The observations, data and deductions described in this thesis were collected from the Soutpansberg and surrounding areas over a period of over 20 years. This thesis aims to explain the underlying mechanisms driving the processes in the Soutpansberg that have brought forth its immense floristic diversity. It is envisaged that this thesis could serve as a guide towards the implementation of management policies for this unique mountain range and assist in the proclamation of the Vhembe as a Biosphere Reserve. As an introduction the study area is described in terms of geology, geography, cli-mate, history and previous vegetation descriptions. The floristic diversity was analysed and it is concluded that the area is a hotspot for floristic diversity. The total number of plant species of the area was established at 2693 with 594 tree taxa, one of the highest in southern Africa. Families with the highest number of taxa are the Fabaceae, Poaceae and Asteraceae. The analysis confirmed the area as a Centre of Endemism. The Soutpansberg dis-plays a strong biological interchange with the Blouberg, Chimanimani, Limpopo Valley, Maputaland, Sekhukhune, Strydpoort, Waterberg and Wolkberg. To resolve the problems concerning the definition of their biological interchange, a new interpretation of the concept of near-endemic is proposed. To make sense of interaction between various centres of endemism with the Sout-pansberg centre sensu strictu, a new term namely paraendemic was defined, and the terms protoparaendemic and biparaedemic were introduced for near endemic taxa with a wider distribution between centres of endemism. This resulted in a new interpretation of the Soutpansberg endemic plants. The endemics and paraendemics of the Soutpansberg and the related regions were identified and these are discussed n detail. It was found that most endemic species are restricted to the mist belt and occur on nutrient poor soils derived from quartzite or sandstone. It is concluded that the endemic flora did not arise as a result of a single group diversifying. The immense floristic diversity is attributed to the contribution of several distinct flo-ristic elements acting upon the Soutpansberg. These includes an arid group, a sa-vanna group, a temperate group including forest and grassland elements and a tropical group, being discussed in detail. Copyright / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Plant Science / unrestricted

Thesis (M.Dev. (Management and Law)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / Section 27 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 provides that everyone has a right to have access to health care. South Africa embraces the concept of universal health care coverage. Access to health care has four dimensions: geographic accessibility, availability, financial accessibility and acceptability. If there were barriers to access to health care, the stake-holders would be duty-bound to design interventions requisite to address those barriers. The aim of the study was to establish whether health care users enjoy the right to have access to health services at Ratshaatsha Community Health Centre (RCHC). The study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative research designs. While a questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data, focused group discussions and participant observations were employed to collect qualitative data. The following are the main findings of the study. Human rights instruments clearly spell out the indivisible and mutually supportive rights that persons have. There are barriers that often affect the rights to have access to health services at RCHC. For instance, the RCHC is not within a 25 km radius of some of the consumers of health care. The roads that link up the health care users and RCHC are in poor condition. The community is generally poverty-stricken. Many cannot afford, among others, the costs of basic needs, transport fares and opportunity costs. Travelling distance and time, scarce skills and lack of medication and equipment rank among demand-side and supply-side barriers to access to health care. Health care users often choose to consult churches and traditional healers. It is recommended that government should, among others, co-ordinate primary health care services in collaboration with churches and traditional healers; commission research into traditional health medicine and healing procedures and protocols of other health care providers; develop policy on cross-referral of patients; improve community participation; set minimum norms and standards for the delivery of alternative health care services; establish health care management guidelines for churches and traditional healers; integrate health care provisioning into IDPs; and provide health care in an integrated intergovernmental manner.

The fast growing local human population, especially through immigration from countries north of South Africa, is placing the Soutpansberg and Blouberg areas under increasing pressure. The insatiable demand for more arable land within these agriculturally marginal and semi-arid areas is leading to severe degradation of the remaining natural resources. The Soutpansberg–Blouberg region has been recognized as a Centre of Endemism and is regarded as a region of exceptionally high biological diversity. The Soutpansberg Conservancy and the Blouberg Nature Reserve reveal extremely rich diversities of plant communities relative to the sizes of these conservation areas. The Major Vegetation Types and plant communities of the Soutpansberg Centre of Endemism are described in detail with special reference to the Soutpansberg Conservancy and the Blouberg Nature Reserve. Phytosociological data from 466 sample plots were ordinated using a Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DECORANA) and classified using Two–way Indicator Species Analysis(TWINSPAN). The resulting classification was further refined with table–sorting procedures based on the Braun–Blanquet floristic–sociological approach of vegetation classification using MEGATAB. Eight Major Vegetation Types were identified and described as Eragrostis lehmanniana var. lehmanniana–Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra BNR Northern Plains Bushveld, Euclea divinorum–Acacia tortilis BNR Southern Plains Bushveld, Englerophytum magalismontanum–Combretum molle BNR Mountain Bushveld, Adansonia digitata–Acacia nigrescens Soutpansberg Arid Northern Bushveld, Catha edulis–Flueggia virosa Soutpansberg Moist Mountain Thickets, Diplorhynchus condylocarpon–Burkea africana Soutpansberg Leached Sandveld, Rhus rigida var. rigida–Rhus magalismontanum subsp. coddii Soutpansberg Mistbelt Vegetation and Xymalos monospora–Rhus chirendensis Soutpansberg Forest Vegetation. Plant communities of each of the Major Vegetation Types are described. The primary ecological drivers of the event-driven and the classic climax vegetation types are discussed and management recommendations are made for effective conservation of these last remaining pockets of wilderness. The available data supports the recognition of the region as an important Centre of Plant Endemism and Biological Diversity requiring conservation attention. Copyright / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Plant Science / unrestricted

Thesis (M. Dev) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / Refer to document

Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / This work aimed at assessing the implications of involving local communities in biodiversity conservation in Blouberg Nature Reserve (BNR) in Limpopo Province, South Africa. To achieve this objective, firstly biodiversity status before and after involving local communities in conservation initiatives was assessed using multi-temporal medium-resolution Landsat series data and species diversity indices. The results showed that there were significant variations (α = 0.05) in tree species diversity in BNR for before and after involving local communities. For example, tree species diversity was low after involving communities particularly for the years 1996 and 2019. Secondly, benefits and costs of involving local communities in biodiversity conservation as well as their investigate views, perceptions and attitudes BNR management were assessed. The study demonstrated local communities do not obtain sufficient benefits or incur numerous costs from the nature reserve. Despite this, there was considerable support for biodiversity conservation (84.2%) since household respondents still held positive attitudes towards biodiversity conservation in the reserve. For, example most of them indicated that they would report illegal activities to the authorities. However, despite lack of participation by the majority of the household respondents (89.6%) in biodiversity conservation, they demonstrated understanding of the relevance of nature conservation. In contrary, the BNR Manager stated that the local communities received benefits in the form of fuel-wood for special occasions such as funerals and bush meat sold at treasury approved tariffs during culling. However, illegal activities like poaching are still experienced in the nature reserve. Thus, the study underscores the relevance the integrating satellite data and qualitative information in assessing the ecological condition of PAs. Such information can help in biodiversity monitoring and decision-making on conservation of biodiversity. Keywords: biodiversity conservation; community-based natural resource management approach; ecological status; mapping; satellite data; spatial characterisation; species diversity; statistical analysis.