rare potential to demonstrate the long term effects of grazing exclusion on vegetation cover and composition in the Succulent Karoo. Adding to its uniqueness is the fact that the experimental design allows comparison between grazing by livestock, grazing by wildlife only, and no grazing. Tierberg LTER, situated near Prince Albert in the Western Cape, was fenced in 1987 to exclude livestock. During 1989 octagonal exclosures with a diameter of 13m were built on Tierberg LTER, on the Argentina farm side of the western boundary with the LTER and on the Tierberg farm side of the northern boundary. These exclude all grazers with body sizes greater than 10mm, including small and large mammals as well as tortoises. Species cover was sampled by Sue Milton and others in open and exclosed plots with an area of 25m² using the line intercept method. These surveys were conducted annually from 1988 to 1991 and again in 1998, 2005, 2006 and 2008 (published by Seymour et al. in 2010). The experiment was re-sampled in April 2014 by SAEON Arid Lands Node staff, extending the temporal range of sampling to 26 years. This paper presents the most recent vegetation cover and composition data, compares them with previous surveys, and highlights the importance of continued monitoring.
40 years of vegetation monitoring on Goegap Nature Reserve, Namaqualand
Key words: Equilibrium-nonequilibrium paradigms; State-and-transition model; Range condition
Van Rooyen, M.W. 1, Le Roux, A. 2, van der Merwe, H. 3, Geldenhuys, C. 4*, van Rooyen, N 1. and Broodryk, N.L. 1 Department of Plant Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 2 CapeNature, Assegaaibosch Nature Reserve, Jonkershoek, Stellenbosch 3 South African Environmental Observation Network, Calvinia 4 Northern Cape Department of Environment and Nature Conservation, Goegap Nature Reserve, Springbok Email address:[email protected] Vegetation change in arid regions with a coefficient of variation in rainfall exceeding 33% usually displays nonequilibrium dynamics, which is considered discontinuous and irreversible, with external factors overriding internal biotic controls. The
Page | 24
study investigated the contributions of internal/equilibrium versus external/nonequilibrium processes to vegetation dynamics and the reversibility of degradation. The descending point method has been used annually since 1974 at two transects on Goegap Nature Reserve in Namaqualand. Vegetation change was assessed in terms of vegetation cover, species composition, life form composition, range condition, species richness and diversity. Principal Coordinates Analysis was used to illustrate the trajectories in floristic data and the effects of stocking density and rainfall were examined by Redundancy Analysis. Vegetation cover, species richness and Shannon-Wiener index of diversity increased and range condition improved with time. These positive changes could be related to livestock reductions and low wildlife numbers in the first years of survey. The rate of increase in some of these parameters decreased due to high grazing pressure during latter monitored years. Nonsucculent chamaephytes increased, whereas succulent chamaephytes only increased initially. The directional change in perennial species composition supports the equilibrium concept whereby the negative changes induced by heavy grazing were partially reversed. Within the directional change, four quasi-stable states could be distinguished, associated with the state-and-transition model within the nonequilibrium paradigm. The annual component was nondirectional and event-driven, as per nonequilibrium dynamics. Vegetation change displayed both equilibrium and nonequilibrium dynamics and demonstrated heavy grazing effects were reversible.
SESSION 12: ALIEN INVASIVE STUDIES:
Ecosystem services and disservices from invasive alien tree species in the Kalahari
Key words: invasive species, Kalahari, ecosystem services
Shackleton, S.E., Shackleton, R.T and Jansen Van Vuuren, A. Department of Environmental Science, Rhodes University [email protected] The negative impacts of invasive alien plant species on the environment are well documented. However, the benefits that these species may bring to society, especially in harsh environments like the Kalahari, are less often considered. Many exotic plants were introduced because of their usefulness, and continue to provide multiple goods and services, such as fodder, fuelwood, medicines, fruits, shade, wind breaks and aesthetic appeal. Conflict of interests and trade-offs between benefits and impacts and, ultimately, environment/ biodiversity and livelihoods are common. In this paper, we assess the presence and abundance of exotic trees in people homesteads in five small towns in the Kalahari and explore the services and disservices associated with these. Additionally, we report on perceptions, local practices and knowledge and beliefs regarding these trees and use local ecological knowledge to gauge their invasiveness. We identified 13 different exotic trees species in people’s yards. All but one of these appears on the list of invasive species. Fifteen different goods and services from these species were recognised with the most important being shade and fuelwood. Some species, such as mulberry and prickly pear, were particularly important for fruit, while eight were mentioned as being used for fodder. Species mentioned with disservices included prickly pear, Prosopis, Leucaena and seringa. The last three were also perceived to be spreading beyond homesteads in some villages. Several interesting differences were found between villages, with people in the most water scarce environments being more tolerant of aggressive species like Prosopis. Less than a quarter of households had no exotic trees in their yards, and these were mainly new shacks in the growing informal settlement. Trees were obtained from variety of sources including self-seeding, brought in, truncheons, gifts, given by government, bought from church and through planting of seeds. We conclude by discussing some options for management.
The social, ecological and economic impacts of Prosopis invasions in arid areas: Implications for management
Key Words: Tree invasions, Prosopis impacts, Prosopis management
Shackleton1, R.T., Le Maitre12, D.C., and Richardson D.M.1 1Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland 7602, South Africa 2Natural Resources and the Environment, CSIR, P.O. Box 320, Stellenbosch 7599, South Africa [email protected] Prosopis (mesquite) is a useful agroforestry tree that has been introduced globally. Many Prosopis species were introduced to South Africa, some of which have naturalised and become the most widespread invasive species in the arid parts of the country. These invasions have detrimental effects on biodiversity, ecosystem services and human livelihoods. However, there is still limited knowledge on the impacts and effective management of Prosopis invasions in South Africa is lacking. This presentation will explore the social, ecological and economic impacts and local perceptions of the tree. Prosopis
Page | 25
invasions were found to negatively impact local plant populations across South Africa. These invasions caused a reduction in native tree species richness, diversity, density and basal area and also negatively impacted the cover of herbaceous plants. Many negative impacts were raised by different communities including loss of water, grazing, land and economic returns on farms, with farmers spending on average R 20 000 to mitigate the effects of Prosopis invasion. However, Prosopis was also seen to provide benefits such as fodder, fuelwood and shade to communities. This has led to contentious issues around the genus and has limited some management approaches within South Africa in the past. However, respondents representing multiple stakeholders revealed that the costs of Prosopis outweigh the benefits and that local communities are in favour of increased control of invasions. Suggestions are made on how management can and needs to be improved in the future.
Page | 26
POSTER THEMES
Authors Title Keywords
Poster Theme 1: Bush Thickening:
J.H Fouché& Klaus Kellner The evaluation of three herbicides used to control Seriphium plumosum and their affect on the surrounding grass species.
Seriphium plumosum, Metsulfuron, Tebuthiuron and Bromacil
Pelser, JJ1, Kellner, K. & Dreber N.
Comparison of the functional status of bush thickened and controlled rangelands in the Molopo savanna of South Africa using landscape functional analysis
Functionality, Stability, Nutrient cycling, Infiltration
Van Rooyen1, S.E., Kellner, K. &
Dreber, N.
Comparison of plant diversity of shrub thickened and chemically controlled savannas in the Molopo district, North-West Province, South Africa
species richness, evenness and cover; carrying capacity
Madibo, T.M.1* & Malan, P.W.
2
Analyzing woody species densities and structure in an area near Disaneng, Ratlou municipality (North West Province South Africa)
dense bush thickets, encroachment, grazing capacity, woody species
Poster Theme 2: Conservation Ecology
Nozuko Ngqiyaza& Susi Vetter Patterns of plant diversity and cultural meaning in a rural landscape in the Albany Thicket – implications for conservation
Cultural landscapes, plant diversity, conservation
Lucas, L.M.1*, Samuels, M.I.
2, Knight
R.3 and. Cupido, C.
1
Assessing the potential wise use of ephemeral wetlands by livestock farmers in the Kamiesberg Uplands
cattle grazing, rehabilitation, ephemeral wetlands, fodder flow
Hilario, Miguel S.1, Mukuya, Robert
S.2, Kwamovo, Meshack
3, Mtuleni,
Vilho Snake4, Schmiedel, Ute
5
Facilitation of community—scientist communication
community involvement, information sharing, para-ecologists
Mortimer, G. 1*
, Wheeler, A.2 Lesley Hill Succulent Karoo Stewardship Project
Succulent Karoo, Stewardship, Conservation
Poster Theme 3: Ecophysiology
Mantel, S.K.1*
, Palmer, A.R.2 and
Perry, A.3
Estimating evapotranspiration following clearing of invasive aliens: effects of patchy landscapes
land cover change, catchment water balance, evapotranspiration uncertainty
Onalenna Gwate
Modeling evapotranspiration, livestock water productivity and water use efficiency in three rural catchments of the Eastern Cape using earth observation techniques
rangeland degradation, water use efficiency, livestock water productivity
Liesel Hein Investigating responses of three Karoo plant species to artificially increased moisture and nutrient loading
phenology, semi-arid, sewage effluent
Page | 27
Henschel, J.R.1, Kanandjembo, A.
2,
Kilbourn Louw, M.2, Shuuya, T.
3,
Wassenaar, T.3
Rooting for Welwitschia Roots root architecture, plant moisture source, transplanting
K. Ellis1, E.E. Campbell
1& M. de Wit
2
The vegetation of the proposed Karoo fracking sites - ecophysiological responses of plants to fracking chemicals.
fracking, Karoo, phreatophyte
Poster Theme 4: Fauna
Amutenya, K.K.1 Heaton, J.S.
2 and
Juvik, J.O.1
Ecology of two sympatric tortoises in the namibian thorn savanna: thermal niche, resource use and home range.
Sympatric, Stigmochlelyspardalis and Psammobates oculiferus
Paulse, Jamie 1,2
, Cupido, C.F.2,
Samuels, M.I.2, Couldridge, V.C.
1,
Deacon, F3
The feeding ecology of introduced giraffe on Albany Thicket vegetation in the Little Karoo
Extralimital species, giraffe impacts, plant chemical defences
Poster Theme 5: Livestock & Grazing
Erasmus, Y.1 and Vetter, S.
