The cultural landscape has long been the indigenous language of man and the original inhabitancy of all living things. Humans evolved amongst animals, under the sky, upon the earth and near water resources. We have touched, saw, heard, smelled, tasted, lived in, and shaped the landscape before the spaces had words to describe what it did. Inhabited landscapes were the first human texts, read before the invention of other signs and symbols. This legacy of ‘native identity’ and cultural process makes a connection in each one, physically and mentally. Landscape thus provides the social milieu of our lives and even though we consist of multi-layered knowledge of the ethnographic landscape which is dependent on personal background, traditions, education and character, we should be collectively and individually aware of changes in our cultural landscape and or heritage (Swaffield 2005: 17). The following dissertation attempts to present an approach that might inform landscape design strategies or principles as a basis to the reclamation and/or conservation of redundant cultural heritage places. Along with theory, this paper will also investigate precedential studies to gain knowledge on how to efficiently redevelop a cultural landscape. Key Words: Cultural landscape, heritage, landscape design, reclamation, conservation / Dissertation ML(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Architecture / ML(Prof) / Unrestricted

M.Tech. (Architectural Technology) / This dissertation looks at the problems associated with the mining industry and aims to find an architectural solution that is able to plug-in to the scenario in order to improve the current situation in the social realm and that can promote the empowerment of the communities in which mining occurs. The intention is the creation of a local identity In architecture through construction processes and through leaning from the local inhabitants of the place. The design and development of a jewellery school is envisaged as an appropriate intervention with the capacity to facilitate the strengthening of social ties and networks as well as to create a sense of belonging within the community. Important points of departure include: community involvement In the construction of the building; a focus on ergonomic design and attention to detail. The resulting findings were conducted in Manica, Manica Province, Mozambique,a town which is located 20 km from the Mashipanda Border post bordering Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

M.Sc. / This study focuses on the rehabilitation of borrow pits on linear pipeline projects. In the past there have been many attempts to rehabilitate borrow pits to an ecological acceptable manner. Recently legislation has become more stringent regarding mine closure and rehabilitation. With the introduction of the new Mineral and Petroleum Development Act (MPRDA 28 of 2002), there has been an increase of awareness towards the immediate environment. As this project was a challenge in itself, there were no clear and concise methods in the Act that provide guidelines for final rehabilitation. Normally borrow pits as used on road concessions for material sourcing is left as different landforms like before excavation. The main reason for this is that materials are removed from the pits and not replaced, resulting in areas that are usually lower than their original ground levels. Some unwanted screened material will return to these borrow pits but will not complement what the original level should be. These borrow pits are usually clearly visible as low lying areas filled with water alongside roads. The Vaal River Eastern Subsection Augmentation Project (VRESAP) pipeline borrow pits were unique in the sense that not only material from screening activities were replaced, but also material excavated from the trench were replaced into the borrow pits. What makes this study unique is the fact that an opportunity was presented and clearly stipulated by the standard environmental management plan (SEMP) that borrow pits had to be filled back to their original ground levels or an acceptable level agreed on by the landowner. With this unique project, unique problems arose causing excess material amounting to 327 700 m³, available from the pipeline cavity. External spoil areas had to be promulgated and managed as part of site. This study through its various elements addresses some of the main problems encountered on VRESAP by looking at soil analysis, monitoring regimes, pre and post land use and other mechanisms from literature studies used on similar projects in the mining industry. vii The study also provides recommendations to the reader for future pipeline developments as well as conclusions made by the author. The recommendations made, include ways of rehabilitation planning through trials and errors made on site. Various conclusions were made that would substantiate this study in perspective to user-friendly and practical approaches.

