Since the Vredefort Dome‟s listing as a World Heritage Site in June 2005, the area has seen a steady increase in tourists to both the local towns of Parys and Vredefort and the Vredefort Structure. Tourists venturing into the field in an attempt to explore the area have an insatiable appetite for information. By unfolding the gold and granite mining heritage of the area, a world of interesting facts and fables is exposed. The special geological character of the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site is enhanced by the mining interventions which started in the 1800s. The mines provide a glimpse into the earth‟s fresh crust which would otherwise have been obscured form the eye of the scientist/researchers, young potential earth scientists and the enquiring tourist. This study is aimed at identifying, for the first time, the localities of the major mining and quarrying sites in the area. This enabled investigation into and characterization of the exposed sites on the basis of their tourism and academic value. These sites were classified in order to identify those sites that should be made safe, rehabilitated and allowed access to tourists and scientists and those where access should be restricted but made safe in such a way that will allow access to animals and birds. The value of this initiative with regard to the stimulation of learners‟ scientific needs should not be under-estimated. The wide spectrum of natural, biological and physical sciences can be inspiring. / Thesis (MSc (Environmental Sciences))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Since the Vredefort Dome‟s listing as a World Heritage Site in June 2005, the area has seen a steady increase in tourists to both the local towns of Parys and Vredefort and the Vredefort Structure. Tourists venturing into the field in an attempt to explore the area have an insatiable appetite for information. By unfolding the gold and granite mining heritage of the area, a world of interesting facts and fables is exposed. The special geological character of the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site is enhanced by the mining interventions which started in the 1800s. The mines provide a glimpse into the earth‟s fresh crust which would otherwise have been obscured form the eye of the scientist/researchers, young potential earth scientists and the enquiring tourist. This study is aimed at identifying, for the first time, the localities of the major mining and quarrying sites in the area. This enabled investigation into and characterization of the exposed sites on the basis of their tourism and academic value. These sites were classified in order to identify those sites that should be made safe, rehabilitated and allowed access to tourists and scientists and those where access should be restricted but made safe in such a way that will allow access to animals and birds. The value of this initiative with regard to the stimulation of learners‟ scientific needs should not be under-estimated. The wide spectrum of natural, biological and physical sciences can be inspiring. / Thesis (MSc (Environmental Sciences))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Wombats (Vombatidae, Marsupialia) are fossorial marsupials that are most closely related to koalas amongst living marsupials. The cheek teeth of wombats are unique amongst Australian marsupials in being hypselodont (the condition where the teeth continue to grow throughout life and the formation of roots is suppressed). Hypselodonty is an adaptation to high degrees of tooth wear. The fossil record of vombatids is largely restricted to Pliocene to recent deposits and is largely represented by isolated teeth. Six genera are currently recognised from these deposits, all of which have hypselodont teeth. To date, a single isolated vombatid tooth has been described from pre-Pliocene deposits of South Australia and is the only example of a vombatid cheek tooth that possesses roots. Seventy specimens, representing five species of vombatid, have been recovered from Oligo-Miocene deposits in the Riversleigh World Heritage Site in northwestern Queensland and are described here. Among these are four new species and one new genus. A new species of Warendja from Riversleigh is described. It represents the oldest known hypselodont vombatid. This species is compared with additional specimens of the Pleistocene species of Warendja (W wakefieldi). Three species of Rhizophascolonus and a new monotypic genus are also described. Phylogenetic analysis of these taxa indicates that Rhizophascolonus may represent a sister taxon to the other vombatids. These specimens comprise almost all known examples of Oligo-Miocene vombatids. Most of the specimens are isolated teeth and are highly variable in size and morphology. Cusp detail is clearly preserved on many, allowing for omparison with the cusp morphology on juvenile cheek teeth of the common wombat (Vombatus ursinus). All of the taxa found in the deposits at Riversleigh share a number of characters such as marked differences in enamel thickness and height around the cheek teeth. It is argued here that these shared characters are indicative of high amounts of tooth wear and/or occlusal stresses acting on the trailing edge enamel. Combined with evidence of scratch-digging adaptations of the forelimbs it is suggestive of a rhizophagous niche for at least some of these early vombatids.

South African karst aquifers are mainly associated with the dolomitic lithologies of the Transvaal Supergroup. Despite the socio-economic and environmental importance of these aquifers, no scientifically based methodology to outline areas that need protection from potential harmful activities exists. Thus an intrinsic resource aquifer vulnerability mapping method for karst terrains in South Africa was developed. The methodology is a modification of the COP aquifer vulnerability mapping method, developed by the Hydrogeology Group of the University of Malaga. The method is predominantly based on the capability of the unsaturated zone to filter or attenuate pollutants by different processes but considers two additional factors that either increase or reduce the protection provided by the unsaturated zone. These are surface conditions that control water flowing towards zones of rapid infiltration, and the temporal availability of a transport agent (rainfall). These three factors are combined to obtain a final vulnerability index, which is spatially visualised using five vulnerability classes (ranging from Very Low to Very High). Modifications to the original COP method include, amongst others, the consideration of rock types commonly found in South Africa, a statistical redefinition of high rainfall (wet) years, a revised consideration of rainfall rates to account for dilution processes and the consideration of older, sediment filled swallow holes. The method was applied to produce a vulnerability map for Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site near Krugersdorp, South Africa. The vulnerability map clearly shows the generally inferior but variable aquifer protection in areas characterised by dolomitic lithologies, while surrounding non-karstic areas offer moderate to high resource protection. The proposed aquifer vulnerability mapping methodology should be used to assess karstic terrains during land use planning and environmental impact assessments. As an easily understandable planning tool the maps can reduce the likelihood of aquifer pollution. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Geology / unrestricted

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / In January 1997, Robben Island Museum (RIM) opened its doors to the public as a tourist destination. This was done without any formal management structure or strategic planning, to cope not only with its mandate as the first National Museum of the new democratic South Africa, but also to meet the demand of the great interest of visitors to see this prison where the icon of the liberation struggle, Nelson Mandela was incarcerated for 27 years. This operational take-off without formal administrative management structure and strategic planning was understandable given the social and political transitional climate in the country. The effect thereof as the old adage states ‘failure to plan is planning for failure’ seems to hold true for RIM who is struggling to become a well-managed national heritage site. RIM over the years have been beset with governance and management challenges and enjoyed continual bad publicity. The study’s aim was to bring an understanding of what the major governance and managerial challenges were and to make recommendations to address those. The study was guided by a central research question namely What were the administrative and management challenges of RIM and in what ways did it impact on the operational effectiveness of RIM as a national museum and World heritage site. A number of findings emanated from the study. A key one was that clarity of roles and responsibilities of the council and the management is required. Furthermore, the vision and mission of RIM must inform the formulation of strategies to give effect thereto. This in turn must be the base for the development of an appropriate organisational structure to implement the strategies. A number of recommendation stems from the research. An important one was that appointment must be on the basis of ‘fit for purpose’. This means that staff with the right skills and capacity should be appointed as a matter of priority. In conclusion, the findings of the study could be used by other heritage organisations faced with similar organisational challenges.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第20542号 / 地環博第163号 / 新制||地環||33(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎環境マネジメント専攻 / (主査)教授 柴田 昌三, 教授 星野 敏, 准教授 深町 加津枝 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

The means in which fossil accumulations in the caves of southern Africa have formed is of great importance. One method of accumulation is via the collecting behaviours of a variety of mammalian species. The core of said behaviour is in the use of caves by these species. This project was designed to give insight to the way that animals in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa are using caves today. The objective of this research is to give a new understanding to the amount that caves are used by various taxa in South African cave systems, with particular regard to taphonomic agents and potential taphonomic agents. This study was accomplished over a 20-month period by setting up motion sensor cameras outside of cave entrances at the Malapa Nature Reserve. Results have shown that animals use caves at high frequencies, crucial to recognize when examining fossil accumulations.

No / As the essays in this book demonstrate, Prehistoric and Romano-British landscape studies have come a long way since Hoskins, whose work reflected the prevailing 'Celtic' ethnological narrative of Britain before the medieval period. The contributors present a stimulating survey of the subject as it is in the early twenty-first century, and provide some sense of a research frontier where new conceptualisations of 'otherness' and new research techniques are transforming our understanding.

South Africa is well known for its many, important fossil bearing deposits of Plio-Pleistocene age. Many of these sites contain abundant remains of extinct and extant animals including hominins. Non-herpetological fauna have been used to reconstruct important information about past environments and for chronological data. This study tried a different method; using herpefauna to establish past environments of Cooper’s Cave. Herpetological fauna potentially have numerous advantages in their use for such questions, including typically limited ranging behaviors, and specific temperature requirements. Despite these advantages only a few studies have even mentioned the presence of squamate fauna in the fossil assemblages of these sites. This study has demonstrated that herpefauna exists, in reasonable levels of abundance and with adequate preservation within the fossil record of the dolomitic region now known as the Cradle of Humankind. It has also demonstrated for the first time the presence of a relative abundance of herpefauna at numbers far greater than any previous study has recognized. The present study was however, handicapped in not being able to fully utilize the material at hand to interpret past environments, owing to the lack of comparative material needed to move beyond the family or generic level in most cases with any degree of confidence. However, Agamids and Pseudocordylids were described to generic level. However, the many shortcomings that this work highlighted should not be seen as reason not to pursue the study of herpefauna, but to improve present comparative collections and collecting methods around the fossils themselves.

Construit dans le but de relier la Garonne à la mer Méditerranée à partir de 1666, et inscrit sur la liste du Patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO en 1996, le canal du Midi connaît aujourd'hui une nouvelle étape dans l'histoire de son évolution paysagère. En 2006, le chancre coloré, maladie du platane connue pour être incurable, est découvert. À terme, les 42 000 arbres de cette espèce ombrageant le canal, de Toulouse à l'étang de Thau, seraient menacés de disparition, leur abattage constituant pour le moment l'unique solution pour tenter d'enrayer l'infection. Alors qu'il est utilisé aujourd'hui presque exclusivement par le tourisme, on peut se demander quelles seront les conséquences de la disparition de la voûte verte formée par les platanes, alors qu'elle constitue une caractéristique fortement appréciée pour des raisons esthétiques et de confort. La disparition des platanes bordant le canal du Midi a mis en exergue de multiples dysfonctionnements liés à l'implication d'une pluralité d'acteurs aux objectifs parfois divergents et n'ayant jamais véritablement réussi à se fédérer autour d'une gouvernance globale. Cette thèse propose donc de questionner les enjeux liés à ce bouleversement et son influence sur le positionnement des acteurs des territoires traversés par l'ouvrage. J'envisage le chancre coloré comme un élément perturbateur qui laisse à lire des réalités différentes en fonction des échelles du territoire concerné par l'avenir du site canal du Midi, certains territoires révélant leur vulnérabilité mais d'autres pouvant démontrer leur capacité de résilience. Il peut également être un révélateur d'autres dynamiques liées à l'évolution de la gestion des territoires. / Engineered from 1966 onwards in order to connect Garonne River to Mediterranean Sea, registered on UNESCO'S World Heritage List since May 1996, the Canal du Midi is now facing a new step of his landscape's evolution. In 2006, canker disease, which affects plane trees with no hope of recovery, is discovered. Sooner or later, the 42,000 plane trees which shadow the waterway, from Toulouse to the Thau Lagoon, will disappear, their removal being at present the only option for containing the spread of the disease. Nowadays, the Canal du Midi is used mostly for tourism purposes, so we can wonder what will be the consequences of the green canopy's disappearance, this one being highly appreciated for aesthetic and convenience reasons. The destruction of the plane trees has highlighted various failures related to the implication of multiple actors whose objectives are sometimes diverging, and who have never succeeded to agree on a common and global governance. The aim of this thesis is therefore to review the issues related to this upheaval and its consequences on local stakeholders positioning. Canker disease is thus considered as a disruptive factor which point out different field realities according to the scale of the territory involved in the Canal du Midi's future. Some of these territories show their vulnerability, while others exhibit resilience and capacity to adapt to this new environmental reality. It may also reveal other dynamics linked with the evolution of territorial management.