2
Can livestock utilisation and carbon-accumulation co-exist on restored spekboomveld?
browsing; spekboom; total non-structural carbohydrates
Abrahams, M.1*, Cupido, C.
2,
Samuels, M.I., 2, Weitz, F.M.
1
Effect of different grazing pressures on the biomass and flower production on selected forage legumes in a communal rangeland in Namaqualand
forage, livestock farming, legumes, grazing pressure
Denisha Anand1,2
M. Igshaan Samuels 2, Clement Cupido
2, Richard Knight
1
and Dawood Hattas 3
Measuring energy to determine the value of riverine key resource areas as forage reserves during the dry season in semi-arid communal rangelands in South Africa
Ntombela KP 1,2
, Samuels MI2,
Cupido CF2, R Knight
1, Swarts MBV
1,2
Assessing livestock farmers’ ecological knowledge on adaptations to climate and environmental change in arid regions of South Africa
climate change, adaptation strategy, local ecological knowledge
Poster Theme 6: Rehabilitation& Restoration
Hannes Botha & N Saayman Karoo species for restoration – germination potential Degradation; Seed multiplication; Indigenous species
K.Shamathe1*
, H.J.R. Pringle1, 2, 3
, I. Zimmermann
1 and C. Nott
4
Integrating various techniques and tools for gull restoration at two sites in north west and central Namibia
Ecosystem Management Understanding, erosion, rain-use-efficiency
Glenday J1, Mendelsohn S
2, Van den
Broeck D3
Monitoring for money – restoration and the developing green economy
Monitoring, restoration, green-economy
Page | 28
Mokgosi, R.O. 1*
, Kellner, K.2 and
Malan, P.W.3
The effects of restoration practices on ecosystem services after bush control in Magogong communal area, Taung, North West Province: A case study
bush thickening, communally owned areas, ecological restoration
Essex, J.*, Schumann, B. Germination peaks and success rates of Karoo riparian plant species
seed, germination peaks, riparian plant species
Poster Theme 7: Vegetation Dynamics & Monitoring
Amutenya J.U. Windhoek: Vegetation Survey of the Ugab Catchment Vegetation data, land-use planning, Vegetation Ecology
Tshililo Ramaswiela Plant species and growth form richness along altitudinal gradients on Compassberg
Altitudinal shift, herbaceous cover, climate change
Soeker, M.S.1*
, Samuels, M.I.
2,Cupido, C.F.
2, and Knight, R.S.
1
Assessing the production potential of Ephemeral Flushes in the Three Peaks Conservancy
croplands, livestock forage, ephemerals, Leliefontein
S. Ruwanzaa*
, C.M. Shackletona
Density and regrowth of a forest restio (Ischyrolepis eleocharis) under harvest and non-harvest treatments in dune forests of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Non-timber forest products, demand, sustainability, population dynamics
Simons, M.B.1, 2*
, Samuels, M.I.2,
Cupido, C.F.2, Knight, R.
1, Swarts,
M.B.2
Post-fire vegetation and soil recovery in mountain renosterveld in Namaqualand, South Africa
fire regime, soil dynamics, post-fire recovery
Shidolo E.L.K. Assessment of the vegetation diversity, structure and cover along an aridity gradient in namibia using long-term data
vegetation, conservation, rangeland, species composition, biodiversity
Page | 29
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Theme 1: BUSH THICKENING:
The evaluation of three herbicides used to control Seriphium plumosum and their effect on the surrounding grass species.
Key words: Seriphium plumosum, Metsulfuron, Tebuthiuron and Bromacil
J.H Fouché& Klaus Kellner North West University, Potchefstroom A study was conducted to establish the effectiveness of three most commonly used herbicides to control Seriphium plumosum (bankrupt bush) and that would have the smallest effect on the surrounding grass species. The three herbicides used at four different sites included, Metsulfuron, Tebuthiuron and Bromacil. The herbicides were applied in 5 x 5m plots with different soil types and varying densities of S.plumosum. The soil types included a sandy-loam soil type with varying depths, as well as soils that are more clayey and rocky respectively. The sites controlled with Metsulfuron were the first to show a 100% effectiveness in controlling S. plumosum followed by the Bromacil and Tebuthiuron applications. All the S. plumosum shrubs in the plots treated with Metsulfuron died one month after application, whereas shrubs only died after three months when treated with Bromacil or Tebuthiuron. The Bromacil and Tebuthiuron plots also showed a large decrease in palatable grass species surrounding the treated areas, such as Digitaria eriantha. An increase of the unpalatable species, such as Hyparrhenia hirtaalso occurred at these sites. The grass in the plots where Metsulfuron was applied weren’t affected by the herbicide and still had high abundances of palatable species, such as Digitaria eriantha and Eragrostis curvula present. These preliminary results were only gained over a short period of time in 2014. Long-term effects of the three herbicides, as well as the effect on the soil conditions will be assessed at a later stage.
Comparison of the functional status of bush thickened and controlled rangelands in the Molopo savanna of South Africa using landscape functional analysis
Key words: Functionality, Stability, Nutrient cycling, Infiltration
Pelser, JJ1, Kellner, K. & Dreber N. School of Biological Sciences and Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University (Potchefstroom campus), Potchefstroom, South Africa. 1E-mail: [email protected] Bush thickening affects large areas of rangelands in the Molopo Savanna of Southern Africa. This can be regarded as the densification or increase of the cover in the indigenous woody species. The latter decreases the functionality of the
rangeland. Rangeland functionality states how well the landscape is performing as a biophysical system (Tongway & Hindley 2004). The Landscape Function Analysis (LFA) monitoring methodology is used to assess the biogeochemical functioning of bush controlled and uncontrolled rangelands in the Molopo Savanna. Eleven Soil Surface Assessment Indicators are recorded in different patch and inter-patch types to determine the functionality. The results can be used to also assess and monitor the functional status of rangelands over time and to determine the impacts and responses of certain rangeland management strategies (Forouzeh & Sharafatmandrad, 2012). Decision making will then be easier to improve the rangelands over the long term (Pyke et al., 2002). Five sites near the towns of Kgogonjane, Bona Bona, Bray, Lafras and Severn in the North-Western parts of the Molopo in the North-West Province representing bush thickened and controlled sites were selected. When using the 11 Soil Surface Assessment (SSA) Indicators of the LFA method, the stability of the soil surface,
infiltration of nutrients and water and nutrient cycling is assessed. It is difficult to determine the landscape functionality after only one year of sampling, but preliminary results show that the three parameters mentioned
above, are slightly higher in uncontrolled areas than at the controlled sites.
Page | 30
Comparison of plant diversity of shrub thickened and chemically controlled savannas in the Molopo district, North-West Province, South Africa
Key words: species richness, evenness and cover; carrying capacity
Van Rooyen1, S.E., Kellner, K. & Dreber, N. School of Biological Sciences and Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University (Potchefstroom campus), Potchefstroom, South Africa. 1E-mail: [email protected] Shrub (woody) thickening by bush encroachment affects the species richness and abundance of the Savanna areas in the Molopo district of the North-West Province, South Africa. In order to determine the impact of bush encroachment on the plant diversity, a comparison was made between bush thickened and shrub (woody) controlled areas in the Savannas of the Molopo. Various methods of control are used, such as chemical spaying of arborocides, stem burning and the implementation of better management practices, (e.g. resting and rotational grazing). By using the Whittaker plot method, five uncontrolled and adjacent controlled study sites were evaluated to determine the species richness and evenness of the vegetation. The preliminary results show that the bush encroached sites had the same species richness than the controlled sites, but that woody species, such as Acacia mellifera, A. erioloba, A. herbeclada and A. luederitzii had a much higher cover value in uncontrolled areas. In the controlled areas, grass species such as Stipagrostis uniplumis, Schmidtia kalahariensis, S. pappopharoides, Melinis repens and Brachiaria nigropedata were dominant. It seems as if the competition between species plays the most important role in the differences of cover and abundances in both the controlled and uncontrolled sites. The species richness and evenness between climax, palatable, perennial grass species also differed from pioneer, annual grasses in bush controlled and uncontrolled areas, which could have a major effect on the carrying capacity of the area.
Analyzing woody species densities and structure in an area near Disaneng, Ratlou municipality (North West Province, South Africa).
Key words: dense bush thickets, encroachment, grazing capacity, woody species
Madibo, T.M.1* & Malan, P.W.2 1 E mail: [email protected] 2 Department of Biological Sciences, North West University, Mafikeng Campus. E mail: [email protected] The North West Province (NWP) is currently infested with woody species, especially thorn bushes, covering an estimated 12–14 % of the land. The infestation by this indigenous species is the result of a complex interaction between cattle farming, fire suppression policies and changing weather conditions. Unfortunately, once bush takes hold and displaces grass cover, its root system develops and gains a competitive advantage for water, preventing the grass’s return. When Senegalia (commonly known as Acacia) thorn bush encroaches, it can cause land to lose up to 100 % of its productivity and usefulness. This results in dense bush thickets thus prevent farmers from using the land and disrupt the natural habitat of the ecosystem. Both the ground survey methods by Coetzee and Gertenbach (1977), where the woody plant density was determined and expressed in Tree Equivalents per hectare (TE/ha) and satellite imagery, using Landsat 5 (1994, 2004, 2009) and Landsat 8 (2014) were used to quantify and detect woody cover change over time. The study site was compared with a nearby reference site (benchmark site) in order to detect changes that took place over time. Bush densities (especially Acacia spp.) in both the benchmark site and study site were compared and recorded densities of 238 TE/ha and more than 2 000 TE/ha respectively. The latter is clearly an indication that the study area was severely encroached and that grass development will be virtually totally be suppressed. In order to improve the general grazing capacity of the land, integrated management through stakeholders should be implemented through sustainable control of all encroaching species, especially “aggressive” growers such as Acacia mellifera, A. tortilis and Dichrostachys cinerea by combining prevention of spread, selective eradication and full exploitation of these woody resources.
