For centuries Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs) used their indigenous knowledge (IK) in conserving medicinal plants and environments to maintain sustainability. With the rapid environmental, social, economic and political changes occurring in many areas inhabited by rural people exist the danger that the loss of biodiversity from habitat destruction and unsustainable harvesting practices will result in some species becoming extinct. The main aim of the study was to determine the natural habitat of extinction-prone traditional medicinal plants combining the insight of THPs with an ultimate goal of guiding research for the conservation, propagation and cultivation of traditional medicinal plants. Despite problems, opportunities and challenges expressed and identified by THPs, the analysis of data from interview schedule and personal observations, show that the THPs' practices are shaped by historical processes and local cultural values, social norms and their management strategies that are influenced by a broad range of factors. / Agriculture, Animal Health & Human Ecology / M.A. (Human Ecology)

For centuries Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs) used their indigenous knowledge (IK) in conserving medicinal plants and environments to maintain sustainability. With the rapid environmental, social, economic and political changes occurring in many areas inhabited by rural people exist the danger that the loss of biodiversity from habitat destruction and unsustainable harvesting practices will result in some species becoming extinct. The main aim of the study was to determine the natural habitat of extinction-prone traditional medicinal plants combining the insight of THPs with an ultimate goal of guiding research for the conservation, propagation and cultivation of traditional medicinal plants. Despite problems, opportunities and challenges expressed and identified by THPs, the analysis of data from interview schedule and personal observations, show that the THPs' practices are shaped by historical processes and local cultural values, social norms and their management strategies that are influenced by a broad range of factors. / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology / M.A. (Human Ecology)

MSc (Zoology) / Department of Zoology / See the attached abstract below

MESMEG / Department of Ecology and Resource Management / Invasive alien plants refer to plant species that show a tendency to escape from human control, go beyond the intended physical boundaries and cause environmental damage. The issue of letting the Invasive alien plant species grow and spread, with no attempts made to control the spread of the species beyond the limits of plantations, is not sustainable. All the attempted methods that the Department of Environmental Affairs used seemed to have failed in yielding the expected results. The main objective of the study was to determine the Wolkberg Working for Water programme’s level of success in terms of clearing invasive alien plant species. Wolkberg Project was used as a case study as it is one of the Working for Water Programme. The data were collected using random sampling methods on the worked areas, where work is in progress and those where no work has been done. Primary data were collected from land owners through field observations and questionnaires from the participants whilst secondary data were collected from the Department of Environmental Affairs. The study adopted a mixed methods approach which is both quantitative and qualitative. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) package. The research determined the level of success in terms of clearing invasive alien plant species, employment opportunities, tools/materials that have been used to clear the plants and the advice on the possible strategies that can be employed in the invasive alien plant species management. It was found out that the Invasive alien plant species require constant maintenance in order for them to be controlled. The Wolkberg project is mainly dominated by male workers compared to females. Each team comprised 3% underage workers. The study recommends that the project should make sure that the follow-ups are done at the correct time and stage. Looking at the statistics of males and females, the study revealed that transformation is not adhered to in this project. / NRF

MSCAGR / Department of Plant Production

Lephalale Municipality is a predominantly rural Municipality with 38 villages, two townships (Marapong and Onverwacht) and one town, Lephalale. Lephalale, formerly known as Ellisras, is a town situated in the “heart of the Bushveld” in Limpopo province. The town is growing rapidly and more industries are becoming concentrated within this small town. The construction of Medupi power station which is underway and other projects such as the expansion of Grootegeluk mine (coal 3 and 4 projects), and road developments in the area; have led to concern about the ambient air quality of the area. Other possible future projects are the Coal to Liquid project by Sasol and the Coal Bed Methane project by Anglo American Thermal Coal. The purpose of this study is to determine the ambient air quality impact of the Matimba power station in the Lephalale area. The AERMOD model and ambient air quality data obtained from Eskom’s Grootstryd and Marapong monitoring stations were used to assess the ambient air quality of Lephalale. Sulphur dioxide and Nitrogen oxides were investigated. Both the model’s results and the ambient air quality monitoring data indicated that the power station contributes to high -ground level concentrations of Sulphur dioxide. AERMOD simulated the nitrogen oxides results as nitrogen dioxide. From the study it is concluded that the power station is not the only source of nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen oxides concentrations were associated with low-level sources. The relationship between the criteria pollutants in this study was assessed. The study found that there is no relationship between sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. This finding was used to support the idea that sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are from different sources. It was also established that seasonality has an influence on the ground level concentrations of pollutants in the area.

MENVM / Department of Ecology and Resource Management

Department of Geography and Geo-Information Sciences / MENVSC

PhD (Microbiology) / Department of Microbiology / See the attached abstract below

MSCAGR (Plant Production) / Department of Plant Production / Indigenous trees play important roles in livelihoods for rural communities. Sclerocarya birrea and Berchemia discolor are indigenous in Africa and are used in rural communities for food and livestock feed, as well as for medicinal and construction purposes. These trees are subject to attack by insects, which can result in lower tree productivity. However, there is no documented information about insects found on both tree species in South Africa. This study investigated the seasonal abundance and diversity of insects on S. birrea and B. discolor in Tshikundamalema Area, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Five trees were selected for each of the two tree species at two sampling sites with different vegetation cover, one site mainly the woodland bushveld while the other site was savannah grasslands. Canopy fogging was used to sample insects. Insect samples were collected at one time point for each of the seasons: summer (February), autumn (May), winter (July) and spring (November). Insects were identified to morphospecies and Simpson’s diversity index was used to compare insect diversity on both trees. Analysis of variance was used to compare the abundance of insects across seasons. The most abundant insects were collected from Coleoptera, followed by Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera. A total of 3259 insects belonging to the six Orders were collected. All specimens belonging to Coleoptera, Hemiptera and Hymenoptera (3216 in total) were identified to Family level, with a total of 97 morphospecies, belonging to 19 Families. Insects from Diptera, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera were not identified further due to their low numbers. The abundance and diversity of insects were affected by seasons, sites and tree species. The number of insects was high during the spring season with 1782 insects, and summer coming second with 1104 individuals, followed by autumn (238 insects), then winter (92). B. discolor sampled for a great number of insects (1741) as compared to S. birrea (1475). The woodland bushveld (1924 insects) surpassed the savannah grassland (1292 insects) site in terms of the insect numbers sampled. / NRF