From Briza PublicationsFYNBOS – Ecology and Management Editors: Karen J. Esler, Shirley M. Pierce, Charl de Villiers ISBN: 978-1-920217-37-2

Also available in AfrikaansISBN: 978-1-920217-36-5 FYNBOS – Ekologie en Bestuur

EXTENT: 272 pages

FORMAT: 240 x 210 mm Soft cover More than 250 photographs

The fynbos region is one of the most spectacularly diverse places on Earth. This is not an idle statement. When one considers the diversity of insects, freshwater and marine species also

associated with the Cape, this hotspot is arguably the hottest of all.

It is also confusingly heterogeneous, with a diversity of fine-scale habitats, from wetlands in the lowlands to seeps in the mountains, unique soil, nutrient, aspect and rainfall conditions, all of which combine to sustain and drive this diversity. Fynbos is a fire-adapted vegetation and needs fire to sustain itself: without fire the vegetation would thicken and senesce, permit trees to enter and dominate the system, and eventually exclude the precious nutrients liberated by fire and which the system depends upon for rejuvenation.

This book is a guide that will help people who visit, live, manage or own land in the Fynbos Biome to appreciate and manage its extraordinary natural richness.

About the eDItorS: Karen J. Esler is a professor in the Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. She co-edited the related book: Karoo Veld Ecology and Management (Briza, 2006)Shirley M Pierce PhD is a plant ecologist and science communication consultant. She has researched and published across a wide range of fields, from estuarine to fynbos systems. Currently she directs communication for invasive alien plant removal and spekboom thicket restoration.Charl de Villiers is an environmental consultant with a keen interest in biodiversity mainstreaming and ecosystem-based management. Charl lectures on biodiversity and integrated environmental management at the three Western Cape universities.

FynbosEkologie en Bestuur

REDAKTEURS: Karen J. Esler • Shirley M. Pierce • Charl de Villiers

Vertaal deur Piet Vorster

Fynbos Ekologie en Bestuur

Karen J. Esler • Shirley M. Pierce • Charl de Villiers

Karen J Esler is professor in die Departement Bewaringsekologie & Entomologie, Universiteit

van Stellenbosch, Suid-Afrika. Sy is ’n kernlid van die DWT-NNS Sentrum van Uitnemendheid

vir Indringerbiologie, en ’n genoot van die Waterinstituut van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch.

Sy dien as die Suid-Afrikaanse verteenwoordiger van ISOMED, is ’n stigterslid van die IUCN

Mediterranean-Type Ecosystem Thematic Group (MTEG) en dien op die skakelkomitees van

die Fynbos Forum en SAEON Fynbos Node. Haar navorsing fokus op die invloed van dryfvere

van verandering (omgewingsverandering, oorbenutting, habitatverbrokkeling en uitheemse in-

dringers) op die struktuur en prosesse van plantbevolkings en plantegroeigemeenskappe. Hier-

die kennis, vasgelê in sosiaal-ekologiese stelsels, dra by tot beste-praktyk bestuurs-, herstel- en

bewaringsaksies. Sy was mederedakteur van die boek Karooveld Ekologie en Bestuur (Briza, 2006).

Shirley M Pierce, PhD, is ’n plantekoloog en wetenskap-kommunikasiekonsultant. Haar navor-

sing en publikasies strek oor ’n wye veld, vanaf stelsels in riviermondings tot fynbos, en sy het

uitgebreide ondervinding in die redigering van wetenskaplike en populêre teks. Sy het Veld &

Flora in die laat 1990’s geredigeer, was mederedakteur van Vegetation of Southern Africa (Cam-

bridge, 1997), medeskrywer van Namaqualand A Succulent Desert (Fernwood Press, 1999), mede-

redakteur van Mainstreaming Biodiversity in South Africa (World Bank, 2002), skrywer van The

STEP Handbook: Integrating the natural environment into land use decisions at the municipal level:

towards sustainable development (NMMU, 2006) en medeskrywer van East of the Cape, Conserving

Eden (Fernwood Press, 2009). Tans bestuur sy kommunikasie vir die verwydering van uitheemse

indringerplante en die rehabilitasie van spekboomruigte.

Charl de Villiers is ’n omgewingskonsultant met ’n ywerige belangstelling in biodiversiteit en

ekostelsel-gebaseerde bestuur. Hy het die Botaniese Vereniging van Suid-Afrika se Biodiversity

in EIA Project van 2004 tot 2009 gelei en in dié tyd ook die Fynbos Forum Ecosystem Guidelines

for Environmental Assessment in the Western Cape geredigeer. Charl is ’n medeskrywer van SANBI

se Grasslands Ecosystem Guidelines en gee lesings oor biodiversiteit en geïntegreerde omgewings-

bestuur aan die drie Wes-Kaapse universiteite. Die Presidentsbeurs van die IAIA is in 2008 aan

hom toegeken.

