The Greening Soweto Tree Planting project in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa, was a
greening initiative aimed at ensuring that benefits of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, presented that
year in the country, extended beyond the event. In assessing the trees of this project, it was
confirmed that the target number of trees consisting mainly of indigenous tree species were
planted predominantly as street and park trees in previously disadvantaged areas, traditionally
known to have the least trees in the city. The survival rate of the project is estimated to be
43.46%, implying inadequacies in tree planting and management of the project and
necessitating guidelines with recommendations to improve tree planting practices in the city.
Growth relationship equations for Olea europaea subsp. africana and Searsia lancea were
developed and the growth parameter analysis reveals that all trees grow better in parks but C.
africana trees should rather be planted on sidewalks than on medians, S. lancea trees should
preferably be planted on medians and C. erythrophyllum may be planted on sidewalks or
medians as they would grow well in both locations. It is estimated that this project contributed 30 390.11 tCO2 of standing carbon stocks valued at R3 646 812,87 or US$303,901.07
(assuming a CO2 price of US$10.00) in 2017 and could potentially contribute 387 170.93 tCO2
of sequestered carbon stocks valued at R46 460 511,82 or US$3,871,709.32 by 2031 as
mitigation action against climate change. A positive connection impacting the growth of the
trees has been identified between land use, land cover and maintenance, indicating that the
best locations for trees are maintained parks and formal residential areas as well as paved
areas where irrigation is provided. The presence of pests and diseases, conflict with overhead
structures and roads and a lack of pruning negatively impacted the growth of the trees.
Guidelines for new tree planting projects have been developed with recommendations to
maintain the canopy cover percentage in the established urban forest, enhance tree planting
in the previously disadvantaged regions, improve the survival rate of new tree planting projects
and establish community engagement forums to inform future tree planting of the city. / Environmental Sciences / Ph. D. (Environmental Management)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/27448 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Van Staden, Elizabeth Margaret |
| Contributors | Stoffberg, Hennie |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (xxvii, 485 leaves) : color maps, color graphs, color photographs, application/pdf |
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