Research in tourist behaviour follows the cognitive approach. This contains the behavioural cycle of stimulation (motivation and intention formation), the actual behaviour and experience, and finally the evaluation of consequences. These stages are referred to in tourism as: the pre-trip experience (motivation and intention formation), travel stage (actual behaviour) and the post-travel stage (evaluation of the travel experience). The characteristics, which influence tourist behaviour, indicate that travel motivations are the result of how tourists behave (tourist behaviour). These characteristics are: the decision-making process, demographical factors, marketing mix, external/social factors and internal/ psychological factors (motivations). Motivations to travel have a major influence on the travel behaviour of tourists. Tourists' motivations to satisfy their needs directly influence their behaviour, or the actions they take, in order to satisfy these needs. Due to its impelling and compelling nature, motivation is considered to be one of the most important variables in explaining tourist behaviour. As countries and destinations strive to increase their share of the international and national tourism market, it becomes important to understand why people travel and why they choose a specific ecotourism destination. If travel motivations of tourists are known to the product, it will be an aid when developing a competitive marketing strategy. From the literary review, the following travel motivations occurred regularly: leisure, excitement, socialisation, relaxation, family togetherness, escape, culture, novelty, attractions, knowledge seeking, adventure, prestige, nature, facilities, recreation, attributes, nostalgia, photography, exploration and activities. The literary review further revealed that there are travel motivations commonly found with regard to tourism destinations, and on the other hand, there are travel motivations which are product related. The aim of this research was to determine the travel motivations of tourists to selected national parks in South Africa: Karoo-, Kgalagadi Transfrontier- and Tsitsikamma National Parks. Secondary data was used to determine the visitors' profile, as well as the factor analysis on travel motivations. For the visitors' profile, 286 questionnaires were administered for Karoo National Park, 468 for the Tsitsikamma National Park and 582 for Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. For the factor analysis, 318 questionnaires were administered for Karoo National Park, 673 for the Tsitsikamma National Park and 534 for Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. Primary data was used to determine the reasons for visiting these parks. 101 Questionnaires were administered for Karoo National Park, 192 for the Tsitsikamma National Park and 104 for Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. The foremost findings of the research were divided into three categories, namely: visitors' profile, reasons for visiting the parks and travel motivations. Regarding visitors profile; it was found that profiles for the three parks were quite similar, except for the following: expenditure of tourists at Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, where the average spending of tourists was higher and directly linked to the duration of stay; duration of stay indicated that tourists visiting Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park stayed longer. Two major markets were revealed by the research for all three parks, namely: Gauteng and Western Cape, with the exception of Tsitsikamma National Park, which had a third market of importance, namely Eastern Cape. This information is important when developing marketing strategies. It was especially evident that 4x4 vehicles are the preferred mode of transport for visitors to Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. Therefore, this park can be marketed as a 4x4 destination. From these results one can conclude that the profile of tourists to the three selected national parks showed minor differences. Primary data was used to determine the reasons why tourists visit the selected parks. Among the most important travel reasons why tourists visit the selected parks, was: to relax, for family recreation, to get away from regular routine and for the benefit of the children. The factor analysis regarding travel motives revealed the following: five factors were identified for Karoo National Park and six factors were identified for both Tsitsikamma- and Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Parks. Results illustrated that these parks have common and unique motives. Common travel motives in these parks include: park attributes, escape and relaxation, as well as knowledge seeking. Unique to Karoo National Park, was attractions and family togetherness, compared to photography and adventure for Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, and adventure and attractions for the Tsitsikamma National Park. A combined factor analysis was also conducted, which showed knowledge seeking, park attributes, as well as escape and relaxation as the most important travel motives of tourists visiting the three selected national parks. This research, therefore, confirmed that different attractions and destinations feed different travel motives, even when classified as similar types of products. Marketers can use this information to position these parks and to develop better marketing strategies, to enable national parks to outwit their competitors. / Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Research in tourist behaviour follows the cognitive approach. This contains the behavioural cycle of stimulation (motivation and intention formation), the actual behaviour and experience, and finally the evaluation of consequences. These stages are referred to in tourism as: the pre-trip experience (motivation and intention formation), travel stage (actual behaviour) and the post-travel stage (evaluation of the travel experience). The characteristics, which influence tourist behaviour, indicate that travel motivations are the result of how tourists behave (tourist behaviour). These characteristics are: the decision-making process, demographical factors, marketing mix, external/social factors and internal/ psychological factors (motivations). Motivations to travel have a major influence on the travel behaviour of tourists. Tourists' motivations to satisfy their needs directly influence their behaviour, or the actions they take, in order to satisfy these needs. Due to its impelling and compelling nature, motivation is considered to be one of the most important variables in explaining tourist behaviour. As countries and destinations strive to increase their share of the international and national tourism market, it becomes important to understand why people travel and why they choose a specific ecotourism destination. If travel motivations of tourists are known to the product, it will be an aid when developing a competitive marketing strategy. From the literary review, the following travel motivations occurred regularly: leisure, excitement, socialisation, relaxation, family togetherness, escape, culture, novelty, attractions, knowledge seeking, adventure, prestige, nature, facilities, recreation, attributes, nostalgia, photography, exploration and activities. The literary review further revealed that there are travel motivations commonly found with regard to tourism destinations, and on the other hand, there are travel motivations which are product related. The aim of this research was to determine the travel motivations of tourists to selected national parks in South Africa: Karoo-, Kgalagadi Transfrontier- and Tsitsikamma National Parks. Secondary data was used to determine the visitors' profile, as well as the factor analysis on travel motivations. For the visitors' profile, 286 questionnaires were administered for Karoo National Park, 468 for the Tsitsikamma National Park and 582 for Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. For the factor analysis, 318 questionnaires were administered for Karoo National Park, 673 for the Tsitsikamma National Park and 534 for Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. Primary data was used to determine the reasons for visiting these parks. 101 Questionnaires were administered for Karoo National Park, 192 for the Tsitsikamma National Park and 104 for Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. The foremost findings of the research were divided into three categories, namely: visitors' profile, reasons for visiting the parks and travel motivations. Regarding visitors profile; it was found that profiles for the three parks were quite similar, except for the following: expenditure of tourists at Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, where the average spending of tourists was higher and directly linked to the duration of stay; duration of stay indicated that tourists visiting Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park stayed longer. Two major markets were revealed by the research for all three parks, namely: Gauteng and Western Cape, with the exception of Tsitsikamma National Park, which had a third market of importance, namely Eastern Cape. This information is important when developing marketing strategies. It was especially evident that 4x4 vehicles are the preferred mode of transport for visitors to Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park. Therefore, this park can be marketed as a 4x4 destination. From these results one can conclude that the profile of tourists to the three selected national parks showed minor differences. Primary data was used to determine the reasons why tourists visit the selected parks. Among the most important travel reasons why tourists visit the selected parks, was: to relax, for family recreation, to get away from regular routine and for the benefit of the children. The factor analysis regarding travel motives revealed the following: five factors were identified for Karoo National Park and six factors were identified for both Tsitsikamma- and Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Parks. Results illustrated that these parks have common and unique motives. Common travel motives in these parks include: park attributes, escape and relaxation, as well as knowledge seeking. Unique to Karoo National Park, was attractions and family togetherness, compared to photography and adventure for Kgalagadi Transfrontier National Park, and adventure and attractions for the Tsitsikamma National Park. A combined factor analysis was also conducted, which showed knowledge seeking, park attributes, as well as escape and relaxation as the most important travel motives of tourists visiting the three selected national parks. This research, therefore, confirmed that different attractions and destinations feed different travel motives, even when classified as similar types of products. Marketers can use this information to position these parks and to develop better marketing strategies, to enable national parks to outwit their competitors. / Thesis (M.A. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

No description available.

Water provision is an important tool in the management of savanna ecosystems. Artificial water sources are a potential focus for degradation (biodiversity and loss of ecosystem resilience at a range of spatio-temporal scales), because they alter plant-animal interactions and soil function and stability, through the creation of piospheres. This study was undertaken as part of a drive by the Kruger National Park (KNP) to enable managers to integrate artificial waterhole management (e.g. waterhole closure or rotation) when setting goals for heterogeneity and biodiversity conservation in the park. The over-arching goal was to quantify the relationship between water provision and different attributes of heterogeneity, as part of a broader initiative to place water provision and piospheres within an ecosystem threshold framework. Herbivore utilisation gradients (piospheres) around artificial waterholes in the KNP, described in 1990, were resurveyed in 2006-2007, against a backdrop of waterhole closure in the KNP, to contribute to an understanding of the factors governing recovery and resilience in grazing systems. The responses of the plant community and soil parameters to a relaxation of herbivore utilisation pressure around closed waterholes (recovering piospheres) were examined, as were changes in the same parameters at sites that have remained open (active piospheres). These ecosystem properties were considered in relation to structural and functional ecosystem thresholds, and the piospheres surveyed incorporated a range of rainfall and edaphic gradients in the KNP. Herbaceous basal cover and soil infiltration capacity both increased significantly between 1990 and 2006/7, regardless of waterhole status. This was linked to higher rainfall in 2006/7, compared to 1990. The only vegetation variables to respond consistently to distance from water were the remote-sensed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and herbaceous species composition. NDVI increased with distance from water, and annual grasses and forbs were most abundant close to water. Perennial, disturbance-sensitive climax species increased in abundance further from water. Soil analyses (N, P, pH, organic matter, and texture) and field measurements (infiltration, compaction) revealed no systematic piosphere patterns. Waterhole closure did not result in soil or vegetation recovery, but piosphere intermittency and the increases of basal cover and infiltration rate indicated that ecosystem resilience has not been compromised vii by long-term artificial water provision in the KNP. This study has shown that the traditional piosphere model is of limited use in sub-humid savanna ecosystems like the KNP during above-average rainfall periods. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

In the southwestern United States there is a delicate balance between the existing grasslands and the rodent fauna. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the influence of secondary succession of native grasslands upon the ecology and distribution of small rodents. Two methods of determining the rodent species were plot quadrates and trap lines using Sherman live traps.

MSc. (Geology) / The Mesoproterozoic Pilanesberg Alkaline Complex is located in the north central region of the Kaapvaal Craton of South Africa and is one of the largest alkaline intrusive bodies in the world. It is also one of the least studied due to the fact that the dominant exposure of the complex forms part of the Pilanesberg National Park. The Pilanesberg Complex intruded into the western limb of the Paleoproterozoic Bushveld Complex, the complex is a circular structure of 530km2 appearing on the map as a set of concentric rings of different varieties of syenites, capped by extrusive pyroclastic units and lavas. The present study is focused on the petrography and mineral chemistry of the rocks and minerals in an outcrop of mainly lujavrite, which is located in the Ledig nepheline syenite previously referred to as Ledig foyaite, named after an informal settlement by the name of Ledig which is situated approximately a kilometer south of the outcrop. This unit is emplaced in the southern region of the Pilanesberg complex and is believed to be a hybrid of the white nepheline syenite and the green nepheline syenite. A number of different rock types were examined from this outcrop, however, detailed work was only carried out on the lujavrites, in particular the eudialyte bearing lujavrites. The lujavrites consist of porphyroblasts of heterogeneously-sized feldspars, feldspathoids and mafic minerals set within a finer grained material. The bulk rock geochemical data on the Ledig lujavrites indicate considerable variation, but no obvious trends. A selected number of samples collected from the ledig lujavrite outcrop were geochemically analysed, these samples sit within the nepheline syenite field and have a shoshonitic affinity. The samples analysed have a relatively wide range of SiO2 content (20.39% to 52.67%), however the majority of the samples fall between 47.07 and 52.67%, the fluorite rich sample analysed has the lowest SiO2 as well as the lowest alkali content. The lujavrites and tinguaites are silica undersaturated and rich in alkalis. All the samples analysed are alkaline in nature and fall in the ferroan field. There is some variation in the SiO2 content and a large variation in Mg# in the sample population, this appears to be due to different proportions of minerals occurring as phenocrysts. No clear trends emerge, which is in part due to the very large differences in element concentrations within rock types with similar SiO2 content and Mg#. A lack of geochemical variation stemming from Abstract differentiation was expected as the samples were collected from a single outcrop essentially within a single lithology. There are a number of different phases of eudialyte that have been identified and studied from the Pilanesberg, at both the outcrop and in the northern area of the green lujavrites. At the Ledig lujavrite outcrop, there are euhedral magmatic eudialytes, which contain nepheline inclusions as well as post-magmatic eudialytes present in the samples studied. The two textural types have distinctly different chemical compositions. The majority of the feldspars present within the Ledig lujavrites appear, from their texture, to be primary magmatic minerals, however there are also feldspars present within the lujavrites which appear to be a product of secondary unmixing of feldspars as documented by the perthitic textures. Sodalite is present as a magmatic mineral; however, it is most commonly observed in the interstitial spaces and is thought to be an alteration product of nepheline. Analcime occurs in the groundmass, forming in the intergranular reaction rim between mineral phases. The analcime is typically controlled by the shape of the interstices...

Downed woody material (fallen logs) offers spiders (Araneae) and ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) ideal nesting and foraging sites. In a maple forest of Forillon National Park, I compared spider and ant assemblages on, adjacent to, and away from fallen logs, and on these I tested the effects of log type and decay stage. In a second study, spider and ant assemblages were compared on, adjacent to, and away from fallen logs in different forest types. / In the first experiment spiders were highly affected by trap placement, and diversity was highest on the wood surface compared to the forest floor. In contrast, wood type and decomposition stage of logs had few significant effects on spiders. Log type did not affect the estimated number of spider species nor the spider catch rates. Decomposition stage did not affect spider collections, but less decayed logs were more diverse in spider than heavily decayed logs. / The second experiment showed that use of dead wood by spiders depends on forest type. Ant diversity and abundance was generally low, making it difficult to offer concrete conclusions related to log use by ant assemblages. This work brings additional support for the important role of dead wood to forest arthropod biodiversity.

M.Sc. / OBJECTIVES Tourism in the Kruger National Park is closely linked to nature conservation. Tourism being the revenue earner and conservation the resource provider; this results in a mutually beneficial symbiosis. This finely tuned interdependence between tourism and conservation should be properly managed to ensure that tourism does not become a self-destructive process, destroying the very resources on which it is based. Mounting pressure from central government is forcing the National Parks Board to become financially independent of State grants. Tourism provides the most viable solution towards achieving financial independence. All the national parks in South Africa will therefore have to make a concerted effort to accommodate and attract more tourists. The Kruger National Park, being the largest national park (1 948 528 hectares), will have to make a major contribution towards financial independence. In order to achieve this goal, tourism in this Park will have to be planned and managed more effectively. It is within this context that this study was initiated. In order to facilitate future tourism planning and management, the study will investigate the number of tourists visiting the Kruger National Park as well as the occupation of accommodation by tourists. These results will in turn be used to investigate the tourist carrying capacity of the Park and to make suggestions regarding the Park's tourism management policies. RESEARCH METHOD As a result of the primarily descriptive nature of the investigation relating to the number of tourists visiting the Park as well as the occupation of accommodation by tourists, the research will include diagrammatic and cartographic representations of the data. In order to explain the temporal and spatial variations of the tourists in the Kruger National Park, a correlation and regression analysis was used in conjunction with non-tourist variables (which include both socio-economic and physical variables). The results obtained in the above investigation were used to study the physical and perceptual tourist carrying capacity. Physical tourist carrying capacity was researched by indicating the percentage occupation of available accommodation and available day visitor quota. As a result of the its subjective nature, the balance between the costs and benefits associated with gaining a holiday experience was used in conjunction with the number of visitors to the Park in order to determine the perceptual tourist carrying capacity. RESULTS The number of visitors to the Park as well as the occupation of accommodation by tourists both indicated that large temporal and spatial variations exist. The temporal variations in tourist data were best explained by school holidays. An obvious relationship exists between school holidays and the number of visitors to the Park. The spatial variation was best explained by distance from the PWV and rainfall. The distance from the PWV (now Gauteng Province) indicates the strong influence of this region as a source area for tourists to the Park. Rainfall in the Park influences the type of vegetation, which in turn influences the distribution and population densities of animals which are sought after by tourists. With regard to the tourist carrying capacity, the results showed that the physical tourist carrying capacity is utilised below the optimum levels. More tourists can therefore be accommodated, particularly during non-school holiday periods. With reference to the perceptual tourist carrying capacity, it was found that it has been reached. The most important reason for this is the higher tariffs that are being charged.

The status, distribution and ecology of klipspringer were studied in the Kruger National Park. For the status and distribution, the Kruger National Park south of the Olifants River was used as the study area. Data on the status and distribution were gathered from all the ranger sections in the study area with the use of a non-sampling method, namely a systematic search. The results showed that the klipspringer population in the Kruger National Park is secure with a patchy distribution consisting of 773 individuals in the study area and a sex ratio of one male per 1.1 female. The ecology of the klipspringer was studied in a specific study area on the Nwatindlopfu spruit between Skukuza and Tshokwane where five klipspringer individuals were radio collared. The aspects covered in the study on the ecology of klipspringer, were the activities associated with environmental and vegetation related variables as well as scent-marking. It was found that vegetation is the determining factor in the habitat selection of klipspringer in the Kruger National Park, in that it provides both shelter and food. The ideal klipspringer habitat can be described as an area that has limited access to other ungulates that can attract predators. The vegetation should consist of palatable plant species that could be utilized by klipspringer, and must also provide sufficient shelter against possible danger. Klipspringer scent marks were surveyed in a specific klipspringer range in the Kruger National Park with the use of a strip transect method. Both the male and the female klipspringer scent-mark their ranges. A pair of pre-orbital glands below the eyes produces the scent. The secretion produced is a sticky milky substance that is deposited on a suitable twig. The results showed that klipspringer in the Kruger National Park scent-¬mark more frequently on the boundaries of their ranges and also more on those sides where there is another resident klipspringer group. / Dissertation (MSc (Wildlife Management))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Animal and Wildlife Sciences / unrestricted

An investigation of the relationship between the physical, pedological and anthropogenic influences on landslide occurrence on the midslopes within and outside Mt Elgon National Park was carried out. One of the landslides occurred in a protected pristine forest environment within the Park while the other two were located at sites deforested for cultivation within and outside the National Park. Field based surveys, GIS techniques and laboratory tests were used to collect and analyze the data. A household survey was undertaken to establish the main community livelihood strategies, the drivers of land use change and implications for land degradation on the mid slopes of Mt Elgon. Aerial photographs taken in 1960 and orthophoto maps formed the benchmark for the analysis of the respective land use changes between 1995 and 2006, using 30m Landsat TM and 20m SPOT MS images in IDRISI Andes GIS environment. Landslide sites were mapped using a Magellan Professional MobileMapperTMCX and terrain parameters were derived using a 15M Digital Elevation Model. A hybrid supervised/unsupervised classification approach was employed to generate land cover maps from which the areal extent of three land cover classes (agricultural fields, woodlands and forests) was calculated. Particle size distribution and atterberg limits were used to test the hypothesis that soils at the landslide sites are inherently ‘problem soils’ where slope failure can occur even without human intervention. Shear strength parameters (internal of friction and cohesion) were used calculate the slope factor of safety to ascertain slope stability at pristine and disturbed landslide sites. Results from the socio-economic survey revealed that smallholder subsistence agriculture and encroachment on the National Park resources are the main sources of livelihoods for the communities surrounding the Park. The communities also have a strong socio-cultural attachment to the National Park, as it is the source of items used during traditional rituals like circumcision. Encroachment is driven by the high population pressure and the prevalent political climate. Farmers mainly use slash and burn technique to prepare land for cultivation and those close to the National Park are reluctant to adopt appropriate farming and soil conservation practices due to the uncertainties surrounding their future on such plots. Slash and burn iii techniques were observed to accelerate various forms of erosion including rills, gullies and sheet. Soil and water conservation techniques were mainly practiced on privately owned farms. The period 1960 and 1995 was characterized by minimal land use changes and no encroachment into the designated Mount Elgon National Park. Conversely, the period 1995 – 2006 marked a significant loss of woodlands and forest cover particularly on steep concave slopes (36º – 58º) within the National Park. The land use change trends were attributed to the prevalent land politics and exponential population growth in the region. The encroachment onto the critical slopes was noted to have induced a series of shallow and deep landslides in the area. Deforestation on Mt Elgon was reported to have both onsite and offsite climate variability and implications in the form of drought, heat waves, flash floods, economic dislocation, crop failure and associated malnutrition in surrounding low lying areas. The soils on pristine and disturbed slopes contain high amount of clay (>10 percent), are fine textured (>50 percent of the material passing the 0.075mm sieve) and highly plastic. These soil attributes imply low permeability, excessive water retention and high susceptibility to expansion and sliding. The vertic nature of soils at Nametsi was confirmed by the extremely high plasticity indices (averaging 33percent), while, high liquid limits at Buwabwala (53 percent) and Kitati (59 percent) qualified the soils as vertisols which are associated with landslides. The results point to the fact that soils at landslide sites are inherently ‘problem soils’ where slope failure can occur even without human intervention. Therefore, the hypothesis that soils at three landslide sites are inherently ‘problem soils’ where slope failure can occur even without human intervention is accepted. Notwithstanding the fact that the study was focussed on mid-altitude slopes of Mt Elgon, the results are in tandem with investigations carried out earlier on the lower densely populated slopes, thus confirming the widespread nature of problem soils on Mt Elgon. There is an urgent need to control human population growth and restore forest cover on the heavily deforested steep slopes particularly within the National Park, and restrain communities from encroaching on the pristine slopes of Mt Elgon. This will be achieved if the politicians, Park Authorities and local communities jointly participate in the design and implementation of CFMs. Future research could focus on climate change implications of deforestation of Mt Elgon environments and quantification of carbon loss related to deforestation and soil degradation in the mountain environments.