This document is submitted in partial fulfillment for the degree: Master of Architecture (Professional) at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2018 / Through increased urbanisation and industrialisation, the human species has become separated from the natural world, valuing the environment only as far as it is useful to us. Society has become used to living through a human-centric view that places humans above all other natural beings. The destructive nature of this perspective is visible to us in the rapid depletion of our natural resources and, perhaps most alarmingly, the increasing amount of species driven to extinction and endangerment by the destruction of natural habitats. As we are now beginning to see the harmful effect this view has had on the natural world, it is necessary for society to change the way we interact with the natural world. We need to begin to act not only for the good of ourselves, but with the good of all living beings in mind. A shift in perspective is needed that places the human species into the natural world as an equal part of the system rather than a being of superior importance. In order to achieve this shift, we must understand our role as an integrated part of our surrounding natural ecosystems. The Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Centre for Conservation is proposed as a centre devoted to conservation biology research placed within the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi National Park in order to promote the easy access of researchers, South African and international, to this rich natural ecosystem. Its aim is to enable researchers to make use of the unique opportunities this protected environment offers in understanding the rise and fall of plant and animal species and thus to further understand how to increase and protect the biodiversity of this country. As well as this, the Centre for Conservation aims to showcase a method of building that is in no way harmful to the surrounding sensitive landscape and that functions as a part of the ecosystem, thus displaying to visitors how humans can interact with their natural environment in a symbiotic relationship and promoting a deeper care and respect for the natural world / MT 2019

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg 2017 / The translocation of rhinoceroses is extremely stressful to the animal and this may strongly affect the success of translocation. The objectives of this study in white rhinoceroses were to (i) validate a non-invasive assay using faecal metabolites to assess the stress response in the white rhinoceros, (ii) to assess the stress response in the white rhinoceros associated with capture, handling, transportation and confinement, to be able to predict at capture which animals will adapt to confinement, and (iii) to investigate the use of the acute phase proteins (APP), serum amyloid A (SAA) and haptoglobin (Hp) as indicators of stress associated with capture and confinement. To achieve these objectives blood and faecal samples were collected from each rhinoceros at capture, and whenever possible, during confinement. To assess the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA) response of white rhinoceroses an ACTH challenge was performed and plasma cortisol and faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) were measured with a commercially available 125I RIA kit and a 125I corticosterone RIA kit, respectively. Gastrointestinal transit time was estimated with the use of an inert marker. Results showed a 4-to 8-fold increase in plasma cortisol within 15 to 20 minutes and a 3-fold increase in FGM concentration 60 to 90 hours later. Although this FGM measurement is non-invasive, relevant and robust, the time required to complete the extraction and assay could take several days. This measurement can be advantageous to monitor the stress of animals in confinement but has no application where animals are captured and immediately translocated. Measurement of plasma cortisol and FGM was also used to assess stress in rhinoceroses following transportation and in confinement. The results show that rhinoceroses have variable individual responses to capture and confinement and although there was evidence of behavioural habituation, HPA activity showed that there was no physiological habituation. We could not establish any predictor of success of habituation in the boma environment. The APP results showed that Hp is more likely to be an indicator of metabolic stress; rather than physical and psychological stress; while SAA responds rapidly to physical and psychological stress in the rhinoceros. It was also found that plasma cortisol was positively associated with SAA concentration when the animal is transferred to the boma, and that SAA may be a potential plasma biomarker to identify animals which could be at risk of failing to habituate to confinement. / MT 2018

In  South  Africa  Community-­based  Natural  Resource  Management  (CBNRM)  has   recently  gained  popularity  as  the  dominant  approach  to  conservation  due  to  its  perceived   environmental  and  social  benefits  and  as  a  form  of  restitution  for  communities  that  were   forcibly  evicted  from  their  land  during  apartheid.  This  dissertation  investigates  the   disconnect  between  the  rhetoric  and  reality  of  CBNRM  in  South  Africa,  by  focusing  on   the  case  of  Ndumo  Game  Reserve.    It  aims  to  critically  evaluate  the  social  justice  and   economic  impacts  of  CBNRM  on  the  neighbouring  Mbangweni  and  Mathenjwa   communities.  It  argues  that  there  are  significant  tensions  between  the  community  focused   rhetoric  of  CBNRM,  the  predominantly  fortress-­style  of  conservation,  and  the  neo-­liberal   eco-­tourism  venture  at  Ndumo  Game  Reserve.  I  conclude  that  CBNRM  at  Ndumo  is   largely  guided  by  western  conservation  and  economic  ideologies  and  driven  by  the   support  of  state  and  private  interests  while  alienating  local  people  from  their  land  and  its   management.

