Session 10: Land-Use and Conservation Planning

As coastlines undergo rapid change, decisions must be made regarding the management of these systems. The south-east African coastline, like many other soft coasts on the eastern continental seaboard, is marked by dune systems that until a century or so ago, were in part, mobile dune fields. These dune fields at the time stood in the way of 'progress' it seems, and initiatives commenced in South Africa, as early as 1910 to stabilise these dynamic features. Casuarina equisetifolia is an Indo-Pacific tree that has been imported into South Africa, and other tropical and subtropical countries, for the purpose of, inter alia, stabilising mobile sand dunes. The stabilisation of coastal sand dunes under most circumstances is undesirable from an ecological perspective as this interferes with the sand sharing system, and disrupts sediment budgets and the eco-morphology of the coastline. In addition, the tree is invasive and is considered to be allelopathic. Since the commencement of dune stabilisation initiatives along the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) coastline, which is considered to have reached its zenith in the late 1940s and 1950s, much has changed and it is clear that a coastal conservation conundrum (CCC) is arising. Such a conundrum begs the question as to whether there should be active removal of these exotic trees where they interrupt the sand sharing system and coastal eco-morphology, or to maintain them as a method of defending infrastructure and property, and in light of the fact that they have given rise to 'apparent' dune habitats. We consider some examples of the CCC in KZN and southern Mozambique and pose the case for both the retention of artificially stabilised dunes at the expense of eco-morphological function or, alternatively, the option of relocating infrastructure and the abandonment of properties in favour of eco-morphological preservation and natural processes.

Humans influence ecosystem function and species composition at multiple spatial scales. Managing ecosystems effectively requires understanding of wildlife population responses to anthropogenically induced change, which necessitates reliable information on population sizes and interspecific interactions. Camera traps are especially useful for collecting data on species communities and activity patterns as they provide continuous (24 hour) data for multiple species across wide areas. In this study we used black-flash camera traps to investigate occupancy and activity patterns of terrestrial vertebrates along the West Coast of South Africa. We investigated the influence of meso-predator presence and managed wild and domestic herbivore abundance on the occurrence and activity patterns of small antelope (common duiker and steenbok). Three sites with different management practises (two in a protected area and one on an agricultural research farm) were surveyed between June 2016 and October 2017. Occupancy was analysed using data collected in a standardised grid method (trap-days = 1 705), while temporal activity analyses utilized the full data set (3960 trap-days). To measure temporal activity we recorded 3 083 captures of sympatric herbivores, of these 1 369 captures were used for occupancy analysis. This provided a baseline for evaluating the impact of management interventions on small antelope population dynamics. Occupancy of sympatric herbivores differed across the three sites, as did temporal activity of small antelope. Small antelope activity peaked just after sunrise, dropped at midday and peaked again at sunset. Activity was higher during the day in the protected area, compared to the agricultural site. Data on meso-predators was insufficient for robust analysis; however detection probability suggests lower occurrence outside of the protected area. Small herbivore occupancy was higher outside of the protected area. No measured co-variates explained this pattern; however large herbivore stocking rates and associated habitat degradation have differed historically between the sites.

Land cover change in former apartheid homelands, South Africa, has only been explored in limited areas such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape provinces. This study was conducted with an aim to understand the spatiotemporal patterns of land cover change in KwaZulu, a former apartheid homeland, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Landscapes in three villages of Okhahlamba Local Municipality were investigated over a period of 50 years (i.e. 1962-2014) using aerial photographs. The results from the three villages have shown that culture, and environmental factors such as biome, have an influence on land use patterns and hence patterns of land cover change in this former apartheid homeland. Grassland (natural vegetation) was dominant in the three landscapes, however, it declined over the study period. Settlements increased over the study period, with homesteads being scattered in the landscape and often associated with a cropland adjacent to a homestead. While the trends in change (increase in settlement; decrease of natural vegetation) mirror those in other former homelands, the patterns of change differ, related to culture. The results of this project have implications for sustainable development of former homelands in South Africa in that conservation measures taken in areas within former apartheid homelands need to take into account the culture of the local people in that area in order to meet their cultural needs while protecting nature. This means that a community-based conservation approach needs to be employed in order to make conservation feasible in former apartheid homelands in South Africa. The results of this project further highlight the importance of understanding fine-scale processes in order to make policy interventions successful in managing the environment without completely excluding the presence of people in the area.

Biosphere reserves (BR) established under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program seek to promote an approach to land management that harmonises interactions between people and nature. The conceptual model behind the BR idea is based on integrated management across a landscape through a new approach to zonation of core, buffer and transition zones in order to harmonise conservation and development. This study was conducted in the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve (VBR) of Limpopo province with the aim to determine the linkages between heritage sites and conservation efforts so as to inform conservation planning, particularly in terms of zonation of biosphere core and buffer areas and critical biodiversity areas of the Limpopo conservation plan. Spatial data of heritage sites was collected from the local communities and from other secondary sources as well as other organisations such as the South African Heritage Agency (SAHRA). Interviews were carried out with local communities who owned some of the heritage sites in the VBR to determine local perception towards heritage and nature conservation. All the spatial data on heritage sites was overlaid on a map of the Vhembe Biosphere Reserve. Eight percent of the heritage sites occurred in the core areas, 35% of the sites were found in the buffer zones and 53% of the sites were scattered across the transition areas of the biosphere. Also interestingly 61% of all the heritage sites that were mapped were also found in critical biodiversity areas (CBA) of the Vhembe region. From the interviews carried out it was noted that culture has managed to conserve biodiversity throughout time with sacred sites being excellent examples of good environmental custodianship. As the VBR reevaluates its zonation it is important to also consider some of the natural heritage sites as areas for protection.

Indigenous and local knowledge consists of a body of knowledge shaped by cultural practices, institutions and worldviews forming a nested 'knowledge-practice-belief' complex that provide insights into other ways of knowing and governing social-ecological systems for biodiversity management and conservation. The application of biodiversity management through cultural practices can help to strengthen cultural values compatible with conservation. The study aims to explore plant uses, practices and belief systems developed among the indigenous Vhavenda in South Africa for sustaining indigenous plant resources and the restoration of indigenous tree species. Data was collected from 2016-2018 by means of semi-structured interviews and vouchering of plant species from rural villages in the Vhembe District. The Use Value Index (UVI) was used to measure the number of different uses of each species and the Relative Frequency Index (RFI) to measure the local importance of each species. Participatory mapping exercises, semi-structured interviews and comparisons with published works also explored cultural practices, institutions and belief systems governing plant and forest use, and priorities for the replanting of indigenous plant species. Eighty-four plant species were reported within 44 families, with Fabaceae representing the highest diversity of plant species. We identified six species not previously documented in the Vhavenda ethnobotanical literature, 68 novel uses of plants and another 14 variations of known uses. The Vhavenda possess a range of practices for managing plant resources that can be attributed to taboos preventing the use of selected species, promotion of sustainable harvesting practices, and the propagation of plant species for ecological restoration. The research highlights the continued importance of indigenous and local knowledge for biocultural heritage, conservation and restoration, and the need to explore how science and other knowledge systems can align with conservation efforts to enhance the productivity and biodiversity of communal land in South Africa.