Pub Date : 2023-11-08DOI: 10.1080/0035919x.2023.2277783
Anne Fitchett
AbstractBlue Plaques originated in London in 1867, prior to the formation of the National Trust, as a means of commemorating famous people who lived in the city and the building associated with them. Commemorative plaques are found in other cities and countries as a means of raising public awareness about material and social heritage. The Blue Plaques of the City of Johannesburg, South Africa were identified, thematically analysed, classified and compared with the formal heritage lists. The spatial distribution was interrogated, with the Blue Plaques and formally listed heritage resources mapped for the first time. The plaques are clustered around a few parts of the city, namely the CBD, Soweto, and the suburbs of Alexandra and Parktown. This reflects the impact of private sector lobby groups in motivating for, and in many cases, financing the erection of the plaques. The City of Johannesburg Department of Arts, Culture and Heritage plays a lead role in identifying and sponsoring a small number of plaques each year, however this role could be expanded to provide a more balanced representation of the city’s heritage, both thematically and in terms of spatial distribution.Keywords: Heritagebuildingssitespeoplecommemorative plaque ACKNOWLEDGEMENTI would like to thank Wendy Phillips, cartographer at the University of the Witwatersrand, for assistance in the final editing of the maps.
{"title":"The Blue Plaques of the City of Johannesburg, South Africa","authors":"Anne Fitchett","doi":"10.1080/0035919x.2023.2277783","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919x.2023.2277783","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractBlue Plaques originated in London in 1867, prior to the formation of the National Trust, as a means of commemorating famous people who lived in the city and the building associated with them. Commemorative plaques are found in other cities and countries as a means of raising public awareness about material and social heritage. The Blue Plaques of the City of Johannesburg, South Africa were identified, thematically analysed, classified and compared with the formal heritage lists. The spatial distribution was interrogated, with the Blue Plaques and formally listed heritage resources mapped for the first time. The plaques are clustered around a few parts of the city, namely the CBD, Soweto, and the suburbs of Alexandra and Parktown. This reflects the impact of private sector lobby groups in motivating for, and in many cases, financing the erection of the plaques. The City of Johannesburg Department of Arts, Culture and Heritage plays a lead role in identifying and sponsoring a small number of plaques each year, however this role could be expanded to provide a more balanced representation of the city’s heritage, both thematically and in terms of spatial distribution.Keywords: Heritagebuildingssitespeoplecommemorative plaque ACKNOWLEDGEMENTI would like to thank Wendy Phillips, cartographer at the University of the Witwatersrand, for assistance in the final editing of the maps.","PeriodicalId":23255,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa","volume":"21 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135391218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-11-07DOI: 10.1080/0035919x.2023.2275137
Abiola Olawale Ilori, Naven Chetty
AbstractIn this study, 16 sediment samples were collected from Bree, Klein-Brak, Bakens and uMngeni rivers of South Africa and were prepared, analysed and evaluated for the activity concentration of 238U, 232Th and 40K concerning its radiogenic heat production using a high-purity germanium detector. The results show that 238U is the prevalent radionuclide in radiogenic heat production, with 232Th and 40K emerging as trace elements. The mean activity concentrations are 28.97%, 63.69% and 7.34% for uranium, thorium and potassium, respectively, from all sampling locations. This shows that a high radioactive concentration of a specific radionuclide does not necessarily imply its increased contribution to radiogenic heat production. The radionuclide contributions to radiogenic heat production at all sampled locations are 59.39%, 35.11% and 5.50% for uranium, thorium and potassium, respectively. The mean radiogenic heat production rate in the study area ranged from 0.0180 μWm−3 in sediment samples from the Bree River in Western Cape to 0.0072 μWm−3 in sediment samples of uMgeni River in KwaZulu-Natal. All values obtained for this study are five times lower than the average continental radiogenic heat production of 1 μWm−3. This study provides insight into the radiogenic heat production rate due to the presence of radionuclides in all river samples.Keywords: concentrationHpGe detectornatural radionuclidesradiogenic heatriver sediments ACKNOWLEDGMENTThe authors are grateful to iThemba LABS, Capetown, South Africa, for giving us access to their Environmental Research Laboratory for measuring the radioactivity levels in the sediment samples.