M.Sc. (Chemistry) / Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) play a pivotal in the process of nutrient removal by biological processes particularly the enhanced biological nutrient removal process with a side-stream elutriation process using activated sludge. These acids are said to act as intermediates which provide feed for the organisms in a biological phosphorus and nitrogen removal (BNPR) system, such as phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and nitrate-accumulating bacteria (NABs). In wastewater treatment plants, VFAs play a vital role as intermediate organic compounds during the fermentation processes which generate methane gas and when present at elevated levels they are known to cause microbial stress, acidification as well as the poor performance of anaerobic digesters. For these reasons, the routine monitoring of VFA levels in wastewater treatment plants is crucial as they will act as indicators of the efficiency and optimal operation performance of the anaerobic digesters. Normally the VFAs that are commonly produced during the anaerobic fermentation process include acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and valeric acid and of these, acetic and propionic acids form the major VFAs that are generated, thus the yields of these two compounds provide a useful measure of the anaerobic digester performance. For example, the ratio of propionic acid to acetic acid is always used as an indicator of digester imbalance while high concentrations of acetic acid (e.g. > 800 mg/ℓ) or a propionic acid to acetic acid ratio greater than 1.4 is an indication of digester failure. This study was thus aimed at establishing the complete VFA profile at the Johannesburg Water (JW) Northern Works Wastewater Treatment Plant in Johannesburg, South Africa, by developing analytical methods to quantify the VFAs in the wastewater treatment plant. In addition, the level of VFAs quantified was used to evaluate the efficiency of the fermentation treatment process in wastewater treatment systems in order to give an indication of the bacterial activities in the systems; to determine the ratios of the VFAs, especially the propionic acid to acetic acid ratio, to establish the performance and efficiency of various wastewater treatment plants; and to determine whether there is any imbalance in the anaerobic digesters. Two analytical methods for the determination of VFAs were successfully developed and applied to real wastewater samples. The first method developed was a liquid-liquid extraction method using gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOF-MS. The method involved two extracting solvents, namely dichloromethane (DCM) and methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE). The extraction capacity of these two solvents was compared. The second method successfully developed and optimised headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) using GC-TOF-MS. The microextraction fibre used was a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) fibre. Studies to validate the developed methods were also carried out by calculating the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ). Ratios of propionic acid to acetic acids were determined as well as the concentrations of acetic acid for both developed methods in order to evaluate the performance and efficiency of the treatment process. The results of the study show that the extraction procedure using solvents DCM and MTBE showed that exhaustive extraction was achieved by MTBE. Higher concentrations of acetic acid and propionic acid were obtained by MTBE. The overall fermentation performance for all three units in the period when the samples were collected, which was measured by the ratio of propionic to acetic acid was good since the ratio did not exceed 1.4. The acetic acid concentration in mg/ℓ was < 800 mg/ℓ for all units thus it can be said that the reactor balance was maintained for the period studied. The method LOD ranged from 0.034 mg/ℓ to 0.21 mg/ℓ and the method LOQ ranged from 0.11 mg/ℓ to 0.70 mg/ℓ. Optimisation of extraction parameters was achieved for headspace solid-phase microextraction using the PDMS fibre method. The extraction method was conducted for 60 min using a sample volume of 4 mℓ and the amount of sodium salt added was 1.50 g. The desorption temperature and time was 210ºC and 5 min, respectively. The LOD values ranged from 0.079 to 2.07. The PDMS fibre was found to be suitable for extracting higher carbon chain fatty acids as compared to lower carbon chain fatty acids. The plant performance for the period studied was on par as indicated by ratios of propionic acid to acetic acid which all fell below 1.4. There were no digester failures for the period studied. The acetic acid concentration in mg/ℓ was < 800 mg/ℓ for all 3 units.

Improving the hydraulic performance of waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) is an important management strategy to not only ensure protection of public health and the environment, but also to maximize the potential reuse of valuable resources found in the treated effluent. To reuse effluent from WSPs, a better understanding of the factors that impact the hydraulic performance of the system is needed. One major factor determining the hydraulic performance of a WSP is sludge accumulation, which alters the volume of the pond. In this study, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis was applied to investigate the impact of sludge layer geometry on hydraulic performance of a facultative pond, typically used in many small communities throughout the developing world. Four waste stabilization pond cases with different sludge volumes and distributions were investigated. Results indicate that sludge distribution and volume have a significant impact on wastewater treatment efficiency and capacity. Although treatment capacity is reduced with accumulation of sludge, the latter may induce a baffling effect which causes the flow to behave closer to that of plug flow reactor and thus increase treatment efficiency. In addition to sludge accumulation and distribution, the impact of water surface level is also investigated through two additional cases. Findings show that an increase in water level while keeping a constant flow rate can result in a significant decrease in the hydraulic performance by reducing the sludge baffling effect, suggesting a careful monitoring of sludge accumulation and water surface level in WSP systems.