The overwhelming focus of documentary sources indicate that traditional approaches to land degradation and soil erosion in South Africa have focussed on the physical dimension of the problem and the development of practical solutions to its reduction. This study was undertaken from the viewpoint that this emphasis has resulted in the neglect of other (for example, socio-political) aspects of soil erosion and that such neglect has exacerbated the soil erosion problem manifest in South Africa. An examination of the 'human dimension' of soil erosion in South Africa was therefore undertaken through an analysis of soil conservation policy and legislation promulgated to effect policy objectives between 1910 and 1992. Acknowledging that the policy environment is influenced by factors within the economic, political, historical and perceptual (all human) environments, as well as the natural environment, this study attempts to integrate information relating to each of these parameters within the overall framework of South African soil conservation policy. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of environmental perception in the decision-making process, together with the critical influence of intervening variables found to be operative within the perceptual environment as represented in the South African context. In the absence of substantive empirical data, this study posits a number of a priori assumptions regarding the extent and causes of soil erosion, support for which was initially derived from the extensive literature sources reviewed for the study. The basic premise of this study is that soil erosion persists in South Africa, and despite considerable government and public inputs and participation, and the existence of a legislative machinery created specifically to address the problem, progress in promoting soil conservation through implementation of specific measures has been slow. Following a review of soil conservation policy and legislation up to 1992, it is further submitted that factors other than legislative inadequacies could account for this problem and therefore warrant particular and thorough investigation. To this end, this work firstly describes the physical context within which South African soil erosion occurs, followed by a brief appraisal of socio-economic and political variables which together have shaped contemporary perceptions regarding the nature, extent and causes of soil erosion in the country. A comprehensive review of relevant policy and legislation in the period 1910-1992 was then undertaken by reference to published and unpublished sources. The evolution of soil conservation policy in the country was charted through reference to relevant legislation and parliamentary debate. The temporal variation in the relative success of the policy and legislative enactments was measured by reference to relevant indicators. The adequacy of South African soil conservation (as indicated by four key legislative enactments formulated to specifically address soil erosion) was evaluated using key elements of the World Soils Policy as a baseline. Analysis of the Forest and Veld Conservation Act of 1941, the Soil Conservation Act of 1946, the Soil Conservation Act of 1969 and the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act of 1983, revealed a clear evolutionary progression in which successive acts sought to build upon successes and minimise the weaknesses of previous efforts. This analysis reveals marked temporal variability in the extent to which each element is addressed and explores the multi-environmental (political, social, historical, economic and perceptual) constraints on attainment of all goals. This assessment permitted the compilation of, what the author has termed the South African Policy Environment Model, which takes the form of a working hypothesis. This hypothesis was subsequently tested utilising the 103 responses obtained from a postal questionnaire survey directed at 242 scientists, policy developers and extensionists (representing a 43 per cent return), that is, those persons who either currently or during the study period, were actively involved in the development of soil erosion research and/or the implementation of conservation policy objectives. In spite of the apparent effort by the South African government to address soil conservation, contemporary opinion (according to documentary evidence) suggests that the policies formulated have failed to attain soil conservation goals and reduce the manifest extent and rate of land degradation in the country. This study broadly concludes that such inefficacy of policy may be ascribed to: 1. lack of importance ascribed to soil 2. national level control 3. non-uniformity in application of law 4. inadequacies in the implementation of policy 5. paucity of information on real nature and extent of problem 6. perceptions in an uninformed environment. The study furthermore submits that images concerning the realities of soil erosion are shaped by perceptual filters and the value systems of individuals active in the soil conservation arena, or more specifically, key players' perceptions regarding the causes, extent and nature of the soil erosion problem, are what underpin and ultimately give rise to the relative effectiveness of soil conservation strategies. This study identifies a multiplicity of factors which operate within five dynamically interative environments (the political, economic, historical, perceptual and natural environments) considered influential in shaping the temporal (and spatial) variation in the policy environment represented in this study. This examination of the multidimensionality of soil erosion has led to the conclusion that in addition to the problems broadly outlined above, soil erosion is also a problem of: 1. accountability; 2. focus; 3. priorities and