Thesis (MScConsEcol) -- Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis describes the findings of a survey to investigate the attitudes and behaviour of private landholders
towards the conservation of Overberg Coastal Renosterveld, a highly endangered grassy-shrubland of the
Cape Floral Region (CFR) lowlands, now 94% transformed. Personal interviews were conducted with 36
farmers in the Overberg region of the Western Cape, by administering a questionnaire. The following aspects
were quantitatively described using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS): Renosterveld
management and utilisation behaviour, perceived value of Overberg Coastal Renosterveld; landholder
knowledge of its conservation importance and willingness to conserve it. Attitudes towards incentives for
conservation; conservancies; and the provincial conservation authorities were also investigated. Willingness
to conserve was explored further using SPSS cross-tabulation analyses. It was found that farmers who were
more willing to conserve were younger, did not necessarily have a better education, and owned larger farms
(> 500 ha) with a greater amount of remnant renosterveld (> 300 ha) than farmers less willing to conserve.
Attitudes towards Overberg Coastal Renosterveld were largely negative, due to certain associated plants and
animals which are problems for farmers, and because it is not economically advantageous to retain it.
However, provision of incentives (of which assistance with fencing and land management was most
attractive) and increased extension support will provide practical positive inducements for conservation.
There is also a need for more landholder education regarding the scarcity of coastal renosterveld to prevent
transformation of remaining fragments. The second component of the study aimed to construct a user-friendly index to measure the conservation
attitudes of landholders towards conserving Overberg Coastal Renosterveld. An interative item analysis was
executed on the data, using Spearman Rank Order correlations and Cronbach's Alpha. Results yielded an
index with two dimensions and a Cronbach Alpha co-efficient of 0.67. The dimensions or components of
conservation attitude towards renosterveld included: (i) a landholders' perception of the perceived benefit of
Overberg Coastal Renosterveld; and (ii) their willingness to conserve it. The mean conservation attitude
score was 0.6 (± 0.03), indicating that landholder attitudes were generally sympathetic towards renosterveld
conservation. This suggests that while many landholders do not place a high value on Overberg Coastal
Renosterveld due to its low agricultural value, their willingness to conserve it is in some cases higher than
expected, which possibly explains the above-average mean conservation attitude score. An analysis of
variance showed that the following variables were significantly, positively correlated with conservation
attitude: (i) area of Overberg Coastal Renosterveld; (ii) landholder environmental group membership status;
(iii) presence of ecotourism activities on the property; and (iv) how long the property had been in the
owner's family. The intended application of the index is that index scores (amenable for use in a
Geographical Information System database) can assist conservation practitioners in deciding where resources should be allocated, on the assumption that high-scoring individuals are more likely to want to take part in
conservation initiatives. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif beskryf die bevindings van 'n opname waarin die houdings en gedrag van private
grondeienaars ten opsigte van Overberg Kustelike Renosterveld ondersoek word. Altesaam 94% van die
oorspronklike renosterveld, 'n hoogs bedreigde, grasagtige struikveld in die laaglande van die Kaapse
Planteryk (KPR) , is reeds getransformeer en verander. Persoonlike onderhoude is met 36 boere in die
Overbergstreek van die Wes-Kaap gevoer en 'n vraelys is aan hulle gestel. Die "Statistical Package for
Social Scientists" (SPSS) is gebruik om die volgende aspekte kwantitatief te beskryf: die bestuur en
benutting van Overberg Kustelike Renosterveld; die waarde wat toegeskryf word aan hierdie renosterveld;
asook grondeienaars se kennis oor die bewaringsbelang van Overberg Kustelike Renosterveld en hul
bereidwilligheid om dit te bewaar. Houdings jeens aansporingsmiddele om bewaring te bevorder, bewareas
en die provinsiale bewaringsowerhede is ook ondersoek. Private grondeienaars se bereidwilligheid om
betrokke te raak by bewaringswerk is verder ondersoek deur gebruik te maak van die SPSS-kruistabelleringsanalise.
In vergelyking met boere wat nie bewaring ondersteun nie, is gevind dat die meer
bewaringsgesinde boere jonger is, nie noodwendig 'n beter opvoeding het nie, en groter plase (>500 ha) besit
waarop meer brokkies oorblywende Overberg Kustelike Renosterveld (>300 ha) gevind word. Grondeienaars
se houding jeens Overberg Kustelike Renosterveld was grootliks negatief. Dit is as gevolg van sekere
verwante plante en diere wat deur boere as probleme ervaar word, en omdat dit nie ekonomies lewensvatbaar
is om renosterveld te behou nie. Die beskikbaarheidstelling van aansporingsmiddele (waarvan hulpverlening
met omheinings en grondbestuur die aantreklikste was), en 'n toename in landbou-voorligting is egter
praktiese en positiewe dryfvere wat bewaring kan bevorder. Daar is ook 'n behoefte vir meer opvoeding van
grondeienaars oor aspekte soos die skaarsheid van Overberg Kustelike Renosterveld, sodat die verdere
transformasie van oorblywende fragmente voorkom kan word.
Die tweede gedeelte van die studie was daarop gemik om 'n gebruikersvriendelike indeks te ontwikkel
waarmee die bewaringsgesindheid van grondeienaars teenoor die bewaring van renosterveld gemeet kan
word. Deur gebruik te maak van Spearman se rangorde-korrelasies en Cronbach se Alpha is die data aan 'n
herhalende item-analise onderwerp. Die resultate het 'n indeks met twee dimensies en 'n Cronbach Alpha-koëffisiënt
van 0.67 gelewer. Die dimensies of komponente van bewaringsgesindheid jeens renosterveld het
onder meer ingesluit: i) 'n grondeienaar se opvatting oor die moontlike voordeel van Overberg Kustelike
Renosterveld en ii) sy/haar bereidwilligheid om dit bewaar. Die gemiddelde telling vir bewaringsgesindheid
was 0.6 (± 0.03), wat in die algemeen 'n simpatieke houding jeens die bewaring van Overberg Kustelike Renosterveld onder grondeienaars aandui. Hiervolgens blyk dit dat alhoewel heelwat grondeienaars weens
die lae landbouwaarde van renosterveld nie 'n hoë waarde op hierdie plantegroeitipe plaas nie, hulle
bereidwilligheid om dit te bewaar soms verwagtinge oortref. Dit is dalk 'n moontlike verklaring vir die bogemiddelde
gemiddelde bewaringsgesindheidtelling. 'n Variansie-analise het 'n noemenswaardige, positiewe
korrelasie met bewaringsgesindheid ten opsigte van die volgende veranderlikes getoon: i) area van Overberg
Kustelike Renosterveld; ii) die grondeienaar se moontlike lidmaatskap van 'n bewaringsgroep; iii) die
teenwoordigheid van ekotoerisme-bedrywighede op die eiendom; en iv) die tydperk wat die eiendom al in
besit van die grondeienaar se familie is. Die voorgestelde gebruik van die indeks is toepaslik omdat die
indeks-tellings (wat vir gebruik in 'n Geografiese Inligtingstelsel databasis aangepas kan word) bewaringslui
kan help met besluite random die toekenning van hulpbronne. Die aanname is dat individuele grondeienaars
wie hoë tellings aangeteken het, met alle waarskynlikheid meer geredelik aan bewaringsinisiatiewe sal wil
deelneem.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/18711 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Winter, Susan Jean |
| Contributors | Esler, K. J., Prozesky, H., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Agrisciences. Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 98 leaves : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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