The world today is faced with major threats to a stable future, such as the greenhouse effect, depletion of fossil fuels, desertification, poverty and the growing gap between rich and poor. People are becoming more aware of the importance of a sustainable relationship between social systems and ecosystems. These systems were investigated in a South African township in Hammanskraal, Gauteng. Fieldwork was done to determine the current land use of the residents, the land use impacts of the residents and the natural resources available to the residents. The current land use of the residents was determined by observations and interviews. The people modified the ecosystem to make decorative gardens, plant food crops and to fence the yards. The land use impact varied over the total area of the selected site. A TWINSPAN analysis divided the ecosystem into two major communities namely the Residential Major-community, which was divided into 5 sub-communities, and the Savanna Major-Community, which was divided into 3 sub-communities. The land use impact was determined for each sub-community of the Savannah Major-Community in terms of species composition, vegetation structure, grass biomass and grazing capacity. The land use impact of the residents is most destructive on the Residential Major-Community, though the impact in each sub-community is similar. The local ecosystem is used to discard waste and to cut trees for firewood. The land use impact of the residents on the local ecosystem is low compared to agricultural activities. It is concluded that the relationship between the social and the ecological systems of the selected site is dysfunctional, because some natural resources needed by the social system are limited or destroyed. These resources include soil, space, water and energy. An interesting question that was investigated is: Why do people plant ornamental plants if they do not have enough resources and food? The relationship between the social and the ecological systems are complex. Technologies are needed to reach sustainable household-based production, without requiring adaptations from the relevant systems. Technologies that were identified from the literature include the principles of plant communities, permaculture, conservation agriculture and intercropping. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Plant Science / unrestricted

La finalité de l’étude est d’explorer la gestion des écosystèmes aquatiques d’Europe et d’Afrique à travers le prisme de l’approche systémique. Cette approche est fondée sur la recherche de solutions générales et globales aux problèmes y afférents, sans sacrifier les particularités et spécificités propres à chaque écosystème. A la différence d’une gestion cloisonnée, fragmentée et sectorielle, l’intérêt d’une gestion globale et intégrée des ressources en eau rares, est de permettre une meilleure rationalisation de cette gestion, par la prise en compte de l’ensemble des contraintes et des opportunités y relatives, de façon qu’elle soit plus pertinente et soutenable. Dans cette optique, la comparaison entre les systèmes européens, globalement plus avancés et les systèmes africains, vise, d’une part, à souligner que quelque soit le système considéré, les problèmes sont quasiment les mêmes et que l’approche globale et intégrée reste le meilleur gage d’efficacité et d’efficience en vue de les résorber ; d’autre part, à montrer que ces systèmes peuvent être mutuellement bénéfiques, notamment en termes d’échanges de bons procédés ou de bonnes pratiques.On entend par écosystème aquatique, l’ensemble des eaux douces de toutes origines, superficielles, souterraines ou autres. Ces écosystèmes aquatiques entretiennent des interactions avec la terre, la mer et d’autres éléments de l’environnement global, qu’il importe de bien maîtriser, pour sacrifier aux exigences d’une gestion globale pertinente et intégrée desdits écosystèmes. / This study attempts to examine the management of freshwater resources in Africa and Europe, from an ecosystemic view point, and aims at global and appropriate solutions to problems, without neglecting local or regional specificities. Contrary to territorial and sector approaches, integrated water resource management is a better way to ensure a sustainable management of freshwater resources, taking into consideration all problems and opportunities pertaining thereto. In this regard, the first interest of comparing advanced European systems with African systems is to bring up global problems, in spite of regional or continental peculiarities, and to stress on the global and integrated approach as the best way of solving them effectively. The second interest is to show that managing these systems can be mutually beneficial if their respective advantages and weaknesses are considered.Freshwater resources comprise superficial or deep water of various origins, and interact with elements of the global environment (earth, sea). Their mastery is of utmost importance as it will permit the global, adequate and integrated management of such ecosystems.