government commitment; 4. situational incompatibility; 5. misinformed perceptions; and 6. timing. It is submitted that lack of recognition of these inter- and intra-environment dynamics could account for the relative inefficacy of soil conservation policy to promote the sustained adoption of conservation practices. Such factors will in the past have been overlooked due to the neglect of the 'human dimension' of the problem in South Africa in the period under review. It is believed that the measure of consensus derived from the results of this study, reflects contemporary realities concerning the status of soil conservation in the country, at least amongst those individuals most intimately involved in the development, formulation and administration of soil conservation policy. As such it provides an appropriate foundation upon which to base future policy decisions and more importantly, to derive optimum compliance with conservation norms and standards of practice amongst land users. Only by recognising the multidimensionality of the soil conservation policy environment and its components, can the past inefficacies be overcome. It is submitted therefore that for South Africa to meet its challenges of the 21st century concerning the conservation and sustainable utilisation of soil, the priority of policy developers must be - the expedient adoption of a multi- and interdisciplinary approach to agricultural resource management, with particular emphasis on its 'human dimension' . / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1996.

Thesis (M. Sc. (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / Livestock production in communal areas is faced by a myriad of challenges such as environmental degradation, poor markets, stock theft and disease. This has drawn interest towards wildlife-based land-use practices as an alternative or complement to livestock production. Wildlife-based land-uses have potential to generate incomes and create employment in wildlife rich areas. On the other hand, several problems such as human-wildlife conflict have been identified in wildlife rich areas. This study investigated perceptions of rural households in areas adjacent to the Kruger National Park (KNP) regarding integrated wildlife/livestock land-use practices. Data were collected from 130 households in nine villages alongside KNP in Giyani. Respondents were stratified into cattle owning households and non-cattle owning households, to determine differences in perception towards wildlife. Chi-square and Cramer`s V tests were used to test if there is an association and relationship between the households` opinion and cattle ownership. For empirical analysis, factor analysis and multinomial logistic regression models were run with SPSS. Attitudes and perceptions were analysed by the Likert-scale numbered from 1 to 4. High scores (i.e. 3 and 4) indicated negative attitudes and low scores (i.e. 1 and 2) indicated positive attitudes. The factor analysis managed to reduce the number of attitude variables fitted into the model from 29 to 9 factors (components), that were used in the multinomial logit model analysis. Results from the multinomial regression indicated that demographic factors such as age, gender, education, occupation, marital status, monthly income and cattle ownership had a significant impact in distinguishing between pairs of groups and the contribution which they make to change the odds of being in one dependent variable group rather than the other. Results from factor analysis (component variables or factors) also had a significant impact on the dependent variables when applied to multinomial logit regression. About 59% of the sampled households showed positive attitudes towards integrated wildlife-based land-use practices, and indicated willingness to participate in it. Those who had negative attitudes and were not likely to participate were 13%; and those who were uncertain on whether or not to participate were 28%. Looking at the results of the empirical analysis derived from regression analysis through multinomial logit, several factors were found to have influenced whether or not households were likely to participate in the integrated wildlife/livestock land-uses. Variables: damages caused by wild animals on crops and vegetables; giving land and stopping farming to allow for wildlife conservation; roles and opportunities of wildlife in the community; roles and opportunities of livestock in the community; age of household head; occupation of household head; gender of household head; cattle ownership; Access to market, income earned from sale of livestock, and state of grazing area, were found to be significant (at different significant levels 1%, 5% and 10%) in determining whether or not households were likely to participate in the integrated wildlife/livestock land-uses. However, variables: Government support and the number of people benefiting from livestock, Interest in wildlife protection, Relationship between wildlife, human and domestic animals and land ownership were found to be insignificant in determining whether or not households were likely to participate in the integrated wildlife/livestock land-uses. Most of the households showed interest in participating in wildlife-based land-uses irrespective of whether or not they own cattle. Some households indicated dislike of the proposed land-use practice, mainly those who practiced cattle and crop production, as they perceived wild animals as a high risk to their stock. However, this negative attitude can be managed if benefits to households and community are clearly defined and compensation for loses from wildlife are made a priority. Cooperation of all stakeholders (for example, community, government, conservationists and foreign donor’ agencies) is recommended for implementation of wildlife-based land-uses.

