In depth studies of the vegetation of large parts of southern Africa, including detailed maps and descriptions of vegetation units are mainly limited to small areas. Meanwhile, various agricultural practises have led to destruction or deterioration of the quality of natural grassland ecosystems. The agricultural sector in developed and rapidly developing areas of southern Africa is confronted with problems like veld deterioration and the loss of natural areas that effectively contribute to the depopulation of rural areas. The necessity to identify, classify and describe the vegetation types and communities within the Grassland Biome was stressed by Mentis and Huntley (1982). The aim of the Grassland Biome Project is to integrate knowledge. comprehension and expertise, which will enable scientists to forecast the results of the available options of grassland management programmes. The phytosociological classification of northwestern KwaZulu-Natal forms part of this project. Known previous vegetation studies of this area were conducted on a large scale and a considerable time ago, which underlines the necessity for a more comprehensive and phytosociologically refined investigation of this area. The study area lies in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal and comprises the Drakensberg mountains and slopes in the west and undulating plains and bushveld valleys in the east and south. Relevés were compiled in 526 stratified random sample plots over an area of 9300 km2, comprising the northwestern part of KwaZulu-Natal. The vegetation was classified by means of TWINSP AN and Braun-Blanquet procedures. A phytosociological investigation of this vegetation revealed great variation in floristic composition. Further refinement of the data disclosed five major vegetation types containing nine plant communities. The topography and geology of the study area contributes greatly to the diversity of the vegetation, but poor agricultural practises have caused deterioration of the vegetation. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 1998. / Plant Science / unrestricted

Thesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019 / The challenges faced by members of underserved communities in South Africa have frequently been reported in literature. To ameliorate these challenges, different interventions have been introduced both locally and internationally to improve the wellbeing of the members of these communities. One such intervention is the introduction of information and communication technology ICT as a means to close the digital divide and meeting the socio-economic needs of the community. Youth living in these communities are expected to derive more benefit from ICT interventions as they have been reported to be more technology savvy and dependent on technology than the older adults are. However, the failures of ICT interventions deployed by donors have also been reported in literature. Authors have identified several reasons for the failure of ICT interventions, but a lack of consultation with the beneficiaries of this type of intervention is common to many findings. The exclusion of the youth as major beneficiaries of ICT interventions causes a lack of alignment between the interventions deployed for their use and the actual wellbeing needs of the youth in underserved communities. The failure of ICT interventions increases the digital divide and frustrates the good intentions of local and national government as well as international donors to improve the wellbeing of the youth in underserved communities. By using the concept of wellbeing, the study aimed to explore how youth wellbeing indicators can be used to facilitate effective ICT interventions for youth empowerment and development in underserved communities in South Africa. Furthermore, the study aimed todesign an ICT-based artefact to prioritise youth wellbeing indicators in underserved communities in South Africa. The study was implemented through a qualitative research method using a service design strategy that allowed for a participatory research approach and co-design instrument for data collection from the youth living in Grabouw anunderserved community in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Data was collected from 40 youth aged between 15 and 30 at two workshops. Content analysis technique was used to analyse data. Findings from the research show that given the opportunity, the youth are able to determine their social-economic needs. A comprehensive set of wellbeing indicators was developed. Thirteen wellbeing indicators symbolising the issues in the community were prioritised, which are:unemployment, self-image, reaching full potential, family support,access to water, sanitation and electricity,meaning and purpose of life,being healthy,religious practice,educational level,future expectations,freedom of expression,skills to get a job, and access to skills and training. Overall, nine categories of wellbeing indicators were identified; of these, seven are similar to theGlobal Youth Wellbeing Index(GYWI) categories. Three new categories – aspiration, social support, and infrastructure and services – were realised. The three factors are an indication that the Grabouw youth may have special needs different from the global perspective as specified by the GYWI categories. Moreover, the priorities of the wellbeing indicators when compared to the GYWI rating for South Africa differ significantly, which may indicate that the needs of the youth living in underserved communities may vary largelyfrom other youth in the country. Furthermore, an artefact that can be used to prioritise wellbeing indicators was designed. It is important for stakeholders of ICT interventions to embrace participation of the beneficiaries as a means of aligning interventions to their needs. These stakeholders need to seek ways of developing artefacts that address the needs, not limited to health, so that the youth can take advantage of technology to improve their wellbeing on a continuous basis.

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute for Governance and Policy Studies

Die Studie analysiert das Wanderungs- und Umzugsverhalten in den sächsischen Gemeinden Mügeln, Stolpen, Oederan und Kirchberg. Die Anzahl der An-, Ab- und Ummeldungen in den Jahren 1999 bis 2008 wurden nach Alter, Geschlecht, Herkunfts- und Zielregion ausgewertet. Dabei wurde zwischen Kernstädten und dörflichen Ortsteilen unterschieden. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse richten sich insbesondere an die Landes- und Kommunalpolitik, an Planer und Akteure der regionalen Entwicklung. Sie sollen helfen Pläne und Handlungskonzepte für ländliche Städte und Dörfer im demografischen Wandel angemessen zu gestalten.