Page | 31
Theme 2: CONSERVATION ECOLOGY:
Patterns of plant diversity and cultural meaning in a rural landscape in the Albany Thicket – implications for conservation
Keywords: Cultural landscapes, plant diversity, conservation
Nozuko Ngqiyaza& Susi Vetter Botany Department, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa [email protected] South Africa is the world's third most bio-diverse country, but pressures on this biodiversity are many and widespread. It is now well recognised that protected areas on their own are insufficient to protect biodiversity, and increasing emphasis is placed on developing models for ensuring the persistence of biodiversity in agricultural and rural landscapes. One of the major challenges, especially in rural areas, is the need to reconcile people’s need to use natural resources with biodiversity conservation. This study aims to examine whether biodiversity conservation can be achieved in a rural landscape, where local people have been shown to have a culturally-based appreciation for thicket vegetation. We investigate (1) the patterns of biodiversity and impacts thereon in different landscape units around two rural villages and neighbouring areas under conservation (2) how the different landscape units relate to uses, feelings, attachment, cultural values and (3) people’s preferred visions for the local environment and whether/how people feel this is feasible to achieve. Our prediction is that the rural landscape comprises a gradient from areas close to villages that are heavily impacted, not considered particularly special or sacred but safe, familiar and of utilitarian importance to areas farther away with denser, less transformed thicket vegetation, which are considered to be of greater cultural, spiritual and aesthetic importance but less safe, familiar and accessible. The extent and distribution of vegetation units along this continuum will be assessed and mapped using GIS. This study aims to inform current strategies on achieving conservation outcomes outside protected areas by integrating local peoples’ perceptions, goals and opinions. It is anticipated that the inclusion of people’s values in conservation management plans will inspire greater support for conservation and protection of natural resources.
Assessing the potential wise use of ephemeral wetlands by livestock farmers in the Kamiesberg Uplands
Key words: cattle grazing, rehabilitation, ephemeral wetlands, fodder flow Lucas, L.M.1*, Samuels, M.I.2, Cupido, C.F. 2 and Knight R.S.1 1University of the Western Cape, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Cape Town, South Africa 2ARC– API: Rangeland Ecology Unit, BCB Department, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa Email:[email protected] Wetlands are recognised as the most threatened of all South Africa’s ecosystems, as 48% of wetlands are critically endangered and occupy 2.4% of the country’s land area. Wetlands are known to provide essential ecosystem services to humans by acting as key resource areas for cultivators and pastoralists by providing a source of arable land or grazing during droughts or the dry season. Grazing can have many negative impacts on ecosystem dynamics and managing livestock grazing is crucial to ensure sustainable use of wetlands. In some grazing systems, fire is also used to provide good quality fodder for animals but in ecologically sensitive habitats fire can be destructive. This is because wetlands have high value (both intrinsic and empirical) thus the need to protect these ecosystems has been identified both globally and locally. The sustainable management of wetlands are crucial to the future ecosystem health and benefit of communities which derive services from them. In the Kamiesberg Uplands, rehabilitation programmes, which entails replanting and fencing have been implemented to prevent the further degradation of ephemeral wetlands. This study will investigate vegetation recovery in wetlands under rehabilitation. In addition, this study aims to understand at which stage of recovery wetland species become no longer available as forage for livestock. This is to inform when wetlands can open up for grazing in this communal livestock farming system where permanent fencing of grazing resources is prohibited.
Page | 32
Facilitation of community—scientist communication
Key words: community involvement, information sharing, para-ecologists Hilario, Miguel S.1, Mukuya, Robert S.2, Kwamovo, Meshack3, Mtuleni, Vilho Snake4, Schmiedel, Ute5 1 c/o Instituto Superior de Ciências de Educação (ISCED), Lubango, Angola; [email protected] 2 c/o Namibia Nature Foundation, P.O. Box 1721, Rundu/ Namibia; [email protected] 3 c/o Kalahari Conservation Society, P.O. Box 41, Seronga/ Botswana; [email protected] 4 SASSCAL, P.O. Box 86755, Windhoek/ Namibia; [email protected]
5University of Hamburg, Biocentre Klein Flottbek and Botanical Garden, Ohnhorststrasse 18, 22609 Hamburg/ Germany; [email protected]
Scientists are often not familiar with the culture of the communities they work with. This can lead to misunderstandings and cause frustration on both sides. Scientists and communities can benefit more from their interaction, if their communication and knowledge exchange is facilitated by somebody who understands both perspectives. Para-ecologists could play an important role here. Para ecologists are members of the rural communities, who are trained to understand and support the research objectives and activities. They are involved in the knowledge sharing between scientist and community. The Future Okavango (TFO) is an interdisciplinary research project in Angola, Namibia, and Botswana that aims to provide scientific support for sustainable land and resource management in the Okavango basin (for more information see www.Future-Okavango.org). TFO scientists of different disciplines investigate the social and eco-systems of the study area. For instance, the soil scientists analyze soil quality; the botanists study the vegetation, biodiversity, plant biomass and carbon stock; meteorologists study weather patterns and climate change and anthropologists the value of ecosystem services for local communities. This poster shows how para-ecologists can assist scientists and communities to better understand each other and to benefit from each other’s knowledge. Based on our experiences during our work as para-ecologists in the research project The Future Okavango, we provide examples of what type of questions of the community to the project can arise and how para-ecologists can facilitate to answers those as well as help to share the research results of the scientists with the communities.
Lesley Hill Succulent Karoo Stewardship Project
Key words: Succulent Karoo, Stewardship, Conservation Mortimer, G. 1*, Wheeler, A.2 1 Conservation Services Manager, Lesley Hill Succulent Karoo Stewardship Negotiator: Breede River Valley, CapeNature 2 Conservation Services Manager, Lesley Hill Succulent Karoo Stewardship Negotiator: Little Karoo, CapeNature email address: [email protected], [email protected] Funding was raised by WWF-SA from its donor, the Lesley Hill Succulent Karoo Trust, and has been granted to CapeNature over three years to employ stewardship extension officers to conclude stewardship contracts on all levels (contract, biodiversity agreements and volunteer agreements) within specific focus areas within the Succulent Karoo namely the Breede River Valley and the Little Karoo. Land included in protected environments and contract nature reserve agreements will be declared as formally protected areas in line with the protected area legislation. All other agreements are areas managed for biodiversity conservation. In addition an amount has been made available to provide technical assistance to the targeted landowners both in recognition for concluding agreements and in order to incentivise the conclusion of stewardship agreements. More specifically this project seeks to: 1. Expand the Succulent Karoo protected area footprint through concluding stewardship contracts with landowners to
secure land for conservation in identified focus areas within the Succulent Karoo (Little Karoo and Breede River Valley). There are three categories of stewardship contracts that can be signed, 1. Contract nature reserves and protected environment agreements which are formally declared as protected areas. 2. Biodiversity agreement contracts binding under contract law and 3. Volunteer or conservancy agreements which are not binding on the landowners.
3. Capacitate the CapeNature Stewardship programme with 3 additional stewardship positions. 4. Provide extension support to the landowners concluding stewardship contracts. 5. Provide technical assistance to landowners in the form of fencing, erosion control, alien clearing and other
identified technical assistance.
Page | 33
The project will be embedded and aligned within the management structures and strategic goals of CapeNature’s Protected Area Expansion Strategy and CapeNature’s Landscape Scale Conservation Strategic Plan.
Theme 3: ECOPHYSIOLOGY:
Estimating evapotranspiration following clearing of invasive aliens: effects of patchy landscapes
Key words: land cover change, catchment water balance, evapotranspiration uncertainty
Mantel, S.K.1*, Palmer, A.R.2 and Perry, A.3 1 Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown, South Africa 2 Agricultural Research Council-Animal Production Institute, P.O. Box 101, Grahamstown, South Africa 3 University of Fort Hare, East London, South Africa *Email of corresponding author: [email protected] Removal and control of invasive alien plants (IAPs) is a major strategy of the South African Working for Water (WfW) programme, since IAPs are known to use large quantities of water through evapotranspiration, leading to reduction in or loss of ecosystem services provided by healthy grasslands and rivers. It is recognised that the quantification of the catchment level water balance following land cover changes through invasive alien clearing is still in its infancy in South Africa. This paper investigates the effect of generalising complex patchy landscapes with various land uses, on the evapotranspiration estimates in two catchments in the Eastern Cape. Both of the catchments are under communal tenure although in one of the catchments there are larger holdings fenced by emerging family farmers. In both the catchments, land-cover change has occurred over the last two decades. This primarily includes conversion of unimproved grassland to semi-commercial/subsistence dryland farming and forest plantation (both commercial and IAPs). IAPs are a known threat in these areas curbing the potential to have more grazing for livestock. Two approaches to estimate land cover change are compared in this study. The first approach uses a coarse level strategy of estimating change in land cover by comparing the categories defined by the National Land Cover (NLC2000) with recent 2009 aerial imagery. The second approach uses ground reference data obtained through interviews and focus groups to map land patches to actual land use by villagers. Although the latter evaluation focuses on the specific case of villages with patchy landscapes, which comprise a small part of the catchment, such a comparison between field-science data and qualitative data ought to help quantify a potential source of uncertainty in evapotranspiration estimations using the coarse level approach of mapping land cover change.
Modeling evapotranspiration, livestock water productivity and water use efficiency in three rural catchments of the Eastern Cape using earth observation techniques
Key words: rangeland degradation, water use efficiency, livestock water productivity
Gwate O.a* Palmer A. R.b and Mantel S. K.a a Institute for Water Research, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa bAgricultural Research Council, Animal Production Institute, Grahamstown, South Africa E-mail: [email protected] Water and carbon fluxes are critical to evaluating any land use activity. These fluxes control large-scale distribution of plant communities, primary production and ecosystem services. In the context of global environmental changes such as population and climate dynamics, it is important for every component of the landscape to use water efficiently. In South Africa, many rural landscapes are undergoing degradation. This undermines ecosystem services and ultimately human wellbeing. Ecosystem services include regulating, provisioning, cultural and supporting services. In order to sustainably manage these rural landscapes a comprehensive understanding of their water use is vital. This study will model water use efficiency and livestock water productivity in three quaternary catchments with contrasting land tenure and land use in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Specifically, the study will compare the performance of three modified Penman-Monteith equation based modelsfor predicting evapotranspiration. Net primary production using ground and remote sensing techniques will be computed across the catchments. Subsequently, water use efficiency will be computed for each landscape. The 2000 National Land Cover map will be updated for present day land use in the study area and following a landscape based classification system, paired comparison of water use efficiency in degraded and non-degraded rangelands will be conducted. This will help to explore the hypothesis that water use efficiency is an indicator of rangeland degradation. Through correlation analysis, the effect of surface albedo on the process of evapotranspiration and inadvertently on total evapotranspiration at a site and at a river basin level will be interrogated. Finally, livestock water productivity as a viable strategy to address challenges of increased agricultural water use will be explored. This will help to
Page | 34
decipher its variation across environmental gradients. Therefore, the study will inform policy on desirable land use options to ensure sustainability in rangelands.