The world we live in is changing rapidly. Ecological, economic and social aspects and understandings are all undergoing paradigm shifts. Communities, farmers and individuals in arid zones are experiencing climate changes, more so than city dwellers. A better understanding of the current thinking in range ecology and management, especially of arid environments, is critical to the management of these delicate, complex systems. Ecosystems in equilibrium or in disequilibrium react differently to management and reclamation efforts. An understanding of the basic principles and how they evolved is important in order to apply these principles correctly in the management of arid zones. The use of keystone species and simple technologies, such as water harvesting and mulching, can all be used to reclaim and manage the arid zones. Understanding the differences between systems in equilibrium and disequilibrium can be used as a guide for planning appropriate future research in the arid zones. Searching for new indigenous species to help in the reclamation of arid zones is of the utmost importance. An ecological criterion was used to identify potential plant species for reclamation of degraded arid rangelands of southern Africa. Tripteris sinuatum and Sutherlandia microphylla were identified as possible candidates. Germination studies, with seeds harvested from naturally occurring plants, were conducted for both species. Treatments were based on the natural seed dispersal mechanisms for both species. S. microphylla has the potential to become an important plant species for reclamation purposes in arid zones of southern Africa. Not only potential new species should be sought, but also the management of species, already in use, are of critical importance. The relative palatability and survival of 16 different Atriplex species and accessions were determined at two different localities in the arid Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Significant differences were found between species at both localities. It is believed that because of the variety of species in the Atriplex genus, relative palatability and survival should be used to determine which of the different species could be useful under specific climatic and soil conditions. The establishment and reaction of Atriplex nummularia and Cassia sturti were tested for season of planting and the use of a stone mulch at two locations in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. A. nummularia reacted the best to a moderate pruning treatments, while Cassia sturtii reacted best to severe pruning. These results should aid in the management of planted fodder plantations. Numerous attempts at improving natural veld have failed in the past. An examination of landscape function and the potential to harvest water in localized areas should drive veld improvement in arid zones. Seeds from two different plants species (Tetragonia calycina and Tripteris sinuatum) were used to inter-seed a bare patch in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. The two species, with two treatments, (brush packing or not) in two different locally occurring eco-topes, were used to determine plant establishment. The water run-on eco-tope showed a significantly higher plant establishment percentage than the water run-off eco-tope. The establishment of perennial grass species was also found on the water run on eco-tope, three years after establishing the reclamation site. Such sites could form an important link in biodiversity conservation. / Dissertation (MSc Agric (Pasture Science))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Plant Production and Soil Science / unrestricted