Nach einem Ideenwettbewerb erhielten vier sächsische Dörfer die Möglichkeit, ihre Themendorfidee mit Unterstützung von Experten aus den Bereichen Tourismus und Regionalentwicklung konzeptionell zu untersetzen. Die Broschüre fasst die individuellen Erfahrungen der vier Themendorf-Pilotvorhaben zusammen. An Hand von Beispielen aus dem Granitdorf Demitz-Thumitz, Krabatdorf Schwarzkollm, Dorf der Sinne Höfgen sowie dem Textildorf Großschönau werden Methoden und Erfahrungen praxisnah vorgestellt. Wichtige Arbeitsschritte wie Potenzialanalyse, Leitbilderarbeitung, Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Inszenierung des Themas sind anschaulich aufgezeigt. Diese Arbeitshilfe richtet sich an Gemeinde- und Ortsvertreter, touristische Anbieter und Unternehmen, Verbände und Vereine, Regionalmanager sowie an Einwohner und weitere an der Themendorfentwicklung interessierte Akteure.

In der Bundesrepublik Deutschland zeichnet sich eine zunehmende Polarisierung von Schrumpfungs- und Wachstumsräumen ab. Zum Teil in unmittelbarer Nachbarschaft von weiter wachsenden Ballungsräumen entstehen extrem dünn besiedelte ländlich geprägte Räume. Die Diskussion um die zukünftige Entwicklung des öffentlichen Verkehrangebots muss diese raumstrukturelle Dimension mit einbeziehen. In dem vorliegenden Papier wird am Beispiel des Landkreises Prignitz in Brandenburg gezeigt, dass die Hauptfunktion des öffentlichen Verkehrs in ländlichen „Schrumpfungsräumen“ im Bereich der Schülerbeförderung liegt. Auf dieser Grundlage wird argumentiert, dass Strategien für eine sinnvolle Anpassung des Angebots an veränderte demografische Rahmenbedingungen vor allem die Optimierung des Schülerverkehrs im Blick haben müssen. Sinkende Schülerzahlen führen zu Schulschließungen. Diese erhöhen die Anforderungen an die Schülerbeförderung, die hauptsächlich mit dem öffentlichen Verkehr abgewickelt wird. Die dramatisch gesunkenen Schülerzahlen lassen die Einnahmen der Verkehrsunternehmen sinken, ohne dass die Kosten zurückgehen. Das Beispiel zeigt, dass für die Zukunft der Daseinsvorsorge in dünn besiedelten ländlichen Räumen eine integrierte Betrachtung und intensive Kooperation der verschiedenen Sektoren der Daseinsvorsorge entscheidend ist. Ziel der Kooperation kann zum Beispiel die gemeinsame Nutzung eines kommunalen Fahrzeugpools sein. Bedarfsgerechte Angebote für eine sehr niedrige Nachfrage können auch auf der Grenze zwischen privatem und öffentlichem Verkehr entstehen: Vorgeschlagen wird ein Programm zur subjektbezogenen Förderung als Angebot für die Schülerbeförderung abseits von Hauptachsen sowie die stärkere Einbindung von Mitfahrangeboten in ein öffentliches Verkehrsangebot außerhalb der Hauptschulverkehrszeiten. / Germany experiences a period of drastic demographic change which affects the different regions in different ways. While the population as a whole decreases and the share of elderly people increases some areas continue to grow and prosper while others suffer from population losses. Especially rural areas in Eastern Germany show extremely low levels of population density. Discussions about future developments in public transport have to take this tendency of a polarized regional development into account. Based on a case study analysis of rural areas in Brandenburg the paper argues that in very thinly populated rural areas public transport’s main function lies in school transport. Strategies aiming at the adjustment of public transport supply to changing demographic conditions have to focus mainly on optimizing school transport services. The case study shows a decreasing number of school children in the area resulting in the reduction and centralization of schools. If there are fewer schools a higher percentage of children have to use public transport on their way to school. Transportation effort for a relatively small number of school children increases and results in financial problems for the suppliers of public transport. The future of general public services („Daseinsvorsorge“) in rural areas depends on an integrated consideration of and intense cooperation between the different public services segments, like schools, public transport or (other) public infrastructure provision. To use existing resources more efficiently such cooperation can aim at the development of a central car pool for the community, which could also provide small vehicles for demand responsive public transport services. Additionally, the paper suggests that public and private transport be more closely linked using instruments such as lift-sharing. For school transport a transport voucher scheme subsidizing privately organized school transport is suggested.

The effects of demographic change and the lack of acceptance represent some of the main problems for the public transport infrastructure in rural areas. As a consequence, the development of new transport service options becomes especially relevant for rural communities. The Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization developed a new form of Demand Responsive Transport the EcoBus to examine the viability of new DRT systems in rural Germany. Our work draws on customer satisfaction data during the trial runs of the EcoBus. Based on the survey data, this paper develops regression models to explain the determinants of DRT customer satisfaction. Our main findings include the importance of waiting times and the ease of entry for overall customer satisfaction. Nevertheless, we found no evidence that the presence of other guests in the vehicle had any negative impact on customer satisfaction. Findings of other works that women are significantly more likely to use DRT services could not be validated from our data.

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No description available.

This work is an attempt to define an alternative definition of rural as compared with the OECD methodology applied to the NUTS 3 units. In the specific nature of the Czech population is necessary to use other methods of defining rural. Bibliography outlines other possible ways of definic, as a empirical research reflects a descriptive approach to the definition of rural based on statistical indicators which are assessed in seven groups. The results are shown in the cartograms. Differences between rural and urban areas are in the Czech Republic according to the chosen methodology very small or not visible. Countryside as defined by statistical indicators have shown similar results as the definition of internal peripherals. The chosen method for the identification is very difficult and demanding. The results are largely influenced by the threshold value for each indicator. Keywords: delimination, country, rural, delimitation, rural areas