Investigating responses of three Karoo plant species to artificially increased moisture and nutrient loading
Keywords: phenology, semi-arid, sewage effluent
Hein, L. Arid Lands Node, SAEON, Kimberley [email protected] Never has the urgency for understanding and predicting the consequences of our actions on the natural environment been as important as for this generation. The species composition in plant communities of arid and semi-arid ecosystems reflects long-term patterns in the timing and quantity of rainfall. Change in resource availability (water, nutrients, light) is likely to change the plant community composition, structure and function. Many human developments change hydrology and soil chemistry. One such example is the release of sewage effluent into the surrounding environment, a common practice in Karoo villages. Sewage effluent both saturates the soil and changes soil chemistry. Changes in these elements could alter competitive advantages from water efficient arid plants to production efficient plant communities, leading to altered interactions with fauna. Wolwekraal Nature Reserve, north of Prince Albert, falls within the Succulent Karoo Biome and has an average annual rainfall of 165 mm. Since 2009 the illegal drainage of sewage effluent from a municipal waste water treatment facility onto the reserve has led to changes in the plant communities affected by the effluent. Recent investigations by schools and university students have confirmed changes in plant community composition as well as changes in soil moisture and chemistry associated with the effluent. The objective of the proposed study is to quantify growth, flowering, seed production and insect herbivory of three plant growth forms (succulent, grass, shrub) across a sewage effluent gradient. One hundred and eighty individuals of Malephora lutea, Fingerhuthia africana and Lycium cinereum will be marked and monitored monthly inside (0-30m from the reed edge) and outside (31-130m from the reed edge) of the area affected by effluent. The results will indicate how these life forms may respond to increased rainfall, flooding and nutrient enrichment with an opportunity to foresee possible consequences and use in environmental management.
Rooting for Welwitschia Roots
Key words: root architecture, plant moisture source, transplanting
Henschel, J.R.1, Kanandjembo, A.2, Kilbourn Louw, M.2, Shuuya, T.3, Wassenaar, T.3 1 SAEON, P.O.Box 110040, Hadison Park, Kimberley 8306, South Africa, [email protected] 2 Swakop Uranium, Swakopmund, Namibia 3 NERMU, Gobabeb Research and Training Centre, Box 953, Walvis Bay, Namibia
A plant’s root system can indicate its water and nutrient sources. Knowledge of this gives insight into its ecology, ecophysiology and distribution, as well as how management plant populations faced with disturbance. An opportunity to study the root system of five Welwitschia mirabilis plants arose on the Welwitschia Plains in Namibia when they were to be translocated during the construction of Swakop Uranium’s Husab Mine. We mapped the root structure including rootlets in relation to substrate characteristics and soil moisture. Seven institutions participated in the analyses of samples: identifying water sources by means of isotopes, analysing soil composition, chemistry and nutrients, examining leaf and root physiology and histology, and identifying bacteria, mycorrhiza and invertebrates associated with the roots. At 20 cm depth we found a layer of rootlets extending 1 m laterally outwards and upwards to near the surface. These could possibly be accessing atmospheric vapour, fog, dew or occasional light rainfalls, although we found the shallow soils to be dry by day. Below this layer was a dense network of highly interconnected and convoluted roots and rootlets infusing the gypsum layer at some 30-50 cm. A few simple coarse roots descending downwards from there, connecting to a deeper system of horizontal roots at 110-135 cm depth, associated with 15% moist sand layers located above solid calcrete. 75% of all rootlets were in this lowest layer. No roots reached deeper than 135 cm, and there was no evidence of tap roots. Study plants were finally experimentally transplanted when other investigations were completed, but only one plant survived. Our findings indicate that welwitschia obtain moisture from multiple sources, but seem to rely most strongly on moisture of unknown origin located at 1.1-1.4 m depth, far above groundwater.
Page | 35
The vegetation of the proposed Karoo fracking sites - ecophysiological responses of plants to fracking chemicals.
Key words: fracking, Karoo, phreatophyte
K. Ellis1, E.E. Campbell1& M. de Wit2
1 Botany Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Campus Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth 2 Geology Department, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Campus Summerstrand, Port Elizabeth Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is an extraction technique that is used to extract gas from rocks of low permeability. A number of companies have been either applied for, or been granted Exploration Rights for fracking in the Karoo. Shell’s application area is in the magisterial districts of Aberdeen, Beaufort-West, Carnarvon, Graaff-Reinet, Middelburg, Murraysburg, Noupoort, Richmond and Victoria-West and covers an area of approximately 30 000 km2. Fracking has recently received much publicity due to concerns over the environmental, social, human health and aesthetic risks associated with this unconventional method of gas extraction. The objectives of this study are to survey the proposed fracking areas and evaluate the flora and vegetation of the area, highlighting Species of Conservation Concern. Furthermore, the study will investigate ecophysiological responses of Karoo plants to exposure to fracking fluid, with particular emphasis on phreatophytes. Boscia albitrunca (Burch.)Gilg & Gilg-Ben.will be used as a representative of phreatophytes, but examples of all the major life forms in the study area will be used. This study forms part of the AEON-ESSRI Baseline Research Program at NMMU that is undertaking a technical evaluation and socio-economic analyses of shale gas in the Eastern Cape. The area to be affected by fracking contains mostly Albany Thicket and Nama-Karoo and preliminary research indicates a number of Species of Conservation Concern at risk in these areas should fracking go ahead.
Theme 4: FAUNA
Ecology of two sympatric tortoises in the Namibian thorn savanna: thermal niche, resource use and home range.
Key words: Sympatric, Stigmochlelyspardalis and Psammobates oculiferus.
Amutenya, K.K.1 Heaton, J.S.2 and Juvik, J.O.1
1Department of Agriculture and Nature Conservation, Polytechnic of Namibia 2Department of Geo-Spatial Sciences and Technology, Polytechnic of Namibia Email address: [email protected] Southern Africa harbors one-third of the world’s Testudinid species, many of which inhabit arid or semi-arid areas. Namibia has the second largest tortoise number of species (six species and five of the recognized genera of modern Testudinidae) in the world after South Africa, but ecological information on these species is scant. The current study investigates the ecology of two sympatric tortoises, Stigmochlelyspardalis(previously known as Geochelone pardalis) and the poorly studied Psammobates oculiferus. We are investigating the effect of thermoregulation on resource use and home range. In addition, this study is part of a larger global research initiative to predict the possible impact of rapid global warming on tortoise adaptation and survival. The study is being conducted in the semi-arid Savanna southwest of Windhoek, Namibia at the Hohewarte farm. To determine the effect of thermoregulation on the ecology of these two species, transmitters and temperature loggers were attached to tortoises for continuous long-term monitoring of individuals between two habitats, with distinct differences in vegetation structure. Data has been collected since December 2013 (and is currently ongoing) to determine the seasonal and daily difference in the activity patterns and thermal ecology of these tortoises. Preliminary results suggest that tortoises are most active during morning and afternoon hours, and although more active during the wet season there is a surprising amount of dry season activity. Geographic Positioning System (GPS) locations show that the smaller and scarce Psammobates oculiferus has a much smaller home range compared to the larger and more common Stigmochlelyspardalis. Vegetation analysis suggests that both species utilize grasses, herbs and shrubs in that order of prevalence. Laboratory analyses of the feaces reveal differences in their food intake.
Page | 36
The feeding ecology of introduced giraffe on Albany Thicket vegetation in the Little Karoo
Key words: Extralimital species, giraffe impacts, plant chemical defences
Paulse, Jamie 1,2, Cupido, C.F.2, Samuels, M.I.2, Couldridge, V.C.1, Deacon, F3
1University of the Western Cape, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Cape Town, South Africa Email: [email protected] 2ARC-API: Rangeland Ecology Unit, BCB Department, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa 3 University of Free State, Dept. of Animal, Wildlife and Grassland Science, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9301, South Africa The introduction of extralimital species has accelerated by the establishment of game farms within the Little Karoo in the last 20 years. Being introduced as a tourist attraction or for recreation purposes, these extralimital species are not thoroughly understood as little research has been done on them. In this study, the understanding of the feeding ecology of introduced giraffe on Albany Thicket will be investigated. Assessment of the feeding behaviour of giraffe will be completed using the scan method for each of a total of three farms. The scan method will entail direct observations of the behaviour of a herd or individual giraffe every five minutes occurring from sunrise to sunset. Behaviour of the giraffe entails all feeding activities, including the species eaten and the giraffe’s level of feeding. Inclusively, all other behavioural activities will be observed, including resting, ruminating, walking, grooming, sexual behaviour, excretion, vigilance, interaction and drinking. All observations will be done for a total of two days per farm, and conducted for both the wet and dry season. To determine whether or not the farms will be able to sustain these giraffe, the density of potential browse for giraffe will be obtained using the Biomass Estimates of Canopy Volume (BECVOL) method. This study will be able to inform the farmers about the feeding behaviour of introduced giraffe and whether or not their land will be able to sustain these giraffe since they are not the only large game species occurring on their land. It too will inform conservation agencies on the behaviour of introduced giraffe and enable them to put in the necessary management precautions pertaining into the area.
Theme 5: LIVESTOCK AND GRAZING:
Can livestock utilisation and carbon-accumulation co-exist on restored spekboomveld?