M.Sc. (Information Technology) / In Africa, the economy is largely dominated by SMMEs that represent 90% of private businesses and contribute to more than 50% of employment and GDP. However, these SMMEs struggle to sustain their businesses in the current economic climate. To address this, advancements in mobile and cloud technology introduce new possibilities such as digital business ecosystems to support environment where small, micro, and medium enterprises can interoperate. The fundamental challenge for SMMEs in a digital business ecosystem is the selection of transaction partners. SMMEs are interested to transact with other SMMEs that will benefit their business through successful transactions. This leads to the sustainability and growth of SMMEs and consequently the economy. However, not all SMMEs behave as predicted and therefore, being able to trust another SMME in the digital business ecosystem is important. Trust is an essential part of business and personal life. The social nature of trust makes trust very personalised and for each individual, trust is interpreted, understood and perceived according to past experience and social behaviour. These factors are largely influenced by cultural norms and behaviours that individuals conform to. In African and some other regions, collectivist cultural norms and behaviours are common whereas in Westernised regions, individualist cultures are common. Therefore, it is not enough to just consider trust from a technical perspective but also from a cultural perspective. For small businesses in Africa and other regions in the world, this is especially true. Compared to larger companies in developed economies, SMMEs in Africa are more informal and operate in a more personal manner. This implies that trust decisions are largely influence an owner or employee’s cultural norms and behaviour. The research conducted in this dissertation proposes a trust model, known as Trustcv that supports the cultural norms and behaviours of collectivist cultures for trust in a digital business ecosystem. Digital business ecosystems, trust, culture and social network analysis provide the literature foundation for Trustcv. The effectiveness of Trustcv is measured through simulations of a digital business ecosystem in Africa, which provides interesting results compared to an existing trust model. The results indicate that Trustcv could be used to support trust in collectivist digital business ecosystems used by collectivist cultural SMMEs.

The project sought to identify direct links between calculate hillslope solute fluxes and input/output budgets in a forested drainage basin in the United Kingdom. An intensive, short term monitoring and data collection programme was devised in order to quantify the major components for the hillslope hydrological cycle, the seasonal changes in overstorey and understorey biomass, and the chemical composition of ecologically and pedologically derived samples. Gross and net precipitation, infiltration, and soil moisture fluxes, groundwater movement and streamflow were monitored to identify the possible pathways which solutes might follow. Regular sampling of the oak and bracken vegetation, litterfall and litter enabled calculation of biomass accumulation and the rate of uptake and release of plant nutrients. The spatial variability of soil properties was quantified, but subsequent soil sampling permitted identification of seasonal trends in exchangeable action and soil water solute concentrations. All hydrological and ecological samples were analysed for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium and chloride. PH, specific conductance and organic carbon were measured for selected samples. The high infiltration capacity of the soil promoted rapid vertical movement of water towards a perched water table. The presence of soil macropores and the high permeability of the soil precluded the generation of throughflow on the hills-lope. Stream discharge was mainly controlled by groundwater fluxes from the perched water table. Although seasonal trends in the solute concentration of water samples and in the nutrient assimilation of vegetation were identified, isolated events, such as frassfall and storm-period litterfall, were shown to contribute significant quantities of nutrients to the forest floor, The importance of solute movement via macropores, especially phosphorus, was emphasised, with particular reference to plant availability. The relative stability of the ecosystem was reflected in the balance of the input/output budgets of solutes, with, the exception of calcium and magnesium losses which were attributable to weathering of the calcareous bedrock. Bivariate and multivariate statistical analysis showed that no single biogeochemical process on the hillslope could be identified as exerting a dominant controlling influence on stream water chenistry, through isolated events may affect concentrations in the short term.

This research is a qualitative, autoethnographic study of antifragility in fragile spaces. It was written using data from Applied Theatre workshops, rehearsals and exercises; as well as questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and open discussions in focus groups with at-risk learners from Quintile 1-3 high schools, their educators, senior management staff, parents, caregivers and peers. Methodologically, social constructionism functioned as the schematic map that positioned the writing/writer between the self and others, and provided the philosophical scaffolding necessary to elucidate data analysis and interpretation. Institutional theory and organisational culture centered the analytical framework once thematic analysis had been conducted across the data sets. This reflexive, feminist paper exhumes and explores fragile spaces in Western Cape Quintile 1-3 schools, using drama and conscious, performed acts of vulnerability (on and off stage) as a means of activating antifragility in the performer and the observer. The data collection took place in the Western Cape in South Africa, and specifically refers to learners and their networks and blended learning ecosystems in that context. Noted conversants include Brown, Taleb and Butler. The findings of this study include a shift in how we define “success” in a fragile environment and an acknowledgment of antifragility as a strategy that is always in motion. Static achievement and a singular definition of learner excellence are shown to be the undesirable opposite of iterative antifragility and adaptive, holistic executive function and socio-cultural competence; and learner wholeness (as experienced and embodied by the learner themselves) is referred to as “flourishing”.