{"title":"Contributions of <sup>238</sup> U, <sup>232</sup> Th, and <sup>40</sup> K to the radiogenic heat production in selected river sediment samples of South Africa","authors":"Abiola Olawale Ilori, Naven Chetty","doi":"10.1080/0035919x.2023.2275137","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919x.2023.2275137","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractIn this study, 16 sediment samples were collected from Bree, Klein-Brak, Bakens and uMngeni rivers of South Africa and were prepared, analysed and evaluated for the activity concentration of 238U, 232Th and 40K concerning its radiogenic heat production using a high-purity germanium detector. The results show that 238U is the prevalent radionuclide in radiogenic heat production, with 232Th and 40K emerging as trace elements. The mean activity concentrations are 28.97%, 63.69% and 7.34% for uranium, thorium and potassium, respectively, from all sampling locations. This shows that a high radioactive concentration of a specific radionuclide does not necessarily imply its increased contribution to radiogenic heat production. The radionuclide contributions to radiogenic heat production at all sampled locations are 59.39%, 35.11% and 5.50% for uranium, thorium and potassium, respectively. The mean radiogenic heat production rate in the study area ranged from 0.0180 μWm−3 in sediment samples from the Bree River in Western Cape to 0.0072 μWm−3 in sediment samples of uMgeni River in KwaZulu-Natal. All values obtained for this study are five times lower than the average continental radiogenic heat production of 1 μWm−3. This study provides insight into the radiogenic heat production rate due to the presence of radionuclides in all river samples.Keywords: concentrationHpGe detectornatural radionuclidesradiogenic heatriver sediments ACKNOWLEDGMENTThe authors are grateful to iThemba LABS, Capetown, South Africa, for giving us access to their Environmental Research Laboratory for measuring the radioactivity levels in the sediment samples.","PeriodicalId":23255,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa","volume":"119 2","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135476697","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-31DOI: 10.1080/0035919x.2023.2272829
J.A.G. Cooper, A.N. Green
AbstractSandy shorelines occupy ca. 80% of the coast of Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia. A geomorphological classification of sandy shorelines in the subcontinent identifies twelve major categories in four sub-regional coastal systems. The behaviour of each of the major shoreline types under rising sea level is outlined based on geological principles together with observations of former shorelines preserved onshore and on the continental shelf.Human adaptation strategies regarding shoreline change involve a binary choice (hold the shoreline in place or permit it to fluctuate) and these exert an equally important control on sandy shoreline response in the medium term as does sea-level rise itself. It is anticipated that densely urbanised sandy shorelines will be stabilised by coastal defences involving both capital works and ongoing maintenance that will be accompanied by deterioration and ultimate loss/replacement of the natural ecosystem. In contrast, currently undeveloped, natural shorelines will be permitted to adjust and will, as a consequence, survive and continue to deliver ecosystem services. The major challenge for climate-change adaptation lies in those lightly urbanised coastal areas where relatively small numbers of property owners may be, or perceive themselves to be, at risk of economic loss from shoreline change. In such cases the choice is between preserving those property interests (through sea defences) and preserving the sandy shoreline and its human and ecosystem services (via retreat).Keywords: sea-levelcoastal geomorphologyadaptationcoastal management
{"title":"Southern African sandy coasts in the context of near-future sea-level rise.","authors":"J.A.G. Cooper, A.N. Green","doi":"10.1080/0035919x.2023.2272829","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919x.2023.2272829","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractSandy shorelines occupy ca. 80% of the coast of Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia. A geomorphological classification of sandy shorelines in the subcontinent identifies twelve major categories in four sub-regional coastal systems. The behaviour of each of the major shoreline types under rising sea level is outlined based on geological principles together with observations of former shorelines preserved onshore and on the continental shelf.Human adaptation strategies regarding shoreline change involve a binary choice (hold the shoreline in place or permit it to fluctuate) and these exert an equally important control on sandy shoreline response in the medium term as does sea-level rise itself. It is anticipated that densely urbanised sandy shorelines will be stabilised by coastal defences involving both capital works and ongoing maintenance that will be accompanied by deterioration and ultimate loss/replacement of the natural ecosystem. In contrast, currently undeveloped, natural shorelines will be permitted to adjust and will, as a consequence, survive and continue to deliver ecosystem services. The major challenge for climate-change adaptation lies in those lightly urbanised coastal areas where relatively small numbers of property owners may be, or perceive themselves to be, at risk of economic loss from shoreline change. In such cases the choice is between preserving those property interests (through sea defences) and preserving the sandy shoreline and its human and ecosystem services (via retreat).Keywords: sea-levelcoastal geomorphologyadaptationcoastal management","PeriodicalId":23255,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa","volume":"357 ","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135863543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-10-31DOI: 10.1080/0035919x.2023.2268575
Alan G. Morris