Key words: browsing; spekboom; total non-structural carbohydrates
Erasmus, Y.1 and Vetter, S. 2 1 2 Botany Department, Rhodes University, Grahamstown E-mail address: [email protected] The initial exclusion of livestock from restoration sites has been shown to be key to the successful establishment and growth of Portulacaria afra (spekboom) in degraded subtropical thicket. Large-scale restoration programs have demonstrated increases in carbon sequestration rates and biodiversity gains, consequently leading to an opportunity for land owners and farmers to benefit from trade in the emerging carbon market. The duration and impact of livestock exclusion however remains a challenge for buy-in from farmers. The reason being that spekboom is still considered a valuable fodder plant, with few able and/or willing to extract their animals for long periods of time from immediately income-generating grazing land. The aim of this project is therefore to determine the impact of the reintroduction of browsing to restored spekboom stands of different ages, thereby improving our understanding on how these areas should be optimally utilised. Field- and greenhouse experiments are underway where spekboom of five different age-groups (≤ 1 year, ≤ 5 years, ≤ 10 years, ≤ 20 years, ≤ 30 years) are being subjected to browsing simulation (i.e. clipping) treatments. The structural and physiological responses of the treated plants are being determined by means of measuring its aboveground growth (biomass, canopy spread) and total non-structural carbohydrate reserve (TNC) concentrations. A detailed investigation into spekboom’s TNC-dynamics by means of recording water potential and phenology events are also being done in order to shed light on its carbon allocation patterns. Student support for this project is kindly provided by the Eastern Cape Restoration Project and the Global Change Grand Challenge Programme of the National Research Foundation.
Page | 37
Effect of different grazing pressures on the biomass and flower production on selected forage legumes in a communal rangeland in Namaqualand
Key words: forage, livestock farming, legumes, grazing pressure
Abrahams, M.1*, Cupido, C. 2, Samuels, M.I., 2, Weitz, F.M.1 1University of the Western Cape, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Cape Town, South Africa 2ARC– API: Rangeland Ecology Unit, BCB Department, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa [email protected] Legumes (Fabaceae) are considered a unique family of plants on account of their nitrogen-fixing ability which is due to their symbiotic relationship with bacteria in their root nodules. This nitrogen-fixing ability not only increases the availability of nitrogen for the legume itself but may also facilitate the subsequent growth of non-leguminous species in an area. On account of their relatively higher protein content within the seed and foliage, legumes are selectively grazed upon by small stock throughout the entire year.This study will investigate the effect of different grazing pressures on the biomass and flower production of selected legumes in the Leliefontein village, Namaqualand. The legumes that will be assessed occur within the threatened Namaqualand Granite Renosterveld vegetation.
Measuring energy to determine the value of riverine key resource areas as forage reserves during the dry season in semi-arid communal rangelands in South Africa
Denisha Anand1,2M. Igshaan Samuels 2, Clement Cupido2, Richard Knight1 and Dawood Hattas 3 1University of the Western Cape, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, South Africa, 2Agricultural Research Council-Animal Production Institute, South Africa , 3University of Cape Town, Biological Sciences Department, South Africa. The debate on the dual paradigms that govern ecology and management of rangelands has been burgeoning ever since the early 1980’s. The proposed equilibrium models in rangeland ecology emphasize biotic feedback whereas the non-equilibrium models are advocated by stochastic abiotic factors such as variability in precipitation. For this study the non-equilibrial nature of semi-arid rangelands will be used to demonstrate the variability of rainfall driven rangelands and how stocking densities correspond with the energy (J) available as fodder. The energy available as forage will be quantified as these KRA act as energy reserves during the dry season for pastoralists. The influence of environmental factors on energy flow in riverine key resource areas (KRA) will be assessed along a temperature gradient in three semi-arid communal rangelands in South Africa. This study aims to answer the following questions: Does the energy content of forage differ along a temperature gradient? How do communal pastoralists respond to variable energy levels? How will the future projections for climate change influence the current grazing capacities of these key resource areas? The key resource areas being evaluated are situated within Namaqualand Rivere vegetation along the Olifants, Buffels and Orange Rivers. Biomass of the rangelands will be calculated using quadrats and vegetation cover and composition will be quantified using the line intersect method. Using the plant species that are most abundant and grazed by livestock, total energy will be measured using a Bomb Calorimeter. The sampling period will extend over the entire dry season from October 2014 to April 2015. Studying energy flow along a temperature gradient will provide insight into how these riverine key resource areas might change in the context of climate change.
Assessing livestock farmers’ ecological knowledge on adaptations to climate and environmental change in arid regions of South Africa
Keywords: climate change, adaptation strategy, local ecological knowledge
Ntombela KP 1,2, Samuels MI2, Cupido CF2, R Knight1, Swarts MBV 1,2 1University of the Western Cape, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Cape Town, South Africa 2ARC-API: Rangeland Ecology Unit, BCB Department, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535 Email: [email protected] Climate change will affect all areas around the world but, its impacts on smaller level landscapes are challenging to predict; consequently creating uncertainties in micro-level adaptation strategies. Even though these projections are not available, livestock farmers are observing changes in climate and their physical environment in general, and thus adapting to these changes by applying their local ecological knowledge. If these adaptation strategies are regarded slower than the rate of
Page | 38
change, the long term effectiveness of current adaptation practices by livestock farmers are at risk. Livestock farmers thus have to use not only local ecological knowledge on the current state of their environment but, take into consideration future climate change projections to adapt to these changes in order to survive. There have been debates about climate change adaptation strategies used by small-scale farmers in the scientific communities. However, these debates are not based on how ecological knowledge of livestock farmers is used to implement adaptation practices. This study will assess livestock farmers’ ecological knowledge on climate change and how this knowledge is used for adaptation strategies. Semi-structured interviews that are theme related will be conducted to assess the farmers’ knowledge on climate change and indicators they use for monitoring purposes and adaptation. Observations would be conducted to map out the farmer’s rangelands and migration routes.
Theme 6: REHABILITATION AND RESTORATION
Karoo species for restoration – germination potential
Key words: Degradation; Seed multiplication; Indigenous species Botha, J.C.1* and Saayman N.2
1Directorate Plant Sciences, Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Worcester Veld Reserve, Worcester. 2Directorate Plant Sciences, Western Cape Department of Agriculture, P/Bag X1, Elsenburg. [email protected] Large parts of arid regions of the Western Cape and rest of South Africa are degraded through e.g. injudicious farming practices and mining, leaving bare patches and degraded veld with undesirable and/or invasive plants dominating. Many farmers want to and mining companies have to restore/rehabilitate/improve these areas but a lack of suitable seed from indigenous species set them back in their efforts. We report on efforts to test the germination potential of six different species seed harvested in the Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo for possible use in restoration/veld improvement actions. Seed of three grass species, namely Eragrostis obtusa, E. lehmanniana and Tetrachnedregei was harvested in the Nama Karoo and seed of two grass species, namely Ehrhartacalycina and Cenchrus ciliaris and the shrub, Feliciafilifolia was harvested in the Succulent Karoo. The seed was subjected to germination tests in the nursery every two months for a two year period to determine the germination potential of different aged seed and what time of the year is best to sow it. Ehrharta calycina and C. ciliaris showed no potential for restoration with the highest germination in the two-year period of 8% and 9% respectively. Felicia filifolia showed potential with 74% of the seed sown in August that germinated. Good germination was also obtained in June and April. Tetrachne dregei had significantly better germination than the other two Nama Karoo species with 42% of the seed sown in summer that germinated. The best germination for Eragrostis lehmanniana (22%) and E. obtusa (18%) was from seed sown in summer. Tetrachne dregei and F. filifolia showed potential for use in restoration actions. However seed from E. calycina harvested in 2002 on the West Coast had a germination potential of 35%, indicating that seed from the same species harvested in different years won’t necessarily give the same results every year.
Integrating various techniques and tools for gull restoration at two sites in north west and central Namibia
Keywords: Ecosystem Management Understanding, erosion, rain-use-efficiency
K.Shamathe1*, H.J.R. Pringle1, 2, 3, I. Zimmermann1 and C. Nott4
1Department of Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences, Polytechnic of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
2Ecosystem Management Understanding (EMU) TM Project, Alice Springs, Australia 3Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia 4Conservation Agriculture Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia *Corresponding author, e-mail: [email protected]
Gullying is one of the most important erosion processes which largely contribute to the sculpturing of the earth surface, involving the loss of a great amount of soil. Gully erosion has traditionally been seen principally as a soil erosion problem. However the most devastating ecological impact is in capturing surface water and thus reducing rain-use-efficiency from the immediate vicinity and from areas draining down towards gullies. In Namibia, a survey indicated that “Erosion, albeit only slight to moderate in degree, is happening in over 90% of the country”. The rain-use-efficiency of some rangelands has been
Page | 39
lowered by gullying, thus reducing the effectiveness of grazing management alone in restoring rangeland health. Further, many attempts by farmers to treat gullies may have failed because they were not planned within their local drainage sub-catchment nor fitted for local conditions. Improved rain-use-efficiency from rehydrating gulley eroded rangeland improves animal production and profitability. Repaired gully systems can also restore groundwater recharge processes and other ecosystem services. Restoring degraded rangeland and appropriate management aimed at preventing further development and spread of gullies is therefore a key to sustainable rural development. Our restoration project is treating gully systems at chosen sites in a communal (Kunene region) and commercial rangeland (Khomas region) in Namibia, employing principles of the Ecosystem Management UnderstandingTM process. Gully systems are being treated with various techniques and tools such as bush filters, stones, logs, cattle, axes and picks. These are applied at strategic locations and critical control points to restore natural flows and soil moisture balances upon which rangeland ecosystems depend. Some baseline data and follow up measurements on gully depth will be presented in this poster.
Monitoring for money – restoration and the developing green economy
Key words: Monitoring, restoration, green-economy
Glenday J1, Mendelsohn S2, Van den Broeck D3
1Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara 2PRESENCE Network and Learning Village, Living Lands, Patensie 3Living Lands, Cape Town [email protected]
Living Lands aims to conserve and restore living landscapes. A living landscape consists of a variety of healthy ecosystems and land uses, and is home to ecological, agricultural, and social systems which are managed to function sustainably. We have focused on collecting knowledge around ecosystem processes, dynamics and sensitive species and how these interact with people on the landscape. Action based research from Living Lands has been carried out towards replenishing lost natural capital through collaborative and community inclusive restoration activities. The Baviaanskloof catchment - a biodiversity hotspot, established agricultural region & water source area for Port Elizabeth & the Gamtoos Valley - has acted as a pilot area in which PRESENCE has facilitated initiatives to implement a range of restoration activities.
