Abstract The glacial–interglacial climate cycles of the Pleistocene played a significant role in dramatically altering species distributions across the globe. However, the climate of the Greater Cape Floristic Region is thought to have been decoupled from global...
Abstract The protea seedeater, Crithagra leucopterus, is one of six passerine birds endemic to the Fynbos Biome, South Africa. It is the least known of these, and there is very little information on breeding and habitat use. Through nest observations and a bird...
Introduction The winter rainfall district of the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape Provinces in South Africa is home to the Fynbos biome, which extends from the Cedarberg mountains, south to the Cape of Good Hope, and eastwards to Algoa Bay. The Fynbos biome as an...
Summary The South African Fynbos biome, a global biodiversity hotspot with high endemism and species rich ness, has six endemic bird species. These are important not only intrinsically, but also for ecological functioning and as flagships for South...
Abstract Cape mountain zebra habitat utilization and diet in the dystrophic fynbos habitat of the Bontebok National Park was found to be highly selective. Mountain zebra concentrated in specific sectors and habitat types in the park on a seasonal basis, preferring...
Executive summary What are ecosystem services? Within our landscapes there are innumerable interactions between species, their environment, and one another, going on at any one time. Some of these interactions are especially useful to people, supporting life and...
A PREAMBLE TO SOIL EROSION CONTROL Ecological rehabilitation is a great deal more than a technical management challenge. Working on rehabilitation projects is a way in which we can establish a balanced and healthy ethical relationship with our natural...
Abstract Land-use management policies in rangelands have typically been top down, singularly focussed on achieving maximum sustainable yields from ecosystems, and have generally failed to halt land degradation. Natural resource management approaches which adopt a ...
Abstract Nonsustainable ostrich farming practices have degraded large areas of the Little Karoo, a semiarid region in South Africa. The Little Karoo lies within the Succulent Karoo biome, a recognized biodiversity hotspot. A financial feasibility analysis was...
Abstract The South Coast Renosterveld has been fragmented extensively by agriculture. The extent of thisfragmentation in terms of overall habitat loss, fragment sizes and fragment numbers has not been described previously, thereby limiting the development of...
Abstract Designing broad-scale conservation corridors has become increasingly common as a way of conducting an assessment for achieving targets for the representation and persistence of nature. However, since many of these corridors must traverse agricultural and...
Abstract Pteronia paniculata is an indigenous, unpalatable shrub that invades mismanaged Karooveld, resulting in degraded rangelands with low species diversity and grazing potential. We conducted a series of trials in the Succulent Karoo Randteveld near Barrydale to...
Abstract Links between climate change adaptation, mitigation and development co-benefits inland policy and ecosystem restoration projects are hampered by limited understanding of howmulti-faceted policy, institutions and projects interact. This paper explores...
Area of Interest The area of interest for this illustrated description of marine and estuarine flagship environments and species falls into three local municipalities: the Mossel Bay and Hessequa local municipalities in the Garden Route District and the Swellendam...
Abstract Six-hundred-and-fifty plant species from 280 genera and 85 families have been recorded as indigenous to the Bontebok National Park (BNP), which lies 5 km south of Swellendam, in the Western Cape. Twenty-nine of these plant species are globally threatened with...
Introduction The Little Karoo region, which falls within the Succulent Karoo Biome is an area of great biodiversity (Figure 1). One of the major threats facing this biodiversity is the lack of useful information on sound management practices within the natural...
Abstract It is becoming increasingly difficult to manage and expand statutory conservation areas (i.e., parks and formally protected areas). Therefore, alternative opportunities for land conservation merit closer attention. This paper examines the extent to which...
Abstract The transition from natural habitat to agricultural land use is widely regarded as one of the leading drivers of biodiversity loss. Despite this, most wildlife still lives outside protected areas on private agricultural land, particularly on rangeland used...
Background and Objectives This is a practical guide to roadside vegetation management that is designed for road maintenance teams of the Eden District Municipality. It strives to balance the requirements of maintaining road safety and protecting road infrastructure,...
South African citizen scientists monitoring change Foreword Climate change presents the global community with one of the biggest challenges of human history. If we cannot rise to this challenge, and use our skills to our advantage, our future could admittedly be...
Abstract The site of Blombos Cave (BBC) is well known for archaeological remains that have advanced our understanding of the development of modern human behaviour during the Middle Stone Age (MSA). Occupation of the cave occurred against a backdrop of landscape-scale...
ABSTRACT There has been a very rapid expansion in the number of people involved in the tourism industry over the last 5 years in the Little Karoo. There is consequently an increasing emphasis on the potential of tourism to support sustainable...