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abstract: Interdisciplinary research has highlighted how social-ecological dynamics drive the structure and function of the urban landscape across multiple scales. Land management decisions operate across various levels, from individuals in their backyard to local municipalities and broader political-economic forces. These decisions then scale up and down across the landscape to influence ecological functioning, such as the provisioning of biodiversity. Likewise, people are influenced by, and respond to, their environment. However, there is a lack of integrated research, especially research that considers the spatial and temporal complexities of social-ecological dynamics, to fully understand how people influence ecosystems or how the resulting landscape in turn influences human decision making, attitudes, and well-being. My dissertation connects these interdisciplinary themes to examine three questions linked by their investigation of the interactions between people and biodiversity: (1) How do the social and spatial patterns within an arid city affect people’s attitudes about their regional desert environment? (2) How are novel communities in cities assembled given the social-ecological dynamics that influence the processes that structure ecological communities? (3) How can we reposition bird species traits into a conservation framework that explains the complexity of the interactions between people and urban bird communities? I found that social-ecological dynamics between people, the environment, and biodiversity are tightly interwoven in urban ecosystems. The regional desert environment shapes people’s attitudes along spatial and social configurations, which holds implications for yard management decisions. Multi-scalar management decisions then influence biodiversity throughout cities, which shifts public perceptions of urban nature. Overall, my research acts as a bridge between social and ecological sciences to theoretically and empirically integrate research focused on biodiversity conservation in complex, social-ecological systems. My goal as a scholar is to understand the balance between social and ecological implications of landscape change to support human well-being and promote biodiversity conservation. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Geography 2020

The turn of this century has been characterised by a flurry of research activities taking place around the history of Mission stations and missionaries in South Africa (SA). In Venda, in the Limpopo Province of SA, research about the Berlin Missionary Society (BMS) also gained momentum. Most of the researchers working in the area relied mainly on diaries, letters, annual reports, and limited published materials written by the BMS missionaries who worked at various mission stations in the area. These researchers focused on historical, educational, and religious developments, as captured by the Berlin missionaries. Of these historical accounts, the voices of the local communities have been hushed. Most of the stories available in written sources are from the viewpoints of the missionaries. At the same time, the focus of researchers in the heritage conservation fields has been on the physical condition of heritage properties, where the intention was to arrest deterioration of material. While there is a change in thinking in the heritage field to take into consideration the involvement of relevant stakeholders, the focus is still on the challenges related to the physical condition of heritage properties. Researchers in the heritage field have come to realise that conservation cannot unify or advance with any real innovation or vision if there is a continuation to concentrate the bulk of conservation discourse on issues of physical condition. This study addresses the issue of community participation in research by responding to the following question: What is the impact of community attitudes and perspectives towards Georgenholtz Mission Station (GHMS) as a heritage resource? Various community groupings were given the responsibility of airing their views regarding the Mission station as a heritage resource. In doing so, they were able to identify and articulate the values they associate with the mission station. Without an understanding of these values, practitioners, managers, and communities would be unable to act in respect of the gradual but rapid deterioration of the same heritage resource. Because of these values, communities were able to recommend what actions would be to the benefit of all of them. The research question of this study is answered through one-on-one oral interviews the researcher conducted with respondents. These respondents are divided into four categories of communities namely the youth, Lutheran Church leadership, Ha-Luvhimbi community leaders and members of families with historic ties with the Berlin Missionary Society. Individual respondents from these community categories were asked to comment upon the history of the Berlin Missionary Society and the development of Georgenholtz Mission Station from 1877 to the present times. They were also asked to broadly identify and explain the heritage significance of Georgenholtz Mission Station. The last question they were asked relates to what communities would like to see happening with Georgenholtz moving forward. The responses that came from these respondents show that Georgenholtz Mission Station has extensive connections to Mission history in rural South Africa which assists in conveying the significance of this Mission station beyond its importance to Ha-Luvhimbi village. Communities could identify various values attached to the Mission station, including amongst others, historical, aesthetic and architectural, social and economic values that should be preserved for the benefit of current and future generations. The results from this study indicate that communities interviewed regard Georgenholtz Mission Station as their heritage resource that should be taken care of and that there are economic benefits that could be derived from the adaptive reuse of the Mission station. The study concludes by outlining recommendations for further and extended research on the subject by other researchers.

Includes bibliographical references. / This study examines the first identification and assignment of heritage values and significance undertaken by the “establishment”, the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) and the City of Cape Town (CCT) in the Township of Langa in the Cape Province a decade ago. In brief, this is the story of Langa migrant labour hostels reviewed for its meaning as heritage to the diverse communities within Langa, compared with an earlier 2001/2 official evaluation by the state-led heritage management institutions. It is within a broader socio-political, cultural and heritage discourse context that this research project explores what the residents of Langa find significant. This is done with particular reference to the migrant labour hostel schemes since the intention was to establish to what extent conservation and heritage management is an appropriate response in an environment of material, economic and social difficulties; and, if so, to what degree the inhabitants of the hostels’ sense of value correspond to that articulated in the “official statement of significance” of 2004. This study questions the validity of nominating migrant labour hostels as “Grade I” national heritage resources.

Heritage sites, inclusive of cultural landscapes, are understood to derive their significance from perceptions of beauty, sense of place and, when it has been impacted by humans, its genius loci and tangible qualities and the overlay of their intangible associations. In order for a site to be recognized concurrence of an Authorised Heritage Discourse whose content is constructed by academics and professionally trained heritage experts and an Autochthonous Discourse defined and expressed by laypersons, occupying or having an association with the site or sites. When Ida's Valley Cultural Landscape underwent processes of identification and declaration (formal process) as a National Heritage Site in 2008 the assumption was that there was consensus between the two views, the Authorized Heritage Discourse and the Autochthonous Discourse. The hypothesis, then, in the case of Ida's Valley Cultural Landscape which lies just beyond the limits of the town, Stellenbosch, was that there was agreement between the AHD and the AD. The question that arose was whether the two readings of heritage value aligned and whether there really was agreement in terms of the significance of the site and the values it represented. This is found not to be the case. Concerns were raised regarding the manner in which the public participation process was handled, the content of the statement of significance around issues of identification, identity and, consequently, its impact on the idea of value. In addition, the issues of land for development, the locus of land ownership and the subsequent value and universal acceptance were placed under scrutiny and severely criticized by the local public and community groups. The conclusion was that there was no agreement between the two positions. The dissertation describes the exploration of these tensions.

Includes bibliographical references. / The primary purpose of this study is to determine the degree to which the historic built environment plays a role in the establishment of a Sense of Place in the South African context with its diverse population and complex political history. The underlying rationale for this focus is that a strong connection between a Sense of Place and the historic built environment has the potential to translate to a strong motivation for its preservation. The focus in this research is on a single case, a historic diamond mining town in the Free State Province of South Africa, dating to 1869, with a rich and diverse history. The research was conducted employing a multi-paradigmatic approach grounded in Phenomenology and Psychometrics.

The vibrant suburb of Fordsburg has a rich history of diverse working class communities. It has long been associated with the Indian community and more recently a new immigrant population from the Indian subcontinent. Transitory communities have left their mark on the suburb and have resulted in changing significances and heritage resources. The study's main aim was to identify what constants have gained significance to become anchors for memory and identity in Fordsburg's landscape of rapid urban and social change. An exploration of Fordsburg's history and evolution was undertaken so as to reflect on multiple interpretations and insights into unacknowledged histories of the area. Themes of identity, urban memory, hybridity and the everyday landscape were examined within the context of Fordsburg. It concluded that there are constants of cultural significance which anchor memory and identity. These constants are located in the ordinary urban landscape of public spaces created in Fordsburg's main roads, public amenities and Fordsburg Square.

The changing spatial and temporal patterns in land use/land cover surrounding Zandvlei estuary were investigated over the period 1944 to 2005. Changes in the extent of four terrestrial and two aquatic land use/land cover categories were mapped from high quality aerial photographs using ArcView GIS. Basic spatial analyses were performed to quantify changes in area, 'edge-effects' and relative dominance through time. Semi-natural and seasonally inundated classes accounted for over 70% of land cover in 1944, but declined steadily as urban land use and permanently inundated land cover expanded to a present-day extent of 42% and 19% respectively. The following major drivers of change were identified: 1) the construction of the railway embankment bisecting Westlake wetland and Zandvlei estuary, which led to sedimentation and a change in plant species composition of the wetland, but decreased nutrient inflows into the vlei; 2) agricultural practices within the catchment at the start of the 20th century which increased sediment and nutrient inflows; 3) elevated water levels due to dredging operations between 1947 and 1961, which resulted in a significant loss of seasonally inundated land cover with concomitant changes in species composition and nutrient dynamics; and 4) urban development surrounding the vlei (with particular reference to Marina da Gama), which has expanded at the expense of semi-natural areas and significantly increased effluent and litter inputs into the vlei. A socially and ecologically balanced management policy governing the entire catchment is required to mitigate future impacts.

A general and increasing biodiversity loss has been observed since the 20th century. Faced with the extreme rapidity of population declines, conservation biologists seek to understand the limiting and regulating factors driving changes in animal populations. This is particularly important for rare species as small population size increases extinction risk. Birds are amongst the most studied animals in this context. As a group that occupies a high trophic level, raptors are particularly vulnerable to external changes and are generally regarded as useful indicators of ecological change. The Black Harrier Circus maurus is an avian predator endemic to southern Africa, which breeds essentially along the South African coast within the Fynbos biome, and inland within the Karoo biome. Its population size has been estimated at less than 1,000 breeding birds, and the species is currently considered as Endangered in South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho. Although some studies have been conducted on Black Harriers in the last four decades, the reasons for its scarcity currently remain little known and insufficiently explored. Filling this knowledge gap is therefore essential for its conservation. In this context, the main goal of this thesis is to develop an overall comprehension of how various environmental factors may affect the breeding and health of this Endangered species, at both population and individual levels. I conducted my fieldwork during the 2012-2015 breeding seasons in two contrasting geographical regions: one along the west coast in the Western Cape Province, and the second one inland in the surroundings of Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape Province. For some chapters (Chapters 1-3), I analysed historical data collected by Dr. R. E. Simmons during 2000-2011 breeding seasons.

Up until the early 1990s conservation practices in South Africa were culturally biased, focusing largely on the value systems of the affluent. However, with the release in 1997 of the White Paper on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of South Africa's Biological diversity, the role that biological resources play in providing for the needs of all South Africans, is now emphasized. According to this policy, human needs must be considered if conservation is to be successfully implemented. Using this document as the framework for this study I chose to investigate various aspects of medicinal plant use in a rural community in Paulshoek, Namaqualand. The main aims were as follows: to evaluate the local knowledge regarding medicinal plants; to document the plants used and collected in Paulshoek; and to determine potential threats to the biological resource. This was achieved by employing a variety of social and ecological methods. It became apparent from the interactions and interviews with the residents that medicinal plants are an important resource to the Paulshoek community since more than 70% of the population regularly use herbal remedies. While there is some evidence to suggest that the local knowledge of medicinal plants is dying out, I would speculate that most of the knowledge has already been lost. Of the 15 plants used and collected in Paulshoek, most appear to be highly sustainable in the landscape. This conclusion was based on people's perceptions regarding the change in abundance of each of these species over time and by further comparing plant size between Paulshoek and adjacent commercial farms. As most medicinal species seem unaffected by either: harvesting or land use practices this indicates that it is possible to achieve a sustainable harvest. Certain species do, however, show evidence of decline. Fuelwood harvesting most probably accounts for the change in abundance of Rhus burchelli over time, while Mentha longifolia may be facing some reduction in plant fitness due to harvesting for medicinal purposes. Sceletium emarcidum is on the verge of local extinction due to a combination of intensive harvesting and high grazing pressures. In contrast, high stocking densities appear to account for the increased abundance in both Galenia africana and Ballota africana. These findings clearly show that while the resource as a whole may be fairly resilient to harvesting and land use practices, certain species are in need of urgent conservation. This study further highlights the need to look beyond the direct impacts of harvesting and consider all possible threats, if the resource is to be sustainably managed. While this case study is atypical of the state of the medicinal plant resource in most of South Africa, this survey serves as a novel protocol for evaluating the sustainability of any resource which is regularly utilized.