The effects of restoration practices on ecosystem services after bush control in Magogong communal area, Taung, North West Province: A case study
Key words: bush thickening, communally owned areas, ecological restoration
Mokgosi, R.O. 1*, Kellner, K.2 and Malan, P.W.3 1 E mail: [email protected] 2 School of Natural Sciences, North West University, Potchefstroom Campus. E mail: [email protected] 3 Department of Biological Sciences, North West University, Mafikeng Campus. E mail: [email protected]
Bush thickening is a natural and global phenomenon affecting many savanna areas in South Africa. Although it has
been widely researched, it is however not clearly understood. Bush thickening or encroachment, especially in
communally owned areas, is largely as a result of changing land-use patterns, inappropriate use of fires, overgrazing
and climate change. Ecological restoration aims to restore damaged or degraded ecosystem dynamics and finally
rehabilitate the degraded ecosystem back to its previous form and functioning. This research is conducted in
Magogong which is a communal area in Taung, in the North West Province (NWP), South Africa. The area had a
controlled (bush controlled) and uncontrolled site. The controlled site was subjected to manual and mechanical
methods as a means of rehabilitation technique. The uncontrolled site was chosen as reference site where no
rehabilitation was implemented. Two parallel 100m transects were examined per site. Both the belt-transect method
and the point-center method were used in this survey. The belt-transect method was used to determine tree
parameters such as tree height, canopy cover, control percentage as well as the rate of re-growth after control
measures had been implemented. The point-center method was used to determine the grass cover and frequency
(%). The most dominant woody encroachers that were surveyed in both controlled and uncontrolled site, over an
800m2 areas were Acacia tortilis followed by A. karroo respectively. The most prominent grass species surveyed in
Page | 40
both the controlled and uncontrolled sites were Urochloa panicoides, a tufted annual palatable grass, depicting veld
disturbances and overgrazing. This was followed by perennial palatable grasses such as Cynodon dactylon and
Panicum coloratum and also annual grasses such as Tragus racemosus,Aristida adsensionis and T. berteronianus
which were indicators of poor veld conditions as a result of mismanagement.
Germination peaks and success rates of Karoo riparian plant species.
Key words: seed, germination peaks, riparian plant species
Essex, J.*, Schumann, B., Bragg, C.
Endangered Wildlife Trust- Drylands Conservation Programme, Loxton, South Africa
The Riparian Ecosystem Restoration Project was initiated by the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Drylands Conservation
Programme in order to restore degraded riparian habitat in the Nama Karoo. Riparian habitat loss is one of the key drivers of
Riverine Rabbit (Bunolagus monticularis) extinction. The rabbit is a Critically Endangered Species and the focal species of
the Programme. The Karoo Indigenous Plant Nursery was established in Loxton to produce plant and seed material for
restoration purposes. Research as early as 1935 revealed poor germination rates for Karoo plant species. Even under the
most favourable conditions germination rates of 40% can be taken as fair. Very little information exists on the propagation of
riparian specific species. As such the nursery is developing best practice propagation methods for a range (n=10) of these
species. Seed is collected within a 100km radius and propagated at the nursery, producing plugs that are planted at
restoration sites. Monitoring of seed germination success and peak germination periods has been carried out at the nursery
on a monthly basis since November 2011. In addition to monitoring germination, research is currently underway to assess
seed viability and correlate this with germinability. Given the extreme environmental conditions and variation in rainfall and
temperatures from year to year, viability is likely to vary considerably. Accurate assessments of viability and germinability will
greatly enhance current propagation effectiveness.
Theme 7: VEGETATION DYNAMICS AND MODELLING:
Windhoek: Vegetation Survey of the Ugab Catchment
Key words: Vegetation data, land-use planning, Vegetation Ecology Amutenya J.U. Department of Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences, Polytechnic of Namibia, Windhoek. [email protected] The Ugab Catchment stretches from Otavi in central-northern Namibia towards the Namib Desert in the west. The catchment comprises large areas of commercial and communal farming as well as conservancies; hence the demand for information to facilitate land use planning. Currently, only limited scientific vegetation data is available in Namibia. The Vegetation Survey Project was initiated in1996, with the overall goal of producing a scientifically sound vegetation description and map for Namibia. This project forms a sub-project of the larger Vegetation Survey of Namibia project. A Braun-Blanquet survey will form the basis for this. The relevé data will be captured in TurboVeg and wiil form part of the National Phytosociological Database. Data processing will utilize modern multivariate techniques (in particular classification techniques) available through Juice and PC-Ord. In addition to the basic phytosociological description, more management orientated information about the vegetation, (e.g. the occurrence and density of poisonous plants and invasive plants, or the degree of bush encroachment) will be collated from the collected data. Furthermore, the relevé data collected will form a baseline for long-term monitoring of the vegetation regarding the effects of land use, climate change and the potential effects of development projects in the area.
Plant species and growth form richness along altitudinal gradients on Compassberg
Page | 41
Key words: Altitudinal shift, herbaceous cover, climate change
Tshililo Ramaswiela Arid Lands Node: South African Environmental Observation Network P.O. Box 110040 [email protected] The Compassberg is the highest mountain in the Eastern Cape outside of the Maluti-Drakensberg. The mountain forms part of the Sneeberg range and harbours a rich flora containing a high percentage of endemics. The distribution and abundance of most of the species is thought to show a strong relationship to climatic variables, which change with altitude from the base of Compassberg at 1800 m to its peak at 2500 m above mean sea level. Although cliffs and exposed rock are prevalent on the mountain, there is sufficient cover of herbaceous vegetation over the altitudinal range. Despite being the highest peak in the Sneeuberg range and having endemic species, to date no description of the vascular flora of Compassberg has been undertaken. Owing to its height and herbaceous cover over the altitudinal range, the mountain provides an ideal opportunity to investigate possible altitudinal shifts in climate and vegetation, particularly C3 and C4 grass species in view of climate change. If climate warms over time, it is expected that C3 grasses might expand their local distribution. In order to ensure comprehensive coverage, circular quadrats (1.8 m radius) were placed at every 50 m increase in altitude, or 100 m ground distance up the slope. This study, initiated in 2014, also compares growth form and plant richness with those observed elsewhere for latitudinal gradients. Future research will increase both the temporal and spatial resolution of plant studies and test the inclusion of faunal elements to broaden the scope of this project.
Assessing the production potential of Ephemeral Flushes in the Three Peaks Conservancy
Key words: croplands, livestock forage, ephemerals, Leliefontein
Soeker, M.S.1*, Samuels, M.I.2,Cupido, C.F. 2, and Knight, R.S. 1
1University of the Western Cape, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Cape Town, South Africa 2ARC– API: Rangeland Ecology Unit, BCB Department, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa Email: [email protected] More than two-thirds of the land surface in South Africa is used for some form of animal production and natural vegetation is the main source of food for livestock. Herding has been shown as a very competent strategy to disperse grazing pressure more evenly across a rangeland. In Namaqualand free-ranging livestock graze mostly on herbaceous plants irrespective of season. Habitats for forage are usually flat terrains in the landscape that are the most accessible to livestock. In the Leliefontein communal area, ephemera (opslag), following good winter rains are the most abundant growth form and cover the flatlands that occur in the valleys between the mountains. These plants are herbaceous and mostly annual. Since opslag make up the greatest composition of the diet of all livestock when available, perennial forage resources in the uplands areas are able to rest and set seed during this period. This study aims to understand biomass production of these ephemeral patches that have been disturbed during different periods in the past. This to provide insight into how the use of ephemerals could be incorporated into a sustainable fodder flow system for communal farmers in the Kamiesberg region.
Density and regrowth of a forest restio (Ischyrolepis eleocharis) under harvest and non-harvest treatments in dune forests of Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Key words: Non-timber forest products, demand, sustainability, population dynamics
S. Ruwanzaa*, C.M. Shackletona aDepartment of Environmental Science, Rhodes University, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa *Corresponding author: Tel +27 46 603 7011; Fax +27 46 622 9319; E-mail - [email protected] Ischyrolepis eleocharis is a perennial rush or sedge-like herb in the Restionaceae family and has been harvested for various uses from coastal forest dunes ofSouth Africa. Around 2005 a ban on I. eleocharis harvesting was instituted by provincial conservation authorities inBathurst coastal forest based on their unsubstantiated impression that the species population was decreasing. Here we report on the population density pre- and post the harvest ban, as well further explore the autecology of the species by assessing the plant density relative to environmental factors (slope and aspect) and a controlled experiment on regrowth after harvesting at different intensities. The results show that the shoot density of both living and dead I. eleocharis increased significantly over the past eight years. This concurs with results from the harvesting experiment
Page | 42
which showed that I. eleocharis recovered rapidly within a year of harvesting. Both aspect and slope play a key role in the distribution of the plant, with most I. eleocharisfound on open patches in the forest located on the summit and upper slopes of dunes facing the landward side. These results indicate that there is no need to ban or restrict harvesting as the species is highly abundant and resilient to harvesting.
Post-fire vegetation and soil recovery in mountain renosterveld in Namaqualand, South Africa
Key words: fire regime, soil dynamics, post-fire recovery
Simons, M.B.1, 2*, Samuels, M.I.2, Cupido, C.F.2, Knight, R.1, Swarts, M.B.2
1University of the Western Cape, Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Cape Town, South Africa 2ARC– API: Rangeland Ecology Unit, BCB Department, University of the Western Cape, Private Bag X17, Bellville 7535, South Africa Email: [email protected] Renosterveld is a fire maintained system, however what constitutes the ideal fire frequency is poorly understood. The Namaqualand Uplands will likely be negatively impacted by climate change due to an increase in temperatures and summer rainfall events which are characterised by thunderstorm and lightning activities that could result in more fires. The functioning and regeneration of fire adapted species often depend on the temperatures reached in the soil during the fire. Therefore the local fire regime may act as selective pressures for plant regeneration strategies. The study aims to determine the fire regime for Renosterveld vegetation in the Namaqualand Uplands. Furthermore, this study will investigate and understand the effects fires have on soil dynamics and post-fire plant recovery mechanisms adopted by the plants. The study will answer the following questions: 1) Which factors influence the fire behaviour for Namaqualand Granite Renosterveld and how will this affect the fire regime in the future? 2) What are the effects of fire on vegetation and soil dynamics in Renosterveld? 3) What is the nature of the post-fire plant regeneration mechanisms in Renosterveld?Historical data from NASA fire archive http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/will be used to study and determine the fire regime for the Namaqualand Uplands. In the field 10 x 10 m quadrants and the descending point method along a 200 m transect will be used to assess plant diversity, biomass and vegetation recovery in Renosterveld vegetation which has been burned during various time periods in the past. Soil samples will be collected at each burned and adjacent unburned site for physical and chemical analyses. In the Namaqualand Uplands high fire frequencies could result in the extinction of fire intolerant plants. Thus analysing and understanding the fire regime for Renosterveld vegetation and soil dynamics could assist land users with their management plans for the area.