AbstractMolecular genetics has taken the preeminent position in the search for the ancestors of modern humans in sub-Saharan Africa. The usefulness of DNA in identifying lineage and familial relatedness is unquestioned but lost in this rush to use genetics to sort out human ancestry is the large body of recent and current research in skeletal biology. This has become particularly important as molecular genetics moves away from identifying the ancestry of living individuals to extracting DNA directly from archaeological skeletons. Skeletal biology provides a range of data that genetics cannot access, including life history and events at death. Skeletal biology also provides testable hypotheses about the past because of its close association with archaeology. This paper reviews the non-genetics literature published since the 1970’s which discusses analyses of human skeletal material from sub-Saharan Africa. It is aimed at genetics researchers who are generally unfamiliar with the publication vehicles frequented by skeletal biologists and archaeologists.Keywords: ancient DNAskeletal biologybioarchaeologysub-Saharan prehistory AcknowledgementsThis paper is the direct outcome of discussions held with colleagues at the DNArobi Conference in May 2023 at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya. I am very grateful to the organisers of DNArobi who provided funding for me to attend the conference. I am also grateful to the audience at the conference who raised issues about accessing non-genetics literature. After the conference I corresponded with Phillip Righmire about his introduction to the world of craniology as a post-graduate student, and with Austin Reynolds about the value of this kind of research for geneticists.
{"title":"A literature review of skeletal biology and human morphology research examining the prehistory of sub-Saharan Africa","authors":"Alan G. Morris","doi":"10.1080/0035919x.2023.2268575","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919x.2023.2268575","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractMolecular genetics has taken the preeminent position in the search for the ancestors of modern humans in sub-Saharan Africa. The usefulness of DNA in identifying lineage and familial relatedness is unquestioned but lost in this rush to use genetics to sort out human ancestry is the large body of recent and current research in skeletal biology. This has become particularly important as molecular genetics moves away from identifying the ancestry of living individuals to extracting DNA directly from archaeological skeletons. Skeletal biology provides a range of data that genetics cannot access, including life history and events at death. Skeletal biology also provides testable hypotheses about the past because of its close association with archaeology. This paper reviews the non-genetics literature published since the 1970’s which discusses analyses of human skeletal material from sub-Saharan Africa. It is aimed at genetics researchers who are generally unfamiliar with the publication vehicles frequented by skeletal biologists and archaeologists.Keywords: ancient DNAskeletal biologybioarchaeologysub-Saharan prehistory AcknowledgementsThis paper is the direct outcome of discussions held with colleagues at the DNArobi Conference in May 2023 at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya. I am very grateful to the organisers of DNArobi who provided funding for me to attend the conference. I am also grateful to the audience at the conference who raised issues about accessing non-genetics literature. After the conference I corresponded with Phillip Righmire about his introduction to the world of craniology as a post-graduate student, and with Austin Reynolds about the value of this kind of research for geneticists.","PeriodicalId":23255,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa","volume":"18 19","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135863564","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-09-15DOI: 10.1080/0035919x.2023.2255846
Moren Tibabo Stone, Lesego Senyana Stone
AbstractUsing the underpinnings of dispossession and social exclusion as the lens, this paper assesses how the government of Botswana (GoB) balances competing interests of conservation and tourism and how these have impacted the lives of indigenous communities. Relying on relevant literature, we analyse the intended and unintended consequences resulting from the government’s stance on conservation and indigenous communities’ rights to ancestral land and other resources. Results indicate that the rights of Basarwa to ancestral land and other resources within the CKGR have been negatively affected. However, the GoB believes the changes brought by conservation efforts that affected Basarwa’s lifestyles was essential to allow for the management of wildlife and the promotion of tourism. Despite the resultant international backlash and court cases devised to contest the GoB position, Basarwa remains disadvantaged and marginalised through land dispossession and exclusion to participate in tourism businesses. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.Keywords: conservation and development nexus; Central Kalahari Game Reservedispossession and social exclusionindigenous communities: sustainable tourism Notes1 See https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats1.htmAdditional informationNotes on contributorsMoren Tibabo StoneProf. Moren Tibabo Stone is an Associate Professor of Tourism Studies at the University of Botswana in southern Africa. His research interests are in protected areas and tourism, sustainable tourism development, ecotourism, nature-based tourism and rural community livelihoods dynamics. He is currently a Fulbright visiting researcher scholar at the University of Florida, USA.Lesego Senyana StoneDr. Lesego Senyana Stone is an Associate Professor in tourism management at the University of Botswana in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management. Her research interests are in sustainable tourism development with specific reference to nature-based tourism, community-based tourism and community participation in tourism.