Of jy nou ’n grondeienaar of bestuurder van ’n stuk na-

tuurlike veld in die Kaap, of ’n besoeker aan hierdie unieke

deel van Afrika is, neem dit jou nie lank om die merkwaar-

dige rykdom van die streek te waardeer nie. Bergreekse,

valleie, kusgebiede en vleilande dra by tot ’n ongeëwe-

naarde biodiversiteit van wêreldwye belang – in so ’n mate

dat groot dele daarvan Wêrelderfenis-status verwerf het.

Hierdie boek is ’n gids om besoekers, inwoners, bestuur-

ders of eienaars van grond in die Fynbosbioom te help om

dié uitsonderlike rykdom te waardeer en te bestuur. Deur

te put uit die omvattende kennis van navorsers en bestuur-

ders in die Fynbos Forum-gemeenskap, het ons gepoog om

’n praktiese, toeganklike stuk gereedskap vir die verbete-

ring van grondbestuur in die Fynbosbioom daar te stel, en

om die jongste wetenskaplike kennis oor die bestuur van

hierdie globaal belangrike, ryk ekostelsel te deel.

Karen J Esler

Shirley M Pierce

Charl de Villiers

Fynbos Ekologie en Bestuur REDAKTEU

RS: Karen J. Esler • Shirley M. Pierce • Charl de Villiers

FynbosEcology and Management

EDITORS: Karen J. Esler • Shirley M. Pierce • Charl de Villiers

Fynbos Ecology and ManagementKaren J. Esler • Shirley M. Pierce • Charl de Villiers

Karen J. Esler is a professor in the Department of Conservation Ecology & Entomology, Stellen-bosch University, South Africa. She is a core team member of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, and an associate of the Stellenbosch University Water Institute. She serves as the South African representative of ISOMED, is a founding member of the IUCN Mediterra-nean-Type Ecosystem Thematic Group (MTEG) and serves on the Fynbos Forum and SAEON Fynbos Node Liaison Committees. Her research focuses on an understanding of how drivers of change (environmental change, over-exploitation, habitat fragmentation and alien invasion) influence plant population and vegetation community structure and processes. This knowledge, embedded in social-ecological systems, contributes to best-practice management, restoration and conservation actions. She co-edited the related book: Karoo Veld Ecology and Management (Briza, 2006)

Shirley M Pierce PhD is a plant ecologist and science communication consultant. She has re-searched and published across a wide range of fields, from estuarine to fynbos systems, and has extensive experience in editing scientific and popular texts. She edited Veld & Flora in the late 1990s, co-edited Vegetation of Southern Africa (Cambridge, 1997), co-authored Namaqualand A Suc-culent Desert (Fernwood Press, 1999), co-edited Mainstreaming Biodiversity in South Africa (World Bank, 2002), authored The STEP Handbook: Integrating the natural environment into land use deci-sions at the municipal level: towards sustainable development (NMMU, 2006) and co-authored East of the Cape, Conserving Eden (Fernwood Press, 2009). Currently she directs communication for invasive alien plant removal and spekboom thicket restoration.

Charl de Villiers is an environmental consultant with a keen interest in biodiversity mainstream-ing and ecosystem-based management. He led the Botanical Society of South Africa’s “Biodiver-sity in EIA Project” from 2004 to 2009, in which time he edited the Fynbos Forum Ecosystem Guide-lines for Environmental Assessment in the Western Cape. Charl is a co-author of SANBI’s Grasslands Ecosystem Guidelines and lectures on biodiversity and integrated environmental management at the three Western Cape universities. He was awarded the IAIA’s President’s Bursary in 2008.

Whether you are a landowner or a manager of a piece of natural veld in the Cape, or a visitor to this unique corner of Africa, it will not take you long to appreciate the extraor-dinary richness of the region. Here, spectacular mountain ranges, inland valleys, coastal areas and wetlands collec-tively house a unique biodiversity with global significance – so much so that large parts of it have gained World Heri-tage Site Status. This book is a guide that will help people

who visit, live, manage or own land in the Fynbos Biome to appreciate and manage its extraordinary natural richness. By tapping into the extensive knowledge of researchers and managers in the Fynbos Forum community, we have attempted to produce a practical and accessible toolkit for improving land management in the Fynbos Biome, and to share current scientific knowledge on the management of this globally significant and diverse ecosystem.

Karen J Esler

Shirley M Pierce

Charl de Villiers

Fynbos Ecology and Managem

ent EDITO

RS: Karen J. Esler • Shirley M. Pierce • Charl de Villiers

Briza Publications PO Box 11050, Queenswood, 0121, South Africa • Tel: +27 (12) 329-3896 • Fax: +27 (12) 329-4525E-mail: books@briza.co.za • Website: www.briza.co.za • Bookshop: 121 Soutpansberg Road, Riviera, Pretoria, RSA