During oil-sands mining all vegetation cover, soil, overburden and oil-sand is removed, leaving pits several kilometres wide and hundreds of metres deep. These pits are reclaimed by a variety of treatments using mineral soil or a mixed peat and mineral soil as the capping layer and planted with trees with natural colonisation from adjacent sites. A number of reclamation treatments covering different age classes were compared with a range of natural forest ecotypes to identify the age at which the treatments become similar to a natural site with respect to vegetation composition and key soil attributes relevant to nutrient cycling. Ecosystem function was estimated from plant community composition, litter decomposition, development of an organic layer and bio-available nutrients. Key response variables including moisture, pH, C:N ratios, bio-available nutrients and ground-cover were analysed by non-metric multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis to discover which reclamation treatments were moving towards or merging with natural forest ecotypes and at what age this occurs. On reclaimed sites, bio-available nutrients including nitrate generally were above the natural range of variability but ammonium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and manganese were generally very low and limiting to ecosystem development. Plant diversity was similar to natural sites from 5 years to 30 years after reclamation, but declined as reclaimed sites approached canopy closure. Grass and forb leaf litters decomposed faster than aspen or pine in the first year, but decomposition on one reclamation treatment fell below the natural range of variability. Development of an organic layer appeared to be facilitated by the presence of shrubs, while forbs correlated negatively with first-year decomposition of aspen litter. The better restoration amendments for tailings sands involved repeated fertilisation of peat: mineral mixtures in the early years of plant establishment, these became similar to a target ecotype at about 25 years. Good results were also shown by subsoil laid over non-saline overburden and fertilised once, these became similar to a target ecotype at about 15 years. Other treatments receiving a single application of fertiliser remain entrenched in the early reclamation phase for up to 25 years. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Mine reclamation is a long-term process but few long-term (> 15 years) assessment studies are carried out. Considerable effort has gone into test-plot experiments to design revegetation programs prior to termination of mine production but little is known from the results of this work of the long-term effect of competitive interactions between seeded species themselves and between seeded and immigrating native species during the progression to a natural vegetation for that site. The present study revisited and repeated benchmark scientific studies carried out at five mine-sites during the period 1973-1978. The mine-sites were Bull River mine, Coal Creek mine, Cumberland No. 4 mine, Pinchi Lake mine and Texada Iron mines. They were in different biogeoclimatic locations and at each mine, sample sites were located on different waste materials. On-site studies carried out during the 1993 field season included substrate observation and sampling, and visual observation of plant species and percent cover. Substrate samples were later analysed in the laboratory for soil nutrients. The graphical presentation of data honours the original data and is an effective way of assessing the development of substrate health and plant succession. Results show that if sufficient attention is paid to improving land-form then over a long period natural regenerative processes can accomplish remarkable results. Moisture deficiency will restrict growth to deep rooting, drought tolerant species and result in slow encroachment. This may require intensive management if erosion is likely. This type of study performed by staff with interdisciplinary training or experience can be used to make economical long-term assessments of site rehabilitation. They would not in any way replace the detailed quantitative monitoring conducted at critical phases early in the decommissioning process. However, as a complement, such studies could provide data for predicting long-term development on newer sites. In addition, they are an ecologically acceptable alternative to assessments of "productivity" on sites where rehabilitation is slow. / Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies / Graduate

Empirical forest transition (shift from deforestation to reforestation) literature has historically struggled to establish a single universally-accepted forest transition “theory” due to various knowledge gaps hindering any efforts to do so. One such gap is the fact that very few studies have focused on how and why smallholder farmers respond to commonly accepted forest transition drivers, as well as how these responses impact forest cover and agricultural trends. Also, there remain many parts of the world where forest cover evolution has been insufficiently researched, as is the case of Mae Chaem district (Chiang Mai province, Thailand). Even though there are studies which claim forest loss occurred in the district between the 1990s and mid-2000s, there are few available records of forest cover evolution since then. To address these research needs, this thesis used secondary literature and spatial data, as well as semi-structured interviews and personal observations gathered during fieldwork in Mae Chaem district. It was first determined that forest cover in the district decreased between the 1990s and mid-2010s due to agricultural expansion. However, it appears that forest cover is expected to increase from 2016 to 2021 due to more strictly-enforced conservation measures set in motion by the Mae Chaem Model (a state-sponsored sustainable development model). These findings first suggest that the district might be currently in the early stages of a forest transition, its drivers being shifting forest policies and economic factors. Second, interviewed farmers resisted forest policies to optimize their crop productions before 2016, before beginning to develop more acceptant responses in early 2016 due to pressure from pro-conservation discourses and cognitive shifts regarding the value of protecting forest at the expense of agriculture. Also, farmers adopted ambiguous responses (motivated by their economic rationality) to pressure stemming from various economic factors, both prior and since 2016. With both environmental and socioeconomic issues deriving from these responses, the outputs from this study will hopefully help supplement existing forest transition studies on local populations responses to drivers of forest change. It is also expected to provide up-to-date information on existing and anticipated impacts of recent state development efforts, such as those deriving from the establishment of the Mae Chaem Model.

The aim of this diploma work is to analyse and evaluate claims in Renault Česká republika, Inc. by using the recommendations of quality management and by means of Pareto analysis as a quality control tool, and also to propose measures for reduction of causes of their emergence. In this work I review claims in Renault Česká republika, Inc. submitted in the years 2006, 2007 and first half of 2008. As a result and consequence of the analysis I propose solutions, which could help in making an effort to increase the satisfaction of both regular and prospective customers.