A dissertation of submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master's in Recreation and Tourism in the Department of Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, 2009. / There has been turmoil between the Isimangaliso Wetland Park Authority and the Khula village community located adjacent to it. Khula village community members have been trespassing into the park and conducting illegal activities. Some of these include: killing wild animals, cutting trees for wood carving and medicinal purposes without permission from the Isimangaliso Wetland Park Authority. In addition, the number of hijacked tourist cars in the area is increasing and other serious criminal activities directed to tourists are becoming very common. All these illegal activities are progressively contributing, not only to the gradual deterioration of the status of the resources, but also to the spoiled relationship between the authorities, tourists and the community around the Isimangaliso Wetland Park. These occurrences are impacting adversely on the park as a tourist destination. What is implicit is that tourist visitation numbers at the Wetland Park will drop, and these reduced numbers of tourists that will affect the employment rate within the local community. Pursuant to these observations and problems, the researcher found it appealing and necessary to explore the relationship between the Isimangaliso Wetland Park Authority and Khula village community. This would be achieved by investigating the participation, practices, and patterns associated with the administration of the Isimangaliso Wetland Park. In an attempt to address the research question or problem, the following research objectives were set up: • To reveal the extent to which the local community is aware of the importance of tourism in the study area • To establish whether the communities do participate in the reserve activities that bring in income • To determine the existing type of relationship between the local communities and the park authorities • To explore whether the communities are given a platform to express their preferences about the park • To investigate whether there are any development initiatives the reserve is offering to the local community. The research methodology used to execute the objectives of the research study involved collecting information from the local community of Khula Village, Isimangaliso Wetland Park Authority and KwaZulu-Natal Ezemvelo Wildlife. Data was collected by means of sets of questionnaires. The data collected was analysed using the SPSS computer statistical package, which led to getting the research findings. There were various findings that emerged and were deduced from the research data analysed. The findings showed that a dual relationship between the local community and Park Authorities. On the one side it was good because of the social involvement of local communities in the activities of the Park, whereas, on the other side, the lack of economic participation affected the relationship negatively. The findings showed that, among the respondents from the study area, a limited number of people had had access to tertiary education. It is believed that the lack of tertian7 education influenced the availability of skills that resulted in a small number of people participating in activities that would bring economic benefit as opposed to social benefits. Social benefits were enjoyed by a larger number of the respondents whereas economic benefits were only experienced by few. Furthermore, these economic benefits were experienced through activities, which brought income to the local communities such as harvesting wood for carving and craft making. Some benefits involved the performance of cultural activities to tourists, whereby community participants were paid money for the services. The cited benefits reflect some of the important solutions to the research problem of this study.

Tarebia granifera is a prosobranch freshwater gastropod from south-east Asia which has invaded other sub-tropical parts of the world. This snail has recently also invaded the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, often reaching population densities of over 20000 ind.mˉ2 and dominating benthic invertebrate communities. A multiple method approach was used to address several aspects of the biology and ecology of this non-native invasive species (NIS). The tolerance of T. granifera to salinity and temperature was investigated through the experimental manipulation of these factors. T. granifera survived exposure to temperatures between 0 ºC and 47.5 ºC. More remarkably, this snail was able to survive a salinity of 30 for 65 - 75 days. Population density and size structure were monitored in estuaries and coastal lakes. T. granifera successfully invaded estuaries despite frequent exposure to high salinity and desiccation. The persistence of T. granifera was largely ensured due to the wider environmental tolerance of adults (20 - 30 mm shell height) which carried an average of 158 ± 12.8 SD brooded juveniles. Multiple introductions were not essential for the success of this parthenogenetic NIS. Using gut fluorescence and carbon budget techniques it was estimated that T. granifera consumes 0.5 - 35% of the total available microphytobenthic biomass per day, or 1.2 - 68% of the daily primary benthic production. The carbon component estimated from the gut fluorescence technique contributed 8.7 - 40.9% of the total gut organic carbon content. A stable isotope mixing model was used together with gut content analysis to estimate the diet of T. granifera and dominant native gastropod species, potentially competing for resources. Results were used in the formulation of an index of isotopic dietary overlap (IDO, %). This approach yielded detailed information both on general changes in ecosystem functioning and specific species interactions. Before/After-Control/Impact (BACI) logic was used in a multivariate approach to separate human perturbations from natural spatio-temporal variability displayed by communities, and to further separate perturbations due to NIS. Human intensification of drought negatively affected biodiversity and T. granifera may exacerbate this problem by displacing native species from critical refugia and contributing towards biotic homogenization. The present findings constitute a contribution to the scientific knowledge on biological invasions and a useful tool towards adaptive management in the iSimangaliso Park. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2012.

The purpose of this research document is to inform the author about the manners in which built form can be reconfigured within landscapes. As such the focus is twofold: Firstly, the concept of landscape must be explored and defined and secondly, theoretical approaches to the reconfiguration of built form within the landscape must be determined. Through research it is found that landscape is not, as is popular belief, merely a natural phenomenon, but consists of a visual and imagined component. The visual component in turn, consists of the natural and the cultural landscape. An argument is made that the predominate contemporary paradigm should determine the manner in which the built form is designed. As such, the theme of complement (between built form and landscape) is derived as an interpretation of the current global awareness of environmental issues. The imagined landscape is found to relate to the cultural landscape in the sense of both being influenced by it and influencing it. From the contemporary, global mindset of environmental sensitivity, the concept of complement is derived. Complement refers to the idea of mutual symbiosis of two parties, i.e. both parties benefit from their relation. As such, the theory of synchronized geometry and progressive tradition is investigated in terms of the natural and cultural landscape respectively. The intention and potential application of the theories is tested by discussion in relation to certain precedents and cases of built form (such as the Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre) and landscape (the landscape of iSimangaliso Wetland Park). / Thesis (M.Arch.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

A vegetation survey, on the plant community level of organization, was conducted on the Mfabeni swamp on the eastern shores of Lake St Lucia. The survey included both the sedge/grass swamp and the swamp forest. Mfabeni swamp is a peatland with peat up to 10m in depth. Except for limited studies in Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal, this is a first vegetation survey on the plant community level of peatland vegetation in southern Africa. Total floristic composition and habitat information were recorded in 214 sample plots, fully referenced by GPS for GIS mapping. The data were captured in the TURBOVEG data base for vegetation data, classified using the TWINSPAN numerical classification algorithm and phytosociological tables were compiled using the MEGATAB computerized table management program. Fourteen plant communities were identified, characterized by diagnostic and dominant species, described, and the localities noted by GIS. The data were also processed by the PCOrd numerical ordination program and the axes of the resulting ordination diagrams were related to environmental conditions. This gave an indication of the environmental factors controlling the existence and distribution patterns of the different plant communities. An ordination was run on the habitat data collected to further illustrate the relationship between the plant communities and environmental variables. It seems that water depth, seasonality of the water depth and certain water chemical properties, such as pH conductivity and dissolved oxygen content of the water play an important role in determining floristic composition and therefore plant community type in the Mfabeni swamp. / Dissertation (MSc(Botany))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Plant Science / unrestricted

The Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area will be planned as an interna-tional level tourism site. In order to improve the water quality in bay area, the administration authority has removed oyster farm. However, sewage and aquaculture wastewater from the communities and fish ponds around the bay area were still discharged continuously. After careful assessment, The Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area Administration authority decided to use constructed wetlands to treat such kinds of wastewater. In this study, the treatment efficiencies of Datan Constructed Wetland Park were investigated. According to the experimental results, we found that the remove efficiencies of SS, Chl-a, and TOC were not good enough, while the other parameters, such as OP, TP, NO2-, and NO3- their all re-moval efficiencies were all above 40¢H.The removal efficiencies of NH3, TKN and TN were all above 60%. However, the removal efficiencies of turbidity and BOD were found equal to 30%. Generally, TN was removed by the process as of nitrification and denitrification, but the nitrification of the subsurface flow¡]SSF¡^part of wetland was perforated worse, which caused the org-N and NH4+-N was not availably to become the NH3, NO2- and NO3-. Because of this reason, the removal effect of Org-N was not very significant. The parameter of TOC was affected by the fixation of CO2 through photosynthesis of autotrophs, and the respiration and denitrification of heterotrophs. The sediment also could provide organic carbon source for denitrification. Photosynthesis and carbon source would cause the re-moval efficiency of TOC become worse than synthesis. In the wetland, the decrease rate of salinity was found above 20¢H.

Wetlands provide many functions, which includes offering surface water, supplying groundwater, breeding and producing natural resources, offering natural landscape and touristic spot, providing area for ecology education or research and regulating regional ecosystem etc.. Their function in the environment can't be ignored, and thus they deserve to be protected. One research was focused on Niaosung Wetland Park(NWP). The Niaosung wetland park was developed from the sinking pool of the Cheng Chin Lake Branch, Taiwan Water Supply Company. The site was originally designed to precipitate sediments from wastewater exhausting from Cheng Chin Lake Water Treatment Plant. The sinking pool gradually became a small-scale artificial wetland by sufficient water and nutrients. NWP was launching in September, 2000, which have seen working more than four years. Although the construction methods of NWP were disputable and destroyed existing ecosystem, NWP was still tended slowly to nature after recovering naturally for four years. Actually, It is difficult to manage NWP for the reason of that it is located in Grant Kaohsiung municipal area. The other part of this research was focused on The Neiweipi Cultural Park in Kaohsiung¡]NCP¡^Museum of Fine Arts. NCP was established in 2000, and was divided into three areas: hill area, river area and wetland. It is combined with the Art Museum and ecological park, which can offer citizens many life styles, such as art, culture, recreation and ecology, etc.. In this study, we monitored the water quality and assessed the habitat of both wetland parks to get some strategies which would be used to manage and maintain these two wetland parks in order to let them become more sustenance, stability and variety. After monitoring for one year, the result shows that both of the artificial wetland parks, whose purposes were not used for wastewater treatment (purification of water quality), could reduce some non-point source pollution. If we want to maintain both of the wetland parks sustenance, we must use regularly artificial controls and monitoring data, involving plants, birds, insects and water quality etc., to stop their changing and improve the quality of habitat. Habitat recovery is one of these artificial controls, which could maintain the habitats under the best state to attract diverse creatures for their looking for food and perch.

Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus .L) swamp is the most species rich habitat that play vital hydrological, ecological, and economic roles in central tropical and western African wetlands. However, the existence of papyrus vegetation is endangered due to intensification of agricultural use and human encroachment. Techniques for modelling the distribution of papyrus swamps, quantity and quality are therefore critical for the rapid assessment and proactive management of papyrus vegetation. In this regard, remote sensing techniques provide rapid, potentially cheap, and relatively accurate strategies to accomplish this task. This study advocates the development of techniques based on hyperspectral remote sensing technology to accurately map and predict biomass of papyrus vegetation in a high mixed species environment of St Lucia- South Africa which has been overlooked in scientific research. Our approach was to investigate the potential of hyperspectral remote sensing at two levels of investigation: field level and airborne platform level. First, the study provides an overview of the current use of both multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing techniques in mapping the quantity and the quality of wetland vegetation as well as the challenges and the need for further research. Second, the study explores whether papyrus can be discriminated from each one of its coexistence species (binary class). Our results showed that, at full canopy cover, papyrus vegetation can be accurately discriminated from its entire co-existing species using a new hierarchical method based on three integrated analysis levels and field spectrometry under natural field conditions. These positive results prompted the need to test the use of canopy hyperspectral data resampled to HYMAP resolution and two machine learning algorithms in identifying key spectral bands that allowed for better discrimination among papyrus and other co-existing species (n = 3) (multi-class classification). Results showed that the random forest algorithm (RF) simplified the process by identifying the minimum number of spectral bands that provided the best overall accuracies. Narrow band NDVI and SR-based vegetation indices calculated from hyperspectral data as well as some vegetation indices published in literature were investigated to test their potential in improving the classification accuracy of wetland plant species. The study also evaluated the robustness and reliability of RF as a variables selection method and as a classification algorithm in identifying key spectral bands that allowed for the successful classification of wetland species. Third, the focus was to upscale the results of field spectroscopy analysis to airborne hyperspectral sensor (AISA eagle) to discriminate papyrus and it co-existing species. The results indicated that specific wavelengths located in the visible, red-edge, and near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum have the highest potential of discriminating papyrus from the other species. Finally, the study explored the ability of narrow NDVI-based vegetation indices calculated from hyperspectral data in predicting the green above ground biomass of papyrus. The results demonstrated that papyrus biomass can be modelled with relatively low error of estimates using a non-linear RF regression algorithm. This provided a basis for the algorithm to be used in mapping wetland biomass in highly complex environments. Overall, the study has demonstrated the potential of remote sensing techniques in discriminating papyrus swamps and its co-existing species as well as in predicting biomass. Compared to previous studies, the RF model applied in this study has proved to be a robust, accurate, and simple new method for variables selection, classification, and modelling of hyperspectral data. The results are important for establishing a baseline of the species distributions in South African swamp wetlands for future monitoring and control efforts. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

Wetland vegetation is of fundamental ecological importance and is used as one of the vital bio-indicators for early signs of physical or chemical degradation in wetland systems. Wetland vegetation is being threatened by expansion of extensive lowland areas of agriculture, natural resource exploitation, etc. These threats are increasing the demand for detailed information on vegetation status, up-to-date maps as well as accurate information for mitigation and adaptive management to preserve wetland vegetation. All these requirements are difficult to produce at species or community level, due to the fact that some parts of the wetlands are inaccessible. Remote sensing offers nondestructive and real time information for sustainable and effective management of wetland vegetation. The application of remote sensing in wetland mapping has been done extensively, but unfortunately the uses of narrowband hyperspectral data remain unexplored at an advanced level. The aim of this study is to explore the potential of hyperspectral remote sensing for wetland vegetation discrimination at species level. In particular, the study concentrates on enhancing or improving class separability among wetland vegetation species. Therefore, the study relies on the following two factors; a) the use of narrowband hyperspectral remote sensing, and b) the integration of vegetation properties and vegetation indices to improve accuracy. The potential of vegetation indices and red edge position were evaluated for vegetation species discrimination. Oneway ANOVA and Canonical variate analysis were used to statistically test if the species were significantly different and to discriminate among them. The canonical structure matrix revealed that hyperspectral data transforms can discriminate vegetation species with an overall accuracy around 87%. The addition of biomass and water content variables improved the accuracy to 95.5%. Overall, the study demonstrated that hyperspectral data and vegetation properties improve wetland vegetation separability at species level. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

The issues of wetland protection has been looked at attentively in Taiwan. However, the action of protecting wetlands can not replace the wetlands lost in speedy developments, which causes the wetland ecosystem in natural environment of Taiwan vanished stage by stage. The idea of ¡§created wetland¡¨ refers to the conversion of a persistent upland or shallow-water area into a wetland by human activity to help to compensate the natural wetlands lost due to destruction by human beings. Such kind of wetland is used to restore wetlands or to let it become a parkland. Created wetlands are different from ¡§constructed wetland¡¨ emphasize the function of wastewater treatment. In the past, park in urban area was usually designed for human use which caused other organisms can not abundantly, and thus the ecosystem in municipal areas became poor. Hence, there is a new concept that we combine the created wetland and park together in order to improve the biodiversity of the ecosystem in urban area. The Zhou-zai wetland park is located beside the Lotus pond in Zuo-ying of Kaohsiung City. This created wetland was initially wanted to attract Pheasant-tailed Jacana come Kaohsiung through the ecosystem. The park was not only designed for human activities but also for other creatures. We tried to use ¡§ecological engineering methods¡¨ to build this artificial habitat. We hope it can promote the biodiversity in urban city by this wetland ecosystem. In this study, we use Zhou-zai wetland park as a case study, and probed into the principles of planning and management in urban created wetland park. It was hoped that the result of this research can provide some consults about constructing created wetland parks in the feature in Taiwan, so that the strategies of wetland protection can then become positive.

Wetland park is developed and beginning revitalized in the field of the park and green land, there are more and more trends particularly to apply to the coastal area of the west of our country, seeing that the expectation that the land uses is ardent , a lot of planning units and undertook business are beginning to be exposed to such a new park concept gradually, But to originally storing in the production of the economic worth and activity in the wetland is not clear and bright, so that the deviation promptly in the initial stage of planning , and the collection of the environment data does not really perfect, soon careless entry the detail design, or construct directly. How to take the rational planning procedure and overall self-criticism of wetland under the situation of different in unit's technological quality of planning, it is undoubtedly a topic that is worth studying! The planning way and quality of the wetland park in Taiwan are different, and the goal is inconsistent, the local government organization and planning units play important roles on wetland park decision making, and often have great influence in the final planning achievement. However, whether members of the leading wetland park project have a professional background or master in the relevant field? For wetland ecology, planning and design, land suitable are analysis, even is people's demand considered? And how to operate integrated land planning and management, I'm afraid that also remains to be discussed. So, with the collection of the wetland park cases, and find out about the characteristic of the domestic wetland environment, including the natural and humane condition discussion, and preliminary draw up a set of planning factors of wetlands park, it is eight module groups altogether, to go deep into the environmental topic , ecological spatial distribution, research of planning methods, the investigation of historical changes, self-criticism of the application aspect, tools using, theory and in the understanding of community participation, in order to adjust the direction of wetland park planning further , let the wetland park have rationality even more. The planning module groups of the wetland park is probing into how rational the planning content of wetland park, This text takes river bank park of area in Xingren of Chia-yi city as an example, use overlap analysis and module groups to probe into the rationality of its planning content, finally put forward the integrated management strategies for the reference in the follow-up management operation. But does not judge the quality of the park according to that, expect that can give consideration to the human demand and bio-diversity conservation in the planning of the wetland park in the future.