Assessment of the vegetation diversity, structure and cover along an aridity gradient in Namibia using long-term data
Key words: vegetation, conservation, rangeland, species composition, biodiversity
Shidolo E.L.K. Vegetation Monitoring, Natural Resources and Spatial Sciences Department, Polytechnic of Namibia E-mail: [email protected] Most of Namibia’s population is still highly depended on the natural resources for their livelihood. With an increasing population, anthropogenic activities together with climate variation pose a threat to biodiversity. Regardless of these issues there are still significant scientific knowledge gaps on vegetation data and dynamics in Namibia. Present vegetation maps were made based on inadequate baseline data or on biased data toward dominate or species of importance. In contribution to the solution, this project will gather vegetation data by going to selected observatories in the south, central and northern regions (permanently established by the BIOTA project) along the aridity gradient of Namibia, for the period of 2014-2015. Sampling was and will be done during the rainy season following the Braun Blanquet sampling method and whereby species composition, structure and cover will be recorded. For each observatory 20 plots of 20m x50m (1000m2) will be sampled, resulting to about 1800 releves to be used in this study. In addition vegetation data collected in the past years since 2001 for the selected observatories will be incorporated and the data subjected to Multivariate analysis i.e. classification and ordination to describe the vegetation along the gradient. Knowledge and data collected from this projects could then be used for planning and conservation of vegetation in areas i.e. rangelands.
Page | 43
ARID ZONE ECOLOGY -THICKET FUSION 2014
Title Name Surname Organization Dept Postal Address City Code Contact Tel. Email
Miss Melissa Abrahams UWC Dept Biodiv & Cons Biol Private Bag X17 Bellville 7535 #021 959 2911 [email protected]
Ms Jamie Alexander Rhodes University Inst for Social & Economic Research
P O Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 O46 603 8938 [email protected]
Ms Klaudia Amutenya Polytech of Nam, School of Natural Resources & Spatial Sciences
Prvt Bag 13388 Windhoek, Nam 9000 #+264 81 46 82164 [email protected]
Mr Johannes Amutenya Polytec Natural Resources & Spatial Sc Private Bag 13388 Windhoek, Nam 9000
Miss Denisha Anand UWC Biodiversity & conservation biology
Private Bag X19 Bellville 7798 #073 974 4068 [email protected]
Prof Doreen Atkinson Univ of the Free State Centre for Development Support PO Box 339 Bloemfontein 9300 #051-773 0324 [email protected]
Prof Nigel Barker Rhodes University Botany Dept P O Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 #046 603 8715 [email protected]
Mr Tom Barry CapeNature Gamkaberg Nature Reserve Private Bag X21 Oudtshoorn 6620 #044 213 33367 [email protected]
Miss Andrea Beyers NMMU Botany Dept P O Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6031 #083 269 3037 [email protected]
Ms Rosa Blaauw Nelson Mandela Municipality Environmental Management P O Box 11 Port Elizabeth 6001 #041 506 5206 [email protected]
Prof William Bond SAEON-UCT Private Bag Rondebosch 7701 #021 650 2439 [email protected]
Mr Hannes Botha Dept Agriculture: Western Cape
Veldreserve PO Box 80 Worcester 6849 #023 3471121 [email protected]
Miss Christy Bragg Endangered Wildlife Trust Drylands Conservation Programme
Capricorn Park Muizenberg 7975 #021 788 5661 [email protected]
Mrs Fhululedzani Budeli CapeNature Gamkaberg Nature Reserve Private Bag X21 Oudtshoorn 6620 #044 213 3367 [email protected]
Mr Wynand Calitz NMMU Botany Dept Private Bag X6531 Port Elizabeth 6530 #072 900 3772 [email protected]
Mr Marc Caplan Avontuur Sustainable Agriculture
P.O Box 395 Bathurst 6166 #061 7583232 [email protected]
Miss Belinda Clerk CEN IEM Unit 36 River Road Walmer Port Elizabeth 6070 #072 725 6400 [email protected]
Mr Peter Cloete N Cape Dept Envir & Nature Conservation
PrivateBag X16 Springbok 8240 #027 718 8800 [email protected]
Dr Michele Cocks Rhodes University Anthropology Dept P O Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 #046 6038555 [email protected]
Dr Beatrice Conradie UCT Centre for Social Science Research and Sociology Department
Private Bag X1 Rhodes Gift, Rondebosch 7701 021 650 4656 [email protected]
Mr Clement Cupido Agricultural Research Council C/o BCB Dept Private Bag X17 Bellville 7535 #021 959 3373 [email protected]
Mr Cornelius de Ridder Rural Dev & Agri Reform Private Bag X15 Dohne, Stutterheim 4930 #043 683 1240 [email protected]
Page | 44
ARID ZONE ECOLOGY -THICKET FUSION 2014
Title Name Surname Organization Dept Postal Address City Code Contact Tel. Email
Dr Richard Dean Renu-Karoo Veld Restoration cc/and/ SAEON
PO Box 47 Prince Albert 6930 NIL [email protected]
Mrs Freyni du Toit Private Bag X529 Middleburg, E Cape 5900 [email protected]
Mr Robbert Duker NMMU Botany Department P O Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6000 #041 504 2397 [email protected]
Mrs Liesl Eichenberger Sanbona Wildlife Reserve P.O. Box 149 Montagu 6720 #028 572 1822 [email protected]
Mrs Kristen Ellis Nmmu Botany Dept P O Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6001 #076 711 4329 [email protected]
Prof Karen Esler Univ Stellenbosch Dept Conserv.Ecol & Entomo Prvt bag X1 Matieland 7602 021 808 4005 [email protected]
Miss Janice Essex Endangered Wildlife Trust Drylands Conservation Programme
PO Box 172 Loxton 6985 #053 381 3068 [email protected]
Miss Ina Ferreira Univ Free State Centre for Environmental Management (IB 67),
P O Box 339 Bloemfontein 9300 #051 401 3938 [email protected]
Mr Jaco Fouche Univ. North West Faculty of Natural Sciences, School for Biological Sciences
P.O.Box X6001 Potchefstroom 2520 #(018) 2992499 [email protected]
Ms Bev Geach Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency
PO Box 11235 Southernwood, East London 5213 #082 304 4220 [email protected]
Mr Conrad Geldenhuys N Cape Dept Envir & Nature Conservation
PrivateBag X16 Springbok 8240 #027 718 9906 [email protected]
Ms Amelia Genis Landbouweekblad Journalist P.O. Box 6318 Roggebaai 8012 021 406-3073 [email protected]
Dr Sarah Gess Albany Museum Dept Entomology & Arachnology Grahamstown 6139 #046 622 231 [email protected]
Mr Justin Gird Living Landscapes P O Box 237 Patensie 6335 #087802 1181 [email protected]
Mr Luvuyo Godloza CapeNature Private Bag 658 Oudtshoorn 6620 #044 203 6309 [email protected]
Miss Claire Gordon Univ Stellenbosch Dept Conserv.Ecol & Entomo Private Bag X1 Matieland 7602 #083 412 2353 [email protected]
Mr Onalenna Gwate Rhodes University Institute for Water Research P O Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 #046 622 4014 [email protected]
Mr Bongani Gxilishe
Mr Christiaan Harmse Dept Agriculture, Land Reform & Rural Development, N. Cape Province
P.O. Box 37 Upington 8800 #082 541 8514 [email protected]
Mr Dugal Harris Univ Stellenbosch Dept Geog. & Env Sciences Private Bag X1 Matieland 7602 #082 843 9679 [email protected]
Miss Liesel Hein SAEON Arid Lands Node PO Box 47 Prince Albert 6930 #083 8988480 [email protected]
Dr Joh Henschel SAEON Arid Lands Node P.O.Box 110040 Hadison Park, Kimberley 8306 #053-8313751 [email protected]
Page | 45
ARID ZONE ECOLOGY -THICKET FUSION 2014
Title Name Surname Organization Dept Postal Address City Code Contact Tel. Email
Mr Miguel Hilario The Future Okavango Para ecologist c/0 ISCED Chitembo, Angola #244 938953798 [email protected]
Prof Timm Hoffman Univ of Cape Town Plant Cons Unit, Dept Biol Sciences
Private Bag X3 Rondebosch 7701 #021 650 5551 [email protected]
Mrs Sindisi Kanuka-Dasi Dept of Agric, Forestry & Fisheries
Private Bag x 7410 King Williams Town 5600 #043 604 5316 [email protected]
Mr Marcus Kelly Friends of Baviaanskloof P O Box 15177 Emerald Hill, Port Elizabeth #041 397 2030 [email protected]
Mr Luthando Kiva Dept of Agric, Forestry & Fisheries
Private Bag x 7410 King Williams Town 5600 #043 604 5309 [email protected]
Mr Fusi Kraai
Free State, Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs
Private Bag X 20801 Bloemfonten 9300 #051 400 4774 [email protected]
Mr Stefan Kruger CEN IEM Unit 36 River Road Walmer Port Elizabeth 6070 [email protected]
Mr Siyabulela Kuse SANBI No.6 St. Marks Road Southernwood, East London 5200 #043 705 4400 [email protected]
Mr Meshack Kwamovo The Future Okavango Para ecologist c/0 Kalahari Conservation Society
Seronga, Botswana #0267 73474476 [email protected]
Ms Annelise le Roux CapeNature Private Bag X5014 Stellenbosch 7599 #082 484 6993 [email protected]
Mr Kyle Lloyd Rhodes University Botany Dept P O Box 94 Grahamstown 9140 #071 103 4464 [email protected]
Miss Merika Louw CEN IEM Unit 36 River Road Walmer Port Elizabeth 6070 #072 232 9397 [email protected]
Mr Lyle Lucas UWC Dept Biodiv & Cons Biol Private Bag X17 Bellville 7535 #021 959 2911 [email protected]
Ms Kyra Lunderstedt Rhodes University Dept Envirinmental Sciences P O Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 #072 5644242 [email protected]
?? Ntuthuko Mabuya SANBI Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden
P.O. Box 152 Worcester 6849 #023 347 0785 n.mabuya@sanbi .org.za