{"title":"Conservation, tourism and indigenous communities’ dynamics: The case of Basarwa in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), Botswana","authors":"Moren Tibabo Stone, Lesego Senyana Stone","doi":"10.1080/0035919x.2023.2255846","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919x.2023.2255846","url":null,"abstract":"AbstractUsing the underpinnings of dispossession and social exclusion as the lens, this paper assesses how the government of Botswana (GoB) balances competing interests of conservation and tourism and how these have impacted the lives of indigenous communities. Relying on relevant literature, we analyse the intended and unintended consequences resulting from the government’s stance on conservation and indigenous communities’ rights to ancestral land and other resources. Results indicate that the rights of Basarwa to ancestral land and other resources within the CKGR have been negatively affected. However, the GoB believes the changes brought by conservation efforts that affected Basarwa’s lifestyles was essential to allow for the management of wildlife and the promotion of tourism. Despite the resultant international backlash and court cases devised to contest the GoB position, Basarwa remains disadvantaged and marginalised through land dispossession and exclusion to participate in tourism businesses. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.Keywords: conservation and development nexus; Central Kalahari Game Reservedispossession and social exclusionindigenous communities: sustainable tourism Notes1 See https://www.internetworldstats.com/stats1.htmAdditional informationNotes on contributorsMoren Tibabo StoneProf. Moren Tibabo Stone is an Associate Professor of Tourism Studies at the University of Botswana in southern Africa. His research interests are in protected areas and tourism, sustainable tourism development, ecotourism, nature-based tourism and rural community livelihoods dynamics. He is currently a Fulbright visiting researcher scholar at the University of Florida, USA.Lesego Senyana StoneDr. Lesego Senyana Stone is an Associate Professor in tourism management at the University of Botswana in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management. Her research interests are in sustainable tourism development with specific reference to nature-based tourism, community-based tourism and community participation in tourism.","PeriodicalId":23255,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa","volume":"4 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135397255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-06DOI: 10.1080/0035919x.2023.2214105
R. Ballantyne, L. Slabbert, J. Packer, J. Sneddon
{"title":"Negotiating stakeholder solutions to complex visitor management problems: the case of traffic management in the Kruger National Park","authors":"R. Ballantyne, L. Slabbert, J. Packer, J. Sneddon","doi":"10.1080/0035919x.2023.2214105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919x.2023.2214105","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23255,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43594450","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-19DOI: 10.1080/0035919x.2023.2214104
Sameera Ismail, G. Hoogendoorn, D. Müller
{"title":"Review of the research on second homes and the environment","authors":"Sameera Ismail, G. Hoogendoorn, D. Müller","doi":"10.1080/0035919x.2023.2214104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919x.2023.2214104","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23255,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46932255","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-04DOI: 10.1080/0035919x.2023.2244923
Brian A. Stewart, Sam Challis
With new direct dates from rock paintings comes an unprecedented opportunity to relate excavated archaeological data to the parietal record in southern Africa’s Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains. Anchoring dated art to recovered palaeoenvironmental, faunal and technological data enables the incorporation into socioecological models of ideational inferences, affording insights into how hunter-gatherers perceived their mountain habitats. Of particular interest is the late Holocene Neoglacial (∼3.5–2 kcal BP), during which skilled paintings were being made just as the region experienced dynamic changes owing in part to climate change. Responses of local foragers are evident across a range of cultural spheres, including dramatic subsistence transformations. With the Maloti-Drakensberg’s well-known “traditional corpus” of fine-line art now known to extend back to at least 3 kcal BP, here we explore how such changes may have precipitated – and in turn been influenced by – ontological shifts in relation to the food quest. As desirable game declined and hunting windows narrowed, we suggest that Neoglacial foragers sought to manage scheduling and social conflicts through enhanced spiritual negotiation with non-human entities in the landscape. Facilitated by the supernaturally charged nature of their elevated cosmos, this intensified spiritual labour may have found material expression in an elaborate new style of painting.