Coral reefs are priority habitats which are vulnerable to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. These can cause phase shifts from coral habitat to degraded algal-dominated states – and consequent changes in the distribution, abundance and activity of associated fish species. In the eastern Red Sea, human-induced reef degradation is likely to increase with planned development of the Saudi Arabian coast and the changing climate. The present study therefore investigates the ecological effects of coral-algal phase shifts in reef-associated fish communities, using naturally occurring within-reef benthic zones as proxies for levels of habitat health - with a focus on how these responses differ temporally. These zones were dominated by: hard coral (coral zone), coral and turf algae (transition zone), and macroalgal canopies (algal zone). Six inshore reef areas, were studied in periods with low and high densities of Sargassum in the algal zones (May and November respectively). Community composition was assessed via visual census and predation activity predicted using two proxies: in situ experiments and biomass of carnivores. In both periods, we observed distinct fish communities in each zone - with reduced species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity and predation intensity, from the coral to the algal zones. Decreases in the abundance and biomass of fish also occurred from the coral to algal zones in May but a spike, as well as a shift in community composition, occurred in the algal zone in November. This shift is attributed to the vast increases in grazer biomass, predominantly Siganus luridus, associated with the November bloom of Sargassum canopies. The present study established, the composition and functioning of Red Sea fish communities is spatially and temporally affected by increased macroalgal dominance. This finding supports the need for herbivorous fish to be made a conservation priority in the management and conservation of reef systems in order to prevent phase shifts to algal dominated states. We conclude that if Red Sea reefs are allowed to shift to alternate states, depending on the density of macroalgal canopies, reefs may support high biomass and abundance of fish but the functioning of the fish community will be altered and the diversity lost.

This study responds to the effect that current food production has on the natural environment, by researching urban systems and ecosystems. In reaction to the findings, a new food production system and the urban buying and retail culture are investigated. A food market and hydroponic production building is designed to serve as an alternative to the supermarket and conventional food production. AFRIKAANS : Hierdie studie reageer op die uitwerking wat huidige voedsel produksie op die natuurlike omgewing het, deur stedelike stelsels en ekostelsels te bestudeer. In reaksie op die bevindings word ‘n nuwe voedsel produksie stelsel en die stedelike koop-enverkoop- kultuur ondersoek. ‘n Varsprodukte mark en hidroponiese produksie-gebou word ontwerp om ‘n alternatief te bied vir die supermark en konvensionele voedselproduksie. / Hierdie studie reageer op die uitwerking wat huidige voedsel produksie op die natuurlike omgewing het, deur stedelike stelsels en ekostelsels te bestudeer. In reaksie op die bevindings word ‘n nuwe voedsel produksie stelsel en die stedelike koop-en verkoop- kultuur ondersoek. ‘n Varsproduktemark en hidroponiese produksie-gebou word ontwerp om ‘n alternatief te bied vir die supermark en konvensionele voedselproduksie. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Architecture / unrestricted

This paper focuses on the teaching of eco-tour by cyclo around Chomutov in basic education. The main objective of my DP is a cycling tour with a focus on the comparison of selected characteristics of ecosystems occurring in the area. As I chose the selected ecosystems - meadows and pastures, forests and water bodies. Selected location near Chomutov offers direct observation of these ecosystems provide a number of paths for nontraditional ways of teaching, using bicycle wheels. Developed materials include design incentive hours for after-school teaching materials in the field and the draft final hours. For after-school education in the field are handled by individual worksheets ecosystems - meadows and pastures, forests and water bodies. Besides these main worksheets, I created a set of other activities in the outdoors. They are practicing first aid package of games and competitions designed for environments and other attractions that can fill the time spent in nature. Next, I created a complete methodological guide for teachers, which are summarized in detail all the information for planning, progress and completion of the excursion. Excursions and its content complies with the current general education program for primary education in the country. Keywords: tour, cycling tours, ecosystems, Chomutov

Magister Legum - LLM / The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa ‘despite being one of the world’s most liberal constitutions, South Africans still have no transparent and participatory mechanisms for deciding democratically on the uptake of new technologies or development projects, even those which impact on millions of lives and livelihoods. There are limited opportunities for intervention in very circumscribed public participation processes, which are often derisory in the sharing of any sovereignty with citizens in the name of producing better public policy. When citizens are left out of debates confined to government and the business community, the only means of influencing policy is to petition, protest, or litigate, usually after the horse has bolted.’ Public participation is a very delicate issue in South Africa due to the history of the exclusion of certain people from the process of governance. When governments and business sectors make decisions about land development and natural resources, they certainly impact on the health, livelihoods and quality of life of local communities.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging micro-pollutant that pose a threat to the ecological integrity of freshwater rivers and wetlands. Most previous work on MPs pollution has focused on marine environments. This study aimed to investigate the spatial distribution and abundance of MPs particles in the bed sediment of a freshwater coastal lake in the Zeekoevlei Nature Reserve, Cape Town, which is fed by rivers and stormwater outlets draining a heavily urbanized environment. The first objective was to characterize the spatial distribution of MPs across the lakebed environment, in relation to possible point and non-point sources of contamination.