Mr Thabo Madibo North West University Biological Sciences PB X 575 Mafikeng 2745 #078 888 3186 [email protected]
Mr Simphiwe Madlala SANBI Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden
P.O. Box 152 Worcester 6849 #023 347 0785 [email protected]
Miss Zodwa Magidigidi SANBI Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden
P.O. Box 152 Worcester 6849 #023 347 0785 [email protected]
Prof Pieter Malan North West University Biological Sciences PB X 575 Mafikeng 2745 #018 389 2019 [email protected]
Mr Eric Malgas SANBI Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden
P.O. Box 152 Worcester 6849 #023 347 0785 [email protected]
Mrs Masivuye Manci Dept of Agric, Forestry & Fisheries
Private Bag x 7410 King Williams Town 5600 #043 6045 431 [email protected]
Page | 46
ARID ZONE ECOLOGY -THICKET FUSION 2014
Title Name Surname Organization Dept Postal Address City Code Contact Tel. Email
Mr Kagiso Mangwale Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency
6 St Marks Road Southernwood, East London 5201 #043 705 4461 [email protected]
Dr Sukhmani Mantel Rhodes University Institute for Water Research P O Box 94 Grahamstown 9140 #046 622 4014 [email protected]
Mr Willem Matthee NMMU School of Natural Resource Management
Private Bag X6531 Port Elizabeth 6530 #084 620 4246 [email protected]
Miss Sinesipho Mboxo-Satsha SANBI No.6 St. Marks Road Southernwood, East London 5200 #043 7054460 [email protected]
Miss Stephie Mendelsohn Living Landscapes P O Box 237 Patensie 6335 #087 802 1181 [email protected]
Mr Albert Mfenyana Dept of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs & Tourism
Private Bag X 0054 Bisho 5605 #043 605 7013 [email protected]
Dr Sue Milton-Dean Renu-Karoo Veld Restoration cc/and/ SAEON
SAEON- Arid Land Node PO Box 47 Prince Albert 6930 #082 770 0206 [email protected]
Ms Tozama Mjali Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Private Bag X93 Pretoria #0001 #012 309 5716 [email protected]
Mr Olebogeng Mokgosi North West University Biological Sciences PB X 575 Mafikeng 2745 #073 375 0219 [email protected]
Mr Garth Mortimer CapeNature Lesley Hill Succulent Karoo Trust Stewardship Negotiator: Breede Area
13 Victory Way Worcester 6850 #023 3427903 [email protected]
Mr Vilho Snake Mtuleni University of Hamburg Technician c/o SASSCAL Windhoek, Nam ############# [email protected]
Mr Robert S Mukuya The Future Okavango Para ecologist c/o Namibia Nature Foundation
Rundu, Namibia +#812981672 [email protected]
Ms Halcyone Muller Conservation South Africa P O Box 1086 Springbok 8240 #027 718 1565 [email protected]
Mr Victor Musetha Dept. Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries
P/Bag x138 Pretoria #0001 #012 319 7509 [email protected]
Mr Siyabonga Myeza Envi. Monitoring Group P O Box 350 Nieuwoudtville 8180 #027 218 1117 [email protected]
Prof Nicoli Natrass UCT Centre for Social Science Research and Sociology Department
Private Bag X1 Rhodes Gift, Rondebosch 7701 #021 650 4656 [email protected]
Mr Miyelani Ngobeni Dept Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries.
Private Bag X93 Arcadia, Pretoria #0001 #012 309 5797 [email protected]
Ms Nozuko Ngqiyaza Rhodes University Botany Dept P O box 94 Grahamstown 9140 #073 342 0904 [email protected]
Mr Mluleki Nkosi Rhodes University Anthropology Dept P O Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 #046 6038555
Page | 47
ARID ZONE ECOLOGY -THICKET FUSION 2014
Title Name Surname Organization Dept Postal Address City Code Contact Tel. Email
Miss Nomatile Nombewu Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency
6 St Marks Road Southernwood, East London 5201 #043 705 4469 [email protected]
Miss Khululiwe Ntombela UWC Dept Biodiversity & Conservation Biology
Private Bag X19 Bellville 7798 #021 959 3781 [email protected]
Ms Wendy Paisley AZEF Secretariat P O Box 21705 Kloof Street 8008 #021 4243995 [email protected]
Mr Tembela Paqula Dept of Agric, Forestry & Fisheries
Private Bag x 7410 King Williams Town 5600 #043 6045 439 [email protected]
Miss Jamie Paulse UWC Dept Biodiversity & Conservation Biology
Private Bag X19 Bellville 7798 #021 959 3781 [email protected]
Mr Marco Pauw SAEON Arid Lands Node P.O.Box 110040 Hadison Park, Kimberley 8306 #053 831 3751 [email protected]
Dr Dean Peinke Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency
6 St Marks Road Southernwood, East London 5201 #043 705 4463 [email protected]
Mr Jacobus Pelser Univ. North West Faculty of Natural Sciences, School for Biological Sciences
P.O.Box X6001 Potchefstroom 2520 #018 2992499 [email protected]
Ms Lavinia Perumal Rhodes University Botany Dept P O Box 94 Grahamstown 9140 #046 603 8592 [email protected]
Dr Alastair Potts Nelson Mandela Metrolitan University
Botany Dept P O Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6031 #082 491 7275 [email protected]
Mr Mike Powell Rhodes University Environmental Sci, Rhodes Restoration Research Group
P O Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 #046 603 7004 [email protected]
Mr Ernest Pringle Agri Eastern Cape P O Box 34889 Newton Park, Port Elizabeth 6055 #041 363 1890 [email protected]
Mr Justin du Toit Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute
Pastures and Crops Private Bag X529 Middelburg 5900 #049 802 6751 [email protected]
Mr Tshililo Ramaswiela SAEON Arid Lands Node P.O.Box 110040 Hadison Park, Kimberley 8306 #053 831 3751 [email protected]
Mr Christie Rheeder Dept Agriculture: Western Cape
Nortier Research Farm PO Box 2 Lamberts Bay 8130 #027 432 9903/04 [email protected]
Mr Ricardo Riddles SANBI Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden
P.O. Box 152 Worcester 6849 #023 347 0785 [email protected]
Mr Roger Rowswell Independent P O Box 462 Grahamstown 6140 #046 662 3212 [email protected]
Dr Sheunesu Ruwanza Rhodes University Environmental Sci P O Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 #046 603 7011 [email protected]
Dr Igshaan Samuels Agricultural Research Council C/o BCB Dept Private Bag X19 Bellville 7798 #021-959 2305 [email protected]
Page | 48
ARID ZONE ECOLOGY -THICKET FUSION 2014
Title Name Surname Organization Dept Postal Address City Code Contact Tel. Email
Ms Lelethu Sawuti Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency
Thomas Baines Nature Reserve Grahamstown 6139 #046 625 8076 [email protected]
Dr Ute Schmiedel University of Hamburg Biocentre Klein Flottbek & Botanical Garden
Ohnhorsstrasse 18, Hamburg 22609 #049 40 42816548 [email protected]
Prof Sheona Shackleton Rhodes University Dept Environmental Sciences PO Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 #046 603 7009 [email protected]
Mr Ross Shackleton Univ Stellenbosch Centr for Invasive Biology Private Bag X 1 Matieland 7602 #072 734 0524 [email protected]
Mr Kuniberth Shamathe Polytec Natural Resources & Spatial Sc Private Bag 13388 Windhoek, Nam 9000 #081 236 0999 [email protected]
Miss Emma Shidolo Polytechnic of Namibia Natural Resources & Spatial Sci P. O. Box 672, Oshakati, Namibia 9000 #264813427692 [email protected]
Mr Ayanda Sigwela
Mr Lwazi Sikundla CapeNature Baron von Rheede St Oudtshoorn 6620 #044 203 6300
Miss Megan Simons UWC Dept Biodiversity & Conservation Biology
Private Bag X19 Bellville 7798 #021 959 3781 [email protected]
Mr Kguaugelo Skadung CapeNature Private Bag 658 Oudtshoorn 6620 #044 203 6300 [email protected]
Ms Saadiq Soekor UWC Dept Biodiv & Cons Biol Private Bag X17 Bellville 7535 #021 959 2911 [email protected]
MEC S Somyo
Mr Rudi Swart Dept Agriculture: Western Cape
Veldreserve PO Box 80 Worcester 6849 #023 3471121 [email protected]
Carin Swart Rhodes/DEDEAT Prvt Bag X1006 Grahamstown 6140 #046 622 7216 [email protected]
Mr Simon Todd 3Foxes Ecological Consulting Owner/Consultant Glencairn #082 3326502 [email protected]
Dr Winston Trollope Working On Fire International Research & Development P O Box 182 Kenton-on-Sea 6919 #082 200 3373 [email protected]
Miss Simone van der Linden $ Botany Department P O Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6000 #076 881 4873 [email protected]
Dr Helga van der Merwe SAEON Arid Lands Node Research Career Award Fellow P.O. Box 1 Calvinia 8190 #027 3411002 [email protected]
Mr Salmon E van Rooyen Univ. North West Faculty of Natural Sciences, School for Biological Sciences
P.O.Box X6001 Potchefstroom 2520 #(018) 2992499 [email protected]
Dr Susi Vetter Rhodes University Botany Dept PO Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 #046 6037398 [email protected]
Mrs Marie Watson Univ Free State Centre for Environmental Management (IB 67),
P O Box 339 Bloemfontein 9300 #051 401 3959 [email protected]
Mr Clayton Weatherall_Thomas NMMU Botany Dept P O Box 77000 Port Elizabeth 6031 #041 504-2397 [email protected]
Dr Alan Wheeler CapeNature Baron von Rheede St Oudtshoorn 6620 #044 203 6300 [email protected]
Miss Ayanda Zide Coastal & Env Services P O Box 934 Grahamstown 6139 #046 622 2364 [email protected]
Page | 49
ARID ZONE ECOLOGY -THICKET FUSION 2014
Title Name Surname Organization Dept Postal Address City Code Contact Tel. Email
Miss Vathsiwe Zikishe SANBI Albany Museum, Schonland Herbarium
Somerset Street Grahamstown 6140 #046 6222 312 [email protected]
Page | 50
NOTES:
Page | 51
NOTES:
Page | 52
NOTES: