A critique of the public participation process followed during planning for the development of an eco-tourism facility by the Natal Parks Board, in the Natal Drakensberg Park in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, during a period of political transition in 1994/95. A Preliminary Environmental Assessment was conducted for the Natal Parks Board (NPB) as a group project by five students¹ from the Masters Class in the Department of Environmental and Geographical Science, University of Cape Town. The scoping stage of the assessment focused the collection and assessment of base line data. The Masters Group evaluated the alternatives identified during scoping against the criteria of equity, sustainability and efficiency and based on this evaluation one of the alternatives was recommended to the NPB. The results were presented in a three-volume document consisting of the Main Report, the Public Participation Report and the Appendices. Individual members of the masters group have selected different aspects of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which was done as a group exercise, for more in depth analysis and critique for submission in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy. Public participation in the planning process followed by the NPB has been chosen for this thesis because it is felt that it has been inadequate to date and could be improved upon. This thesis draws on the experience gained by the Masters Group during the scoping phase and aims to identify how the EIA fitted into the planning process followed by the NPB. The focus is on examining the extent to which the approach to public participation in the planning process complied with the requirements of Integrated Environmental Management. The NPB's commitment to public participation has been used as a baseline against which the effectiveness of involvement of the public in the planning process has-been measured .The aim of the thesis was to establish: how the EIA fitted into the broader planning process;+ whether the approach to public participation facilitated input from all Interested and Affected Parties( I&APs); whether involvement of the public fulfilled the requirements of Integrated Environmental Management (IEM) and of the stated commitment by the NPB to public participation; what difficulties were experienced by the project proponent in converting the theory of IEM and public participation into practice; whether any improvements could be made to the process. It is felt that the information presented in this thesis could be useful to the NPB in continuing this project and in the planning of other eco-tourism developments.

This thesis examines the ecology of rare Proteaceae of the Fynbos Biome. South Africa. The aim was to determine whether there are any unifying ecological parameters which might be significant for their conservation. The current status of all Cape Proteaceae was initially assessed. A total of 124 taxa were ascribed the I U C N status of recently extinct (3 taxa), endangered (33 taxa), vulnerable (29 taxa) and naturally rare (59 taxa). The distributions of rare taxa are characteristically small in size and range, 59 taxa occurring in only one or two populations and 63 taxa being restricted to a range of less than 5 km². Small nature reserves are proposed for the protection of such restricted taxa. An examination of the distribution of all the rare taxa shows exceptionally high concentrations in the Cape Town urban area and the lowlands north of Cape Town. This indicates the need for conservation considerations by urban and regional planners in the long term development of this area. Naturally rare taxa exhibit nodes (areas of high concentrations) over the centres of well-defined centres of endemism. Such areas merit conservation as representative and diverse habitats of fynbos plant species. Threats occurring at rare Proteaceae sites were recorded. An inappropriate fire interval and invasion by the Argentine ant. Iridomyrmex humilis, were shown to be the probable cause of rarity in Proteaceae exhibiting short lifespans and myrmecochorous seed stores. The monitoring of fire intervals at rare Proteaceae sites and the removal of the Argentine Ant are considered priorities for conservation management of rare Proteaceae.

Conservation in Montagu started in the early 1970s, with the rescuing and restoration of significant buildings and the declaration of 21 National Monuments (now called Provincial Heritage Sites), which safeguarded those buildings when no other heritage protections were in place. This was followed by a conservation study by Todeschini and Japha in 1990, identifying heritage resources, delineating conservation areas and providing guidelines. This case study has found that, with a few exceptions, the conservation endeavours in Montagu during the past 40 years have been successful.

Recreation and ecotourism activities are growing in demand worldwide, especially in biodiversity hotspots. Protected area managers may seek to introduce novel activities in order to generate revenue. However, disturbance effects brought about through encounters between humans and wildlife can have negative consequences, which conflict with conservation goals. De Hoop Vlei is a large coastal lake within the De Hoop Nature Reserve. It is a Ramsar site as well as a key feature of a BirdLife Important Bird Area (IBA). Proposals for motorized boat tours and kayak tours on the vlei have been made, for which this study provides an impact assessment. Repeated counts were performed in order to characterize the waterbirds present during the high water level conditions required for boating. Birds were concentrated in areas with aquatic vegetation and shallow water, mainly along the vlei's western shoreline and southern and northern ends. Two routes were designed for boat tours that would minimize disturbance by avoiding these areas as well as breeding sites. Count data were also used to revise the Ramsar and IBA assessments, which underestimated the site's conservation value. Boat tours were monitored to estimate the number of birds disturbed, and to measure agitation distances (ADs) and flight initiation distances (FIDs) in response to the boat as well as a kayak. Post-disturbance recovery was investigated, as was the likelihood of habituation using a space-for-time substitution at a site with regular boat traffic. Boat tours did not typically disturb more than 10% of birds present at the vlei, and largely avoided disturbing species of conservation concern. Responses to the kayak were more severe than to the boat, which is most likely due to the similar speeds of the two boats are similar and the kayak is more easily perceived as a threat due to its shape and stealth, the presence of a paddler, and the consistent paddling motion. Post-disturbance recovery of species was slow and incomplete after an hour, meaning that there are likely costs for foraging opportunities and breeding if important areas are disturbed. Most species did allow a closer approach at the site with regular boating, but AD did not differ between them for most species. From these results it would be dangerous to assume that habituation will mitigate against disturbance impacts. Recommendations made included that kayak tours should not be permitted. Boat tours, with correct management, can be conducted in a manner that will not be too disruptive to birds. This study is the first to document such a large difference in responses of birds to two differing boat types, and is a rare example of disturbance of birds being studied in an African context.

As trends in urbanisation continue globally, there is a growing need to understand the impacts of urban development on wildlife. Whilst urban impacts on patterns of diversity and abundance of species have been well-studied, there remains a distinct lack of understanding around the impacts on ecological interactions. Different species have different levels of tolerance to urban disturbance, some species even appear to thrive in urban areas and make use of human-subsidised resources; but the physiological costs and trade-offs faced by urban-dwelling species are poorly understood. Given that their range in South Africa has only recently expanded into the human-dominated landscapes of the Western Cape, the Black Sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus) provides an excellent opportunity to explore some of these questions. In this study we explored how urbanisation may affect the health of this raptor on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. If the health of this species is negatively influenced by levels of urbanisation, this might be driven by differences in diet and prey availability across the urban spectrum. Thus, we explored this potential mechanism by examining diet composition and assessing prey abundance within different territories and habitat types. The health of nestling Black Sparrowhawks was evaluated through their immune response (Heterophil/Lymphocyte ratio in white blood cell counts), body condition (based on morphometric measurements) and blood parasite infection (presence and abundance of Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon). Trends in diet composition along a gradient of urban cover were determined through the analysis of prey remains collected in the immediate nest surroundings and differences in prey abundance were determined through point counts in different habitat types.

Abstract The Rudd's Lark Heteromirafra ruddi is a globally threatened species with a fragmented population occurring in one of the world's most poorly-protected biomes, the grasslands. This, together with its endemism to the Highveld of South Africa and climate envelope modelling which predicts a dramatic reduction in its available habitat, places the species firmly in the cross-hairs of extinction risk. This thesis aims to gain a better understanding of Rudd's Lark population trends, habitat preference and threats in one of its most important remaining core sites in the grasslands around Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga Province, which are under private ownership and used predominantly for grazing. My objectives were, first, to determine whether the species has declined in the Wakkerstroom area since a survey conducted in 2002 by David Maphisa. Second, to determine what habitat variables predict Rudd's Lark incidence, whether there has been a change in its available habitat and in farm management practices, and whether the species has changed in its habitat selection since the previous survey. Finally, I aimed to investigate whether other grassland birds (particularly other threatened grassland endemics) also respond to fine-scale habitat variation and share habitat preference with the Rudd's Lark. I found both absolute lower numbers of Rudd's Larks (5 transects with Rudd's Lark present down from 9 in 2002; 9 individuals down from 32), and a lower probability of encounter (significantly lower in the case of individuals). Seven transects had been lost to crop production, two of which formerly contained Rudd's Larks. Forb and dead vegetation cover had significantly increased at a coarse scale, but vegetation variables did not explain any significant variation in Rudd's Lark incidence at either a fine or a coarse scale within 2016. However, Rudd's Larks appear to be occupying subtly different habitat now compared to 12 years ago: lark territories surveyed in 2016 had less bare ground and more but shorter grass cover than in 2002. Most farmers reported warmer conditions in recent years and that burning generally took place between August and October, matching the analysis of remotely-sensed fire data from the past ten years and implying that destructive late-season fires are not common. Correspondingly, I found that burning regimes did not predict Rudd's Lark incidence. Among other threatened grassland species, Yellow-breasted Pipits showed a clear preference for taller grass and higher altitudes, unlike Rudd's Larks which showed no detectable preferences. In summary, direct loss of grassland habitat through conversion to crops appears to be a pressing threat to Rudd's Larks, although the species has also declined within the remaining area of grassland habitat. The specific drivers of this decline remain unclear given that the observed changes in grassland structure since 2002 do not correspond with Rudd's Lark habitat selection. Taken together, these findings are very concerning given that the Wakkerstroom area is considered to be one of the last remaining core sites for the species, and call its IUCN threat status of globally Vulnerable into question. A priority for future research will be to understand what limits Rudd's Larks to its current pockets of occupancy within its remaining apparently suitable grassland habitat, and whether increasing grassland fragmentation will accelerate its decline. Key words: fire, grassland, habitat selection, Heteromirafra ruddi, IUCN status, rangelands, Rudd's Lark, threatened species, transects

Global average temperatures are predicted to increase by as much as 5ᵒC by 2100. Therefore, it is imperative to identify how species are affected by temperature increase to ensure that proper conservation and management of wildlife can be implemented. Species which already live in warmer climates, such as deserts, may provide the first clues to the impacts of increasing temperatures. Birds represent an ideal indicator because research has shown that rising temperatures affect their behaviour, including foraging and provisioning of young, thereby reducing reproductive success. However, it remains unclear whether this results from physiological constraints on behaviour, from declining food availability and or access to prey items at high temperatures. In this study, I aimed to identify how temperature affects the foraging and provisioning behaviour of wild Fork-tailed Drongos, Dicrurus adsimilis, when supplemental food is provided. Additionally, I aimed to identify how nestling growth rates change with temperature. The results of two supplemental feeding experiments indicated that as temperatures increased, adults significantly reduced their willingness to forage, reduced provisioning to offspring and exhibited increased rates of heat dissipation behaviour. Furthermore, when provisioning nestlings, adult drongos consumed a larger proportion of supplementary food at higher air temperatures, and provisioned less. This suggests that they suffer greater provisioning costs at such times. Surprisingly, despite finding several negative effects of temperatures on adults' willingness to forage and provisioning, there was only a weak and non-significant effect of temperature on nestling growth rates. This suggests that adults may be able to compensate for reduced foraging at high temperatures. My study shows that the increased thermoregulatory costs of activity at high temperatures can constrain foraging and provisioning, even when food remains abundant. However, whether this impacts the fitness of current offspring or parents future reproductive success remains unclear.

No description available.

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of science, Johannesburg, 2018 / Defining the spatial distributions of species with regards to habitat selection and landscape structure is an important part of biogeography, ecology and conservation research. I investigated reptile occurrence and community structure in two patches of dry forest in north western Madagascar using detection/non-detection data collected on repeated transect surveys for four years. A Bayesian hierarchical occupancy model and multispectral satellite imagery were used to assess the effects of vegetation structure, proximity to human development and edge proximity on the site presence of 37 squamate species in the context of taxonomic family and Threat Status. Mean species richness was highest at sites within a forest patch (23 (4, 30)). Sites with dense green vegetation promoted the highest levels of reptile occupancy among the Chamaeleonidae and Gekkoniidae families (with regression coefficient estimates up to 0.75 (0.12, 1.53)) and all species were more likely to occur at sites closer to the forest patch periphery. The Boidae had the widest 95% CRI for the regression coefficient estimates representing the effects of habitat variables on occupancy, indicating that they are highly variable in their habitat use. The regression coefficient estimates of mean reptile occupancy had 95% credible intervals (CRIs) including zero due to high variability between species. The proximity to roads did not have a statistically significant effect on any of the species, and Uroplatus guentheri was the only species which showed a significant preference for being further from a settlement (0.81 (0.05, 1.77)). The findings demonstrated the importance of using caution when assessing Threat Status at a regional level and suggest that the Red List’s measure of Population Trend may be significantly influenced by imperfect detection / MT 2019

This study investigates the perceived heritage significance of township churches. This is done by means of a case study which focuses on early churches in Langa, particularly the Wesleyan Methodist and the African Methodist Episcopal churches. The hypothesis is that heritage values are attached to certain churches of Langa and that these are regarded as heritage resources as a result of a particular character or built form. In support of this hypothesis, the intellectual realm of churches and heritage values was explored and the historical and spatial context which informed the development of the churches, investigated. A strong emphasis was placed on ascertaining the heritage values of the Langa community in a series of interviews. To understand the values attached to churches, views have been solicited from community members residing in the neighbourhood of the identified churches, members of the clergy and congregants and a number of 'experts’ - people who have been involved in the study of heritage in Langa, either from an academic or community perspective. Sixteen interviews, which took the form of focused, semistructured discussions, were conducted.