Thesis (PhD (Botany and Zoology))—University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / Natural ecosystems provide many services that are crucial for sustainability and health of human society. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems (i.e. goods and services) and can be classified into provisioning (e.g. fibre, fuel wood); regulating (e.g. water and climate regulation); supporting (e.g. soil retention) and cultural (e.g. aesthetic value). The growing global human population and other threats place enormous stress on the natural environment reducing its capability to provide services. According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, more than 60% of ecosystem services worldwide are being degraded or used unsustainably. The need to safeguard ecosystem services is therefore urgent. Biodiversity underpins most ecosystem services, but the functional relationship between biodiversity and services is not well known. A wide range of strategies exist for safeguarding biodiversity, but no such approaches have been developed for ecosystem services. A key conservation strategy is the use of systematic conservation planning to identify priority areas where effort should be focused. There are calls for the inclusion of ecosystem services into conservation planning geared towards biodiversity. Ecosystem services have been used for many years as an additional rationale to justify biodiversity conservation and it is often assumed that conserving biodiversity will also conserve services. However, it is unclear how different facets of biodiversity relate to different services and to what extent conserving biodiversity will safeguard services. This thesis addresses a range of issues relating to the integration of ecosystem services into conservation planning in South Africa. I first investigated the status of ecosystem services in conservation planning worldwide by reviewing the conservation planning literature from 1998 to 2005. Ecosystem services are clearly not adequately addressed in conservation assessments. A critical barrier preventing the inclusion of ecosystem services in conservation plans is the lack of spatially-explicit data. I developed a methodology for mapping ecosystem services in South Africa and mapped the distribution of five important ecosystem services (surface water supply, water flow regulation, carbon storage, soil retention and accumulation). Using the five services to examine relationships within services and between biodiversity revealed a lack of congruence between services and different levels of congruence with biodiversity features. However, including ecosystem services in a biodiversity assessment captured at least thirty percent of each of three services selected for the study. Nevertheless, a biodiversity plan may not necessarily capture adequate amounts of ecosystem services. Ecosystem services should be planned for explicitly instead of relying on biodiversity data. I identified priorities that met targets for five services in the grasslands of South Africa. This thesis provides new insights on planning for biodiversity and ecosystem services. The results have immediate applicability for conservation planning in South Africa. Keywords: Conservation planning, conservation assessments, ecosystem functions, ecosystem processes, ecosystem services, natural capital, biodiversity, soil, water, carbon.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2014. / The persistence of rare plants is an important dimension in the conservation of biodiversity. Consequently an improved understanding of the nature and determinants of plant rarity and its relation with vulnerability to extinction could provide a basis for “proactive conservation” instead of the present day tendency for conservation actions to be “reactive”. In this dissertation I explore the relation between plant rarity and anthropogenic pressures (land transformation and use), biophysical factors, and plant traits in KwaZulu-Natal Province. Rarity was defined as the product of plant species abundance (population size) and its distribution (extent of occurrence). A number of a priori hypotheses regarding plant rarity were developed from the literature and these were then tested on a sample of plant species from KwaZulu-Natal. Species were selected in a stratified random manner to include species from different levels of threat and rarity or commonness. As the interest of this study was KwaZulu-Natal, only KwaZulu-Natal records were used for the analysis. Although the study suffered from a paucity of data particularly on the biological traits and behaviour of each species I was able to explore rarity in terms of seed dispersal distance, stress tolerance, habitat specificity and ecological niche width. I also explored potential island effects based on a species affinity to isolated erosional land surfaces and the anthropogenic effects of utilization and land transformation. To get an initial insight into relations, rarity was compared with each explanatory variable independently prior to using a multiple regression analysis approach aimed at understanding the potential interactive effects of suitable variables on rarity. Three different analytical techniques were used to provide a more robust understanding of the variable associations. These included Regression tree analysis (CART Salford Systems Inc., USA) and two generalized linear regression approaches; Generalized Linear Modelling (GLM) and Generalized Additive Modelling (GAM). All three multiple regression methods indicated that niche width had the strongest influence