{"title":"Becoming elands’ people: Neoglacial subsistence and spiritual transformations in the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains, southern Africa","authors":"Brian A. Stewart, Sam Challis","doi":"10.1080/0035919x.2023.2244923","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919x.2023.2244923","url":null,"abstract":"With new direct dates from rock paintings comes an unprecedented opportunity to relate excavated archaeological data to the parietal record in southern Africa’s Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains. Anchoring dated art to recovered palaeoenvironmental, faunal and technological data enables the incorporation into socioecological models of ideational inferences, affording insights into how hunter-gatherers perceived their mountain habitats. Of particular interest is the late Holocene Neoglacial (∼3.5–2 kcal BP), during which skilled paintings were being made just as the region experienced dynamic changes owing in part to climate change. Responses of local foragers are evident across a range of cultural spheres, including dramatic subsistence transformations. With the Maloti-Drakensberg’s well-known “traditional corpus” of fine-line art now known to extend back to at least 3 kcal BP, here we explore how such changes may have precipitated – and in turn been influenced by – ontological shifts in relation to the food quest. As desirable game declined and hunting windows narrowed, we suggest that Neoglacial foragers sought to manage scheduling and social conflicts through enhanced spiritual negotiation with non-human entities in the landscape. Facilitated by the supernaturally charged nature of their elevated cosmos, this intensified spiritual labour may have found material expression in an elaborate new style of painting.","PeriodicalId":23255,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa","volume":"27 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136266176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-04DOI: 10.1080/0035919X.2023.2211040
Vera De Cauwer, Rolf Becker, Amândio Gomes, F. Lages, W. Swanepoel, E. V. VAN JAARSVELD
The Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism is a hotspot of biodiversity and endemism, largely underexplored while new species are continually described. A reconnaissance survey of flora and vegetation was undertaken on three remote mountain tops of the western Great Escarpment: Cafema and Tchamalindi in Angola’s Iona National Park, and Middelberg in the Otjihipa Range of Namibia, providing the first floristic account for Serra Cafema. Vegetation cover and woody vegetation structure were assessed, and botanic surveys were performed. Previously collected occurrence data allowed to determine Kaokoveld endemics. Commiphora woodlands were found on the mountains despite the semi-desert on the surrounding plains. Woodlands were interspersed with montane savanna and on Cafema with sclerophyll dwarf shrubs. Our study provides the first assessments of species richness in the Ovahimba Highlands with the highest for Serra Cafema: 56 species per 1000 m2 compared to 47 species per 1000 m2 for the other mountains. Species composition, especially Cafema, is very different from the surrounding lowlands, making a case for a satellite population of Afromontane vegetation. The distribution of sixteen species was expanded from Namibia to Angola. Of the 285 taxa, 12% were Kaokoveld endemics, of which 65% woody species, both relatively high compared to Afromontane vegetation in Eastern Africa. Only a fraction of the flora could be recorded and more surveys after good rainfall are required, especially considering the threats of climate change and overgrazing. The mountain flora deserves priority conservation efforts to protect endemic plants and old taxa that survived in these refuge sites.
{"title":"The mountain top flora and vegetation of the remote Ovahimba Highlands in the Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism: a reconnaissance","authors":"Vera De Cauwer, Rolf Becker, Amândio Gomes, F. Lages, W. Swanepoel, E. V. VAN JAARSVELD","doi":"10.1080/0035919X.2023.2211040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919X.2023.2211040","url":null,"abstract":"The Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism is a hotspot of biodiversity and endemism, largely underexplored while new species are continually described. A reconnaissance survey of flora and vegetation was undertaken on three remote mountain tops of the western Great Escarpment: Cafema and Tchamalindi in Angola’s Iona National Park, and Middelberg in the Otjihipa Range of Namibia, providing the first floristic account for Serra Cafema. Vegetation cover and woody vegetation structure were assessed, and botanic surveys were performed. Previously collected occurrence data allowed to determine Kaokoveld endemics. Commiphora woodlands were found on the mountains despite the semi-desert on the surrounding plains. Woodlands were interspersed with montane savanna and on Cafema with sclerophyll dwarf shrubs. Our study provides the first assessments of species richness in the Ovahimba Highlands with the highest for Serra Cafema: 56 species per 1000 m2 compared to 47 species per 1000 m2 for the other mountains. Species composition, especially Cafema, is very different from the surrounding lowlands, making a case for a satellite population of Afromontane vegetation. The distribution of sixteen species was expanded from Namibia to Angola. Of the 285 taxa, 12% were Kaokoveld endemics, of which 65% woody species, both relatively high compared to Afromontane vegetation in Eastern Africa. Only a fraction of the flora could be recorded and more surveys after good rainfall are required, especially considering the threats of climate change and overgrazing. The mountain flora deserves priority conservation efforts to protect endemic plants and old taxa that survived in these refuge sites.","PeriodicalId":23255,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa","volume":"78 1","pages":"109 - 122"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48933308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
South Africa is considered a megadiverse country, with exceptionally high plant and relatively high animal species richness and endemism. The country’s species have been surveyed and studied for over 200 years, resulting in extensive natural science collections and a vast number of scientific papers and books. This study assessed whether existing data portals provide access to occurrence data and investigated the extent of the data in Global Biodiversity Information Facility and its completeness for plants and selected invertebrate taxa. The main focus was preserved specimen data, but some observation data from iNaturalist were also considered for selected analyses. Records that include species-level identification and co-ordinates were mapped in QGIS to show the coverage of collection localities across the country. The records that fall within the mountain range spatial layer were then extracted and counted to identify density of records per mountain range for various taxa. Forty percent of plant records are from mountain localities, and the Atlantic Cape Fold Mountains had the highest density of records. Table Mountain has been extensively collected for plants and invertebrates. A large proportion of the records for invertebrates lacked species-level identification and co-ordinates, resulting in a low number of records for analyses. The accessible data are only a relatively small subset of existing collections, and digitisation and data upgrading is considered a high priority before collecting gaps can be addressed by targeted surveys.
{"title":"An assessment of collection specimen data for South African mountain plants and invertebrates","authors":"Michelle Hamer, Mahlatse Kgatla, Bronwynne Petersen","doi":"10.1080/0035919x.2023.2200742","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0035919x.2023.2200742","url":null,"abstract":"South Africa is considered a megadiverse country, with exceptionally high plant and relatively high animal species richness and endemism. The country’s species have been surveyed and studied for over 200 years, resulting in extensive natural science collections and a vast number of scientific papers and books. This study assessed whether existing data portals provide access to occurrence data and investigated the extent of the data in Global Biodiversity Information Facility and its completeness for plants and selected invertebrate taxa. The main focus was preserved specimen data, but some observation data from iNaturalist were also considered for selected analyses. Records that include species-level identification and co-ordinates were mapped in QGIS to show the coverage of collection localities across the country. The records that fall within the mountain range spatial layer were then extracted and counted to identify density of records per mountain range for various taxa. Forty percent of plant records are from mountain localities, and the Atlantic Cape Fold Mountains had the highest density of records. Table Mountain has been extensively collected for plants and invertebrates. A large proportion of the records for invertebrates lacked species-level identification and co-ordinates, resulting in a low number of records for analyses. The accessible data are only a relatively small subset of existing collections, and digitisation and data upgrading is considered a high priority before collecting gaps can be addressed by targeted surveys.","PeriodicalId":23255,"journal":{"name":"Transactions of The Royal Society of South Africa","volume":"40 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136266171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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