on rarity. Although Land Surface was shown to be the second strongest variable this, according to the GLM and GAM analyses, was due to a positive correlation between species with no affinity to land surface and species commonness. Visual representation of the regression tree analysis showed inconsistent partitioning of this variable throughout the tree indicating that land surfaces are not good predictors of rarity. Although the relation between Rarity Index and Habitat Transformation is not linear it was shown to be significant (p <0.1(p=0.0549)) after “smoothing” in GAM analysis. A smoothing curve on the bivariate analysis and the regression tree analysis indicated that species start to become rare after approximately 36% of their habitat is transformed. While GLM and GAM showed little or no relation between life history, dispersal distance, habitat specificity and rarity, the regression tree selected habitat specificity as the third most important splitter in the tree and dispersal distance was selected as a primary splitter for species with a niche width of greater than four. These differences observed in the three multiple regression analyses highlight the value of using more than one method to explore relations in ecological data. Considering all three analyses Niche Width is the strongest determinant of Rarity in KwaZulu-Natal, followed by Habitat Transformation and then Habitat Specificity. This improved understanding of the determinants of rarity will enhance our ability to prioritise plant species for conservation action. Key Words: ecological niche width, habitat specificity, habitat transformation, rarity, seed dispersal distance, stress tolerance, human use.

Although the marine environment has generally been considered to be less in need of attention from conservationists, politicians and managers than the terrestrial environment, there has been an increasing appreciation that there is little left in the marine environment that can be considered unaltered by humans. Conservation action is therefore urgently needed to protect marine populations, species and environments from anthropogenic pressures. Since overharvesting seems to be the main cause of the collapse in coastal ecosystems, areas need to be protected so that stocks can recover. However, the proclamation of such marine protected areas (MPAs) need to be well planned to ensure that species are well represented and that their biological requirements are met in the long term. While terrestrial conservation planners have started to incorporate biological, social and economic information into so-called systematic conservation plans, marine planners have been more hesitant to use these approaches due to the greater openness of the ocean (with the associated greater dispersal of marine organisms and propogules, lower levels of endemism, and lack of ownership) and the paucity of available information. The current study aimed to investigate the applicability of systematic approaches to the process of selecting sites for a network of potential replenishment zones for seabream species that could supplement protection already afforded by existing no-fishing reserves. Since many of these seabream species are popular targets in both the recreational and commercial linefishery sectors, they have been overexploited and are in need of additional protection. Information on these species and the diversity of their associated reefs were obtained through consultations with scientists, managers and resource-users (namely SCUBA divers, spearfishers as well as recreational and commercial fishers). These data were obtained during workshops where Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) scoring and mapping methods were applied. Although ordinal-scale, rather than interval-or ratio-scale data were obtained, these data could be used in an interactive selection process. Because these methods require relatively cheap materials and few personnel, they could be used to collect information where limited budgets are available. Quantitative targets for the protection of individual species were set on the basis of their status in the Marine Living Resource Act, since this reflected their different requirements for protection. A preliminary investigation indicated that the current no-fishing reserves effectively achieved most of these goals for seabream species. The selection of sites for the replenishment network was based on irreplaceability analyses, while decisions between sites with lower irreplaceability values were based on explicit design rules. A total of 26 sites were required to achieve targets for all species. These replenishment zones could potentially be established, managed and monitored by voluntary community groups. This study therefore indicated that systematic conservation planning can successfully be applied to the marine environment, while the involvement of stakeholders is crucial to ensure that conservation action is supported.

This study examines the possibilities within the conservancy movement for the facilitation of environmental education. By means of a case study approach, a conservancy in the Northern Cape and the conservancy movement within the Free State provinces are compared with a view to elucidating factors militating against and promoting the success of environmental education programmes. The current lack of research in isolated rural areas is discussed. Re-orientation of perspectives regarding the value of conservancy-based environmental education within governmental, academic and local circles is